13 inch or 15 inch mbp for college? yes, i read the guide.

[otissmithd]

Before you point out that there is a guide: http://guides.macrumors.com/Which_size_MacBook_Pro_should_I_buy

I want to say that I read the guide, and it pretty much told me to get either the 15 inch or 13 inch... which is my question..


I'm majoring in Information Systems, which would require a handful of programming classes, I plan to run parallels on it. But I'm concerned if a 15 inch would be too big to lug around to classes or fit on a desk. Any thoughts? Anyone with experience in this area? I just feel like a 13 is too small and 15 is too big.

I imagine i'd take the computer to most classes. I plan on doing a *little* video/photo editing. Maybe some website stuff. Mostly portability and productivity.

 

[Naimfan]

Personal preference.

I have days where I prefer the 13" and other days where I prefer the 15". For the last few months, I've been on the side of the 15"--it's just easier for me to work on, precisely because it is a bit more substantial.

That said, I love the 13" for its ease of portability and I think the form factor is just about perfect.

If money is a concern, get the base 13". If not, get the 15".

 

[genexrocket]

I used my 15" MBP Unibody for 2 years in college and it wasn't a problem for me. I took it to lectures, discussions, libraries with my backpack without a sweat. I enjoy my screen real estate. I think the 17" would be pushing it for me though.

 

[fkhan3]

If you are doing programming, I recommend hi-res 15". I have taken lot of programming classes and if I had a lower resolution I would have gone crazy scrolling around.

15" is not big at all. It will fit fine on a classroom desk. Try it out at the Apple store and see if you can get used to the size.

 

[2hvy4grvty]

MBP 15 is the size of most other laptop's 14. Just saying.

 

[palpatine]

it depends on your classroom. some will have desk/chairs that are unable to even hold the 13" comfortably. others will have tables with plenty of space. my university has a whole range of classroom setups dating from the 19th century, so you really can't tell.

as for carrying it, i lug the 13 around most days for at least 40 minutes and it is ok. i don't have a very strong back. the 15 is a little too heavy for me. it's only a small difference on paper, but on your back it seems to be magnified. this is totally subjective, and a tall, strong guy will probably not even have trouble with a 17. get a backpack, put in something the same weight as the 15, and carry it around for a day.

i actually prefer to go to class with just a pencil, paper, and ipad. i take notes on paper (remember better this way), read ipad in class / between classes (i digitized everything, so no textbooks to carry), and scan my notes into pdf form every night. if you can modify how you do things, you might find that a 15" in your room is the way to go. i am in the humanities, though. given your major, i don't know if this is feasible.

 

[dagamer34]

Depends on how often you'll be running Parallels. If it's quite often, I'd go for the 15" as the quad core CPU makes virtualizing Windows 7 seem almost native for 99% of the things you'll want to do (gaming being the other 1%).