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13 inch too small

13 inch screen

  • 13 is too small

    Votes: 46 25.8%

  • 13 is good for daily use

    Votes: 130 73.0%

  • 13 is too big 11.6 macbook air would be better

    Votes: 2 1.1%
  • Total voters
    178
it just seems to me that 13 is the new 15. 13 seems to be the "perfect size"
 
tim100 said:
it just seems to me that 13 is the new 15. 13 seems to be the "perfect size"
Click to expand...

I'd have to agree with that statement as today I switched from a 15" MBP back to my 13" MBP ... that along with a 24" ACD seems to work best for me.

No matter what various set up's I try the 13" MBP is what I always seem come back too.

gianly1985 said:
It's not just you, for a lot of people these resolutions are IDEAL:
- 13" --> 1280x800
- 15" --> 1440x900

If I were in the market for a 15", I'd take the low res.
And, for the same reason, I don't want the 13" to have an higher resolution than 1280x800. Until OSX become 100% fail-proof resolution independent, like on the (admittedly far simplier) iOS. (in the transition from SD to Retina Display NOTHIHG got smaller). Till that day, no matter how many work arounds you can use to tweak OSX for the hi-res screen, there will always be that menu or that UI element that just plain feels too small. Not to mention web pages: Safari STILL doesn't allow you to set a default zoom, you have to CMD+++ every friggin time. Or use Firefox.

Also, with low-res displays you can play most games smoothly at native res, both on the 320M @1280x800 and on the GT 330M @1440x900. For the first 1-2 years at least, and for all the past games. On hi-res notebook displays, you're often forced to go into "blurry mode" (non-native res gaming) since DAY ONE.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting that, very well said. Hi-res is fine, small fonts isn't. The 13" MBP and standard res 15" MBP are perfect.

Now I've left myself a sitting duck for the ones who believe the 13" should have resolutions of 1600x and 1900x like the Sony Z, to each their own....
 
tim100 said:
is a 13 inch notebook too small for daily usage.
Click to expand...

I think it depends on your definitions. I had a 13'' Desktop and this "feels" bigger than that for some reason - maybe the better screen. Images are much sharper etc...I really don't see why I'd want anything even remotely bigger. I'm really glad I bought the MBP and not the Envy 14
 
entatlrg said:
I'd have to agree with that statement as today I switched from a 15" MBP back to my 13" MBP ... that along with a 24" ACD seems to work best for me.

No matter what various set up's I try the 13" MBP is what I always seem come back too.
Click to expand...

the one negative is i find the 15/17 anti glare alot brighter than 13
 
tim100 said:
the one negative is i find the 15/17 anti glare alot brighter than 13
Click to expand...

The AG screens are brighter, but not necessarily in a good way in my experience some go far too bright for my liking so I wouldn't use the settings unless I was outside in direct sun maybe.

My 13" MBP is plenty bright, I'm satisfied with it outdoors too. You should try a 13" MBP, load it up with ram and an ssd and you may never look back!
 
i love my 13, i will be buying the new 27" monitor when it comes out next month for when i want to use my mbp in a desk setting. i couldnt see lugging around a 15, i have a dell studio xps 1640 that is just a monster and i never use it anymore because its just to big. im very happy with my 13 mbp and the next one i buy will be a 13 as well!
 
My 13" MBP is VERY usable as a general purpose computer.

On the other hand, my 12" Dell feels somewhat cramped and is usable only for moderate periods of time before size fatigue sets in.

cheers
JohnG
 
I just came from a 15" Gateway to this 13" MacBook Pro. Personally, as a college student, I couldn't be happier with the smaller size. 15" was always a little cumbersome for me - the computer was a little heavy and wasn't nearly as portable. I feel much more secure holding and storing my new MBP, and the screen real estate isn't any slouch either. I've had no problems with space. Maybe ignorance is bliss, but the resolution on this screen is perfectly fine. It's quite beautiful, in fact.

I do think that it's all up to personal preference. We can cite anecdotal evidence as to why one size is better than the other all day, but in the end I am the only person who can decide what is best for my eyes. You can only decide what is best for your portability.
 
I mostly went with the 13" due to the price point, but in reality, even if money wasn't an issue I still would have picked it. Now if we could cram an i5 (maybe an i3?) in it w/o massive heat issues I'd be even happier, and I agree that a higher resolution display would be nice (iPhone 4 style retina display anyone?) I just don't think you can overlook the portability factor. I had a roommate in college that I would discuss the merits of screen size vs portability w/ and for years I was the guy saying "but a bigger screen is better". When I got a hold of my first 13" MacBook at a job I worked at a couple of years ago I finally understood his point, the pure convenience factor of a smaller form factor is well worth the lost screen real estate.
 
I love my 13" MBP.. right now at least. I haven't really gotten to do anything serious on it yet, but I plan on doing some graphic design on it, as well as some programming. I'll just have to learn to manage the windows efficiently, and make use of expose and stuff like that. I'm sure my 13" will be fine.

:)
 
I'm deciding whether to upgrade to a 15" or 17" MBP. While the mode is portable, I find the 13" resolution too small at times.
 
in my office, i have my 13" mbp hooked up to a 20" 1600x1200 display and use it all day in lid-down mode. At home, I eventually will get the 27" LED Cinema display and use the MBP in "iMac mode". Everywhere else, the 13" screen is fine. 15" is way too bulky for me (and would require me to buy all new laptop bags as my bags barely fit the 13" as it is right now.

For just over $1000, you can't go wrong with the 13" MBP. If I get a bigger one, it'd have to be the 17" for strictly home use. That thing is a beast to carry around.
 
entatlrg said:
As it turns out for me the 13" MBP is currently the best notebook on the market for my needs... 7 hour battery life, sd card slot, 256ssd, 8gb ram my 13" is very fast, screen is perfect I really like it. Wish it was lighter, thinner and narrower without the wide bezel, and of course an AG option, no perfect notebook yet.

The Air, it's a great computer, would be my choice if the battery lasted longer, had more ram and ran cooler.
Click to expand...

I hear you...
I've over the years gone from a 17 Powerbook, to 15 MacBook Pro, to my present 13 MacBook Air. My MBA is probably my favourite all around of the three - now I'm in a travelling job and do a heap of travelling. Dilemma for me is battery isn't great, but also 128GB SSD is fast but too small... I'm always out of space. It also regularly runs slow when I'm doing certain tasks.

I'd love an updated MBA - but can't wait much longer...
I wanted to look at 13 MBP but only a C2D chip still?
And whilst I'd love to go for the 256 SSD AND 8 GB RAM - here in Aust - it adds AUD$1600 to the price?!?!?! OUCH!
Or do I buy one with the SSD and upgrade the RAM myself? Not sure I have the skills or confidence to upgrade the SSD though - as RAM is plug and play really when I did my 15 MBP.
 
I thought 13 would be far to small for having a mbp and figured the macbook would be a better option. But I am finding out my mid 2010 mbp is amazing and the screen is fine. My friends have the bigger models and hate hate hate moving them around or having to carry them. So we win with the 13 lol :D
 
I usually have multiple windows open so I need the screen real estate to do work. I will sometimes have Netflix streaming on one half while the other half I'm working on transferring my notes or just browsing.

It's a pain to have to flip back and forth.

Multitasking!
 
Jaro65 said:
I feel the same way. I use the 17" MBP as my main machine, but I can see how a 15" hi-res MBP could potentially replace it.
Click to expand...

i dont like the 15 high res, the font seems too small and there is not enough room to put 2 windows side by side like the 17.
 
My 13" is perfect for me, I wouldn't mind an i5 version but can live with c2d.

The 13 bundled with my iphone4 and iPad, is the perfect travel kit!

I think the 15 & 17 are too big for me, but definitely suit a lot of others.
 
tim100 said:
i dont like the 15 high res, the font seems too small and there is not enough room to put 2 windows side by side like the 17.
Click to expand...

How big do you make your windows? I find there's plenty of room to put two windows side my side on my 15" HR.
 
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