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Is the 13" Macbook Pro a real Pro?


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shambo

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 4, 2009
647
0
So I was in the Apple Store again yesterday and whilst looking around the different versions of the notebooks it suddenly struck me that, with all things considered, the 13" Macbook Pro isn't really a 'Pro'. It doesn't look or feel very Pro-like especially when you consider the lower spec, tiny screen size, and larger bezel. It really strikes home when you see all the 13", 15", and 17" laid out side-by-side on display. I really think by upgrading the 13" name to 'Macbook Pro' Apple are doing a grave injustice to all the customers who could afford and purchased the real Pros'.

Does anyone else feel the same?
 

GoCubsGo

macrumors Nehalem
Feb 19, 2005
35,741
153
You can ask the same about any of the 13" or 15" models actually. What really makes a MBP a "pro" machine?
 

shambo

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 4, 2009
647
0
You could but i think the size of the 13" really makes it look like a 'noddy' pro.
 

tim100

macrumors 65816
May 25, 2009
1,368
0
So I was in the Apple Store again yesterday and whilst looking around the different versions of the notebooks it suddenly struck me that, with all things considered, the 13" Macbook Pro isn't really a 'Pro'. It doesn't look or feel very Pro-like especially when you consider the lower spec, tiny screen size, and larger bezel. It really strikes home when you see all the 13", 15", and 17" laid out side-by-side on display. I really think by upgrading the 13" name to 'Macbook Pro' Apple are doing a grave injustice to all the customers who could afford and purchased the real Pros'.

Does anyone else feel the same?

Is the 17'' the only mbp you consider a pro? Regarding design (screen size, bezel and overall feel) do you prefer the style of the 17'' over the 13''? I have read many complaints on here that the 17'' is ugly and too big.
 

macboy4

macrumors regular
Feb 17, 2009
241
0
Really? The 13" screen size and bezel is the reason it's not a Pro? When I saw your post I thought it would be "The 13" doesn't have the discrete GPU..." and I think there's a legitimate argument there, but the bezel, c'mon.

For most pros I know 15" isn't big enough either, but there's this little thing on the left side of all of them called a mini display port that lets you plug it into a great big 30" ACD, regardless of the built in screen size.

The 13" may not be as Pro as it's big brothers, but it's not because of the screen size and bezel.
 

shambo

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 4, 2009
647
0
Really? The 13" screen size and bezel is the reason it's not a Pro? When I saw your post I thought it would be "The 13" doesn't have the discrete GPU..." and I think there's a legitimate argument there, but the bezel, c'mon.

For most pros I know 15" isn't big enough either, but there's this little thing on the left side of all of them called a mini display port that lets you plug it into a great big 30" ACD, regardless of the built in screen size.

The 13" may not be as Pro as it's big brothers, but it's not because of the screen size and bezel.

Well I did mention the lower spec just not the actual specifics. And for me the thicker bezel on the 13" looks amateurish.
 

shambo

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 4, 2009
647
0
Is the 17'' the only mbp you consider a pro? Regarding design (screen size, bezel and overall feel) do you prefer the style of the 17'' over the 13''? I have read many complaints on here that the 17'' is ugly and too big.

Well personally I like the 17" screen and bezel but the size and power of the high-end 15". I would only consider the range upwards from the top-spec 15" to 17" as Pros.
 

Eddyisgreat

macrumors 601
Oct 24, 2007
4,851
2
The 13 and 15 inch are about as professional as your uncle earl with a brand new DSLR charging $1500 dollars to shoot his first wedding next week.

I mean, they are good machines, don't get me wrong, but an SD card slot? Tsk tsk. I know i'm in the minority who think this, but i'm in that 1% that Apple said uses the expresscard slot. So much more "pro" in my opinion no matter how you want to slice it. Anyone with a new 15/13 will only have FW800 as their fastest transfer mechanism for the rest of the computers usable life, but then again most of the people I know with a MBP don't can't even spell FW let alone know what it is. If doesn't fit into the USB slot it must be broken.

Speaking of FW, Apple's use of the el cheapo Agere FW chipset? Unacceptable. I still don't know how the creators of firewire are peddling out low quality versions of their product.

But to answer the question, no , the 13" isn't pro. The 12" powerbook of its day was pro for the time, and currently the only pro unibody is the 17" machine by any measure.
 

Demosthenes X

macrumors 68000
Oct 21, 2008
1,954
5
All of these 'the 13" is not a Pro machine' threads are stupid, but this one takes the cake. It's not 'Pro' because it has a smaller screen and because the bezel "looks amateurish"? How on Earth does the bezel affect the productivity and usefulness of the machine? Right - it doesn't! It has no impact at all on whether the machine can be used for "Professional" needs or not.

As to the specs... do you need to be using 3D-intensive apps (about the only thing the 13" can't do as well as the others) to be a professional? Better not tell that to all those professional businesspeople, lawyers, doctors, bankers... you know, professionals for whom the specs of the 13" are more than adequate.
 

shambo

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 4, 2009
647
0
All of these 'the 13" is not a Pro machine' threads are stupid, but this one takes the cake. It's not 'Pro' because it has a smaller screen and because the bezel "looks amateurish"? How on Earth does the bezel affect the productivity and usefulness of the machine? Right - it doesn't! It has no impact at all on whether the machine can be used for "Professional" needs or not.

As to the specs... do you need to be using 3D-intensive apps (about the only thing the 13" can't do as well as the others) to be a professional? Better not tell that to all those professional businesspeople, lawyers, doctors, bankers... you know, professionals for whom the specs of the 13" are more than adequate.

Sorry maybe I should have clarified this is about the spec AND aesthetic look of a machine supposedly labelled 'Pro'.
 

Outrigger

macrumors 68000
Dec 22, 2008
1,765
96
Well personally I like the 17" screen and bezel but the size and power of the high-end 15". I would only consider the range upwards from the top-spec 15" to 17" as Pros.

You still haven't answered the question as to what makes a pro a pro. Bottom line is that its subjective. But I don't think you really know what makes a pro, a pro. You're just looking at it from the size stand point which has nothing to do with something being called pro.

IMO, I don't consider the 13" a pro only because it doesn't the discreet GPU and there's almost no difference between it and the previous 13UMB. Apple just decided to rebrand it to a pro to make entrance to a pro ownership cheaper. Many pro machines run programs and aren't outfitted with discreet GPUs. Its what you do with the machine that determines its "pro" level, not the screen size or bezel which is a pretty lame argument.
 

OutSpoken

macrumors 6502a
Jun 9, 2009
903
107
UK
Here we go again:rolleyes:

Express slot vs sd card reader vs 13" vs 15" vs 17" vs pro vs pro consumer vs glossy vs matt vs black keys vs silver keys

Look, it is what it is..a 13 inch Macbook Pro:p if you have a problem with that speak to jobs.:D
 

Fizzoid

macrumors 68020
Jul 11, 2008
2,140
154
UK
As to the specs... do you need to be using 3D-intensive apps (about the only thing the 13" can't do as well as the others) to be a professional? Better not tell that to all those professional businesspeople, lawyers, doctors, bankers... you know, professionals for whom the specs of the 13" are more than adequate.

Bottom line is that its subjective
Exactly! I use a 13" MacBook (unibody) for my job, I'm a professional, therefore that makes it a Pro machine (for me at least)
 

wankey

macrumors 6502a
Aug 24, 2005
600
293
How can Apple make it really "pro" definition?

Upgrade the graphics cards to all dual for 15 inch and above (ditch the crappy 9400m, what generation are we in now? Geforce 250m is already going OFF the market)

Upgrade the cooling solution for all macbooks to some high tech Apple styled cooling.

Make ram 4 gigs standard and use triple channel so you get 6 gigs of ram for 17inch (all upgradable to 8/12gigs of ram)

For heaven's sake put in a better screen for all macbook pros. 13 inch is a joke, and bring the matte bezel to the 13inch if you want to keep the pro name.

Other than that I don't see how they can improve the laptop any further other than size shrinks which I'd rather not have. I'd rather have better cooling and more speed!

Possibly introduce SSD as default for all mac laptops when they are cheap enough.
 

JonHimself

macrumors 68000
Nov 3, 2004
1,553
5
Toronto, Ontario
I think the problem is that everyone's definition of "Pro" is different. One time someone paid me several hundred dollars to take photos at an anniversary and I used my iBook G4 to edit the photos that I then had printed for them. Technically, that would make me a 'professional' in that I was paid money for a job and I used that machine do accomplish it.
I'm sure there are a ton of "professionals" who use an iMac instead of the MacPro just as I bet there are a lot of "professionals" who use the Macbook as well.
I'm not sure that the Pro monicker really means too much and is just around because it was used to distinguish the two lines.
The other problem is that my understanding is that the Pro is "aimed" at professionals and the non-Pro was "aimed" at consumers. There are also consumers who would buy the Pro for any number of reasons (the look, graphic card, the status) none of which are because they are a professional.

Edit: To sum that all up, the "Pro" (in my opinion) is more of a name than it is a description of capabilities/use.
 

macchiato2009

macrumors 65816
Aug 14, 2009
1,258
1
it's a bit silly to believe that small screen size does not make the 13" belong to the MBP family:

screen panel way better than previous generations, same specs as 15", same battery life, video card capable of decoding HD videos...

apple is improving its machine every year

the name does not make any sense in fact, if they make a new MB, overall quality will be also going up

moreover, the MBA is a high end machine to me... slimmest design so far at expensive price which recently dropped...


it seems to me that there will always be frustrated people...

to them: get a pc !

damn it, pc manufacturers are always offering the latest technologies first... but with a heavy and bulky machine, a crappy design and not mention that their machines are crashing and not very long lasting compared to Mac...

i'm a very demanding person but i'm very happy with my MBP13

I have the resources to spend more in a stronger machine, perhaps a high end 15" but i chose to get the 13" because it's a great machine and it perfectly fits my needs

why are people always complaining ??? :mad:
 

JonHimself

macrumors 68000
Nov 3, 2004
1,553
5
Toronto, Ontario
9400M only = Not a professional machine!

I have a unibody macbook,but only for its size compared to my 15".

The problem is that it's subjective. I've seen a sound guy recording a live concert using the 13" mbp and a friend's band just recorded an album where the 13" mbp was the main station of the DAW (hooked up to a monitor)... none of which had anything to do with the 9400M.
 

mbtalle

macrumors member
Sep 19, 2008
38
0
ATL
Adding the word "Pro" to the end of Macbook doesn't truly make it "Pro". I have an early 2008 MBP and the reason why I bought it was to edit video and photos. It was the Mac I needed to do more "power consuming" things (faster processor, more RAM, better video card). Hence, it truly being "Pro". I think Apple had it right by limiting MBPs to 15" & 17".

On another note, I purchased a refurb 13" uMB last week for $400-500 less than a 13" MBP... I refused to pay that extra money over one word.
 
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