Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

alittleloving

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 21, 2009
29
0
Which do you prefer? I think Im going to get the 13 inch.. Does anyone find the 13" inch to be too small?
 
I'm wrestling with this decision, myself. I've always had 15" MBPs but for the next upgrade I'm pondering making the move to the 13". The only part that gives a moment's pause is that the screen resolution really is sort of small. 800 vertical pixels is pretty tiny. Then again, we've got a few MacBook Airs at the office and I don't mind using them, and that's the same resolution.
 
I live near 4 Apple retail stores. I visit them frequently. I just bought the 13" MBP. Each time I visit the Apple stores I never regret my purchase. The 15" is too big for ME to carry. I emphasized "ME" because those are MY needs.

It's not going to do the OP any good asking us if we feel the 13" is too small or if the 15" is too big. He needs to see for himself and make that decision. TBH, we can't make the decision for you nor is our opinion going to help. It's ultimately up to you.
 
I have a 13" macbook, and I can confidently say that the 15" would have been too big for my traveling needs.
 
I, too, visited my local Apple store more times than I care to admit or the employees wanted to see me without buying something. I went 15" because my gut said so. FOR ME, it's bigger screen and a lousy pound heavier made it easy for me. I needed the landscape and felt it was worth the trade off of weight and slightly larger profile. That said, I am still amazed at how thin this thing is and how easy it is to lug around (the house, till I got my SLEEVE; but that is another post). :eek:
 
I like both equally well, since I have owned both Mac 13" and 15" notebooks. I need a discrete graphic card and less squinting. Obviously, the 15" does that better than a 13".
 
I think there are a couple threads on this, but the 15 inch is nicer from a real estate perspective. You will like the screen size and in my opinion it is more of a professional machine. Plus you have better processor options, graphics, etc.
 
i used to have macbook pro 15' for the last 2 years.. but have found it to be too big to carry it around... and i use it for architecture stuff...
and bought macbook pro 13 couple of weeks ago.. and oh boy.. i love it! :D and its perfect...
 
there's just something personal about the 13" to me. it feels like carrying a large magazine around. for my needs, i'm a traveling business professional, the smaller footprint is great. i used to have an Air but having to pull out the USB burner to burn media for clients was a bit of a pain. so when the early 2009 aluminum books in 13" came out, i jumped on them.

the only thing i'm jealous of in the 15's is the 9600 nvidia card.. that's pretty schwing!
 
See my sig.

Me and the missus was passing by an Apple store over the weekend
and they had all 3 models in the window, biggest to smallest, I asked my missus hey what do you think of that one (pointing to the 15") she replied "why are you showing me that? you have it already" I said, I do yes but the smaller one to the right.. she couldnt believe it...

She said that using it at home it feels so comfortable and the 13" screen doesnt feel or look so tiny like it does in the window display lined up next to the 15" and 17". I guess thats a good thing right?
 
I have a 15" and love the size. I got my mother a 13" and every time I use it to upgrade her software/troubleshoot, I really miss that extra couple of inches of screen. For me, I wouldn't do less than a 15".

But as a previous poster said, that's just ME and fits my needs and tastes. You really should see them live and decide whether the extra real estate is worth the extra cabbage for YOU.
 
I love my white 13" MB. Does almost all I need it to do. I connect to desktop monitors, works well.

Having said that, I just ordered a 15" MBP. Wife inherits trusty ol' MB. Why? Well, the 13" is just fine 95% of the time, but my eyes are not what I think they used to be, if I remember correctly... I look forward to a bit more performance, more storage, and a better screen with far better graphics.

Bottom line, bigger laptop is like a sidearm -- you don't need it until you REALLY need it. Your needs must dictate your choice. Go to the :apple: Store or even Best Buy and play until you feel good about it. Good luck!
 
I think it really depends what you will use the notebook for.

We started using 17 "desktop replacements" first with the HP ZD7000s and HP ZD8000s after that we moved to the 17" MBPs. We mainly use it just with adobe apps and couldn't imagine anything smaller than 17. On the other hand one of our sales guys just needs to access our sales program/email/reports/web and uses a 15" and would love to switch to a 13" because he travels a lot and doesn't need a huge screen. As soon as he can afford it he'll be buying the 13" mbp.
 
Anything would be bigger than this eee pc's 9" Screen... but my current main computer is a 13" Macbook and I saw no reason when I ordered my Pro to go up a screen size. It is plenty big enough and as I have a weak knee, I'd like the lighter model for portability reasons too.

But it's all completely on taste. I could probably cope with a 15" but there's no way I'd want a 17" for a laptop I actually move. Maybe as a desktop replacement, but otherwise no. :)
 
I was using a 15.4" widescreen Sony Vaio laptop for about 4 years. It is a Pentium 4, so it is not very portable and it weighs about 8 pounds. And you can't forget the power brick. That thing is huge. :eek: It looks just like this...

thumb_161_image1_brick_low.jpg


I just got a 13" MBP and I feel the screen size is perfect. I had no issues going to a smaller screen and I like the 13" better. At 4.5 pounds, its very easy to carry around, especially in a sleeve. If I have to take my Vaio anywhere, which is rare, I use a bulky laptop bag and it is such a hassle to lug around.

Anyways, back to your question, you really have to see them for yourself. And if you feel you need the extra size, by all means go for it! I hope you find your perfect machine! :)
 
I, too, visited my local Apple store more times than I care to admit or the employees wanted to see me without buying something. I went 15" because my gut said so. FOR ME, it's bigger screen and a lousy pound heavier made it easy for me. I needed the landscape and felt it was worth the trade off of weight and slightly larger profile. That said, I am still amazed at how thin this thing is and how easy it is to lug around (the house, till I got my SLEEVE; but that is another post). :eek:

I bought the 13" model....and for the sleeve I will order the booq taipan skin -brown- (hope this is a smart choice!)
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.