The 13 inch Mbp seems very portable to me. I've used a friends one before and it's light and easy to carry around and open up anywhere whether in a plane, in a coffee shop etc and it has amazing battery life. Can the same be said of the 15 inch without the dgpu in terms of lightness, portability, ease of use anywhere and battery life?
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15 inch portability
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Cheffy Dave
macrumors 68030
Light and portable isn't the MBP, maybe in later years somewhat, but generally
NO, portability is my absolutely favorite 11" MBA😎 and has been for years, come on Tim, how about a Retina screen, I'm 67, how long can I wait??????
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Probably not!!!
It is after all bigger and heavier and so inherently not as portable. Is it portable enough for you?? Is a question only you can answer!!!
More importantly if you need the extra performance then you'll have to put up with it's size and weight (or buy a razer blade 14 and put up with windows), if you don't then get the 13 inch..
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It is here already the 12 inch rMB, thinner lighter and with retina.
The last upgrade on the Airs in marcgh will likely be the last ones we see and it'll go the way of the original macbook and be dropped in the next couple of years while the Macbook drops in price.
Much like what has happed with the rMBP taking over from the MBP.
It is after all bigger and heavier and so inherently not as portable. Is it portable enough for you?? Is a question only you can answer!!!
More importantly if you need the extra performance then you'll have to put up with it's size and weight (or buy a razer blade 14 and put up with windows), if you don't then get the 13 inch..
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It is here already the 12 inch rMB, thinner lighter and with retina.
The last upgrade on the Airs in marcgh will likely be the last ones we see and it'll go the way of the original macbook and be dropped in the next couple of years while the Macbook drops in price.
Much like what has happed with the rMBP taking over from the MBP.
Anonymous Freak
macrumors 603
It's all up to you and your personal definition of "portability".
My current work laptop is nearly identical in size to the old pre-Retina 15" MacBook Pro. I don't find it problematic.
Previously, I used a 2006 15" MacBook Pro as my primary laptop for many years.
Prior to THAT, I had 12" PowerBook G4, so I was used to "small". Prior to THAT I used an ultra-portable PC (Sony PictureBook) that made even the 12" PowerBook look big.
That said, it also depends on what amount of computing power you need to carry with you.
If your workload is such that you see a large improvement in productivity using a quad-core CPU and especially a discrete GPU, then yes, the 15" is absolutely worth it.
If a dual-core CPU and integrated graphics are fine for your workflow, and you want maximum portability, then a 15" probably would be "more than you need."
In my case, when I got my 15" MacBook Pro in 2006, I made the choice to move to using just a laptop, with no desktop computer. (I'd "dock" my MBP, plugging it in to a larger external display, keyboard, mouse, and external hard drive.) With the one computer as my only primary-use computer, getting the larger/full-feature MBP made perfect sense.
Since then, I have gone back to using a desktop as my primary home computer, and don't need much in the way of portable computing power (I actually use an old 15" Titanium PowerBook G4 as my primary mobile computer now, largely out of nostalgia.) Whenever I decide to get a new portable, I'll probably go for the new 12" MacBook. It provides "enough" power for my portable computing needs, while being ultra-small-and-light.
My current work laptop is nearly identical in size to the old pre-Retina 15" MacBook Pro. I don't find it problematic.
Previously, I used a 2006 15" MacBook Pro as my primary laptop for many years.
Prior to THAT, I had 12" PowerBook G4, so I was used to "small". Prior to THAT I used an ultra-portable PC (Sony PictureBook) that made even the 12" PowerBook look big.
That said, it also depends on what amount of computing power you need to carry with you.
If your workload is such that you see a large improvement in productivity using a quad-core CPU and especially a discrete GPU, then yes, the 15" is absolutely worth it.
If a dual-core CPU and integrated graphics are fine for your workflow, and you want maximum portability, then a 15" probably would be "more than you need."
In my case, when I got my 15" MacBook Pro in 2006, I made the choice to move to using just a laptop, with no desktop computer. (I'd "dock" my MBP, plugging it in to a larger external display, keyboard, mouse, and external hard drive.) With the one computer as my only primary-use computer, getting the larger/full-feature MBP made perfect sense.
Since then, I have gone back to using a desktop as my primary home computer, and don't need much in the way of portable computing power (I actually use an old 15" Titanium PowerBook G4 as my primary mobile computer now, largely out of nostalgia.) Whenever I decide to get a new portable, I'll probably go for the new 12" MacBook. It provides "enough" power for my portable computing needs, while being ultra-small-and-light.
Unless he's been waiting since 2011, the rMB is a major step backward. The only thing MISSING from his 11" air is a nice screen. Not the thing he'd be willing to give up the rest of the machine for.
https://www.macrumors.com/2015/04/01/retina-macbook-benchmark-performance/
Portability is all relative. While a 15" MBP is more powerful and heavier than a 13" or smaller, I find it more portable than the 17" HP that I'm currently toting around here in Japan for work training. My MBP is my personal computer, and I cannot use it on the company networks. While riding on the trains and buses and walking around here in Japan, I'd love to carry the 15" MBP than the HP that I'm using right now. However, for personal projects and side gigs, I think that the 15" is very power and still portable enough to carry around. Other people have differing opinions, which is why they choose smaller.
Well
It has 8gb of RAM so it'll be just as good for multitasking non intensive apps as a macbook pro.
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The rMB is not that far off on benchmarks and with non intensive apps it will be fine with a standard 8gb RAM and superfast SSD.
It has 8gb of RAM so it'll be just as good for multitasking non intensive apps as a macbook pro.
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The rMB is not that far off on benchmarks and with non intensive apps it will be fine with a standard 8gb RAM and superfast SSD.
glenthompson
macrumors demi-god
As mentioned, portability is relative. Unless you're in first class, nothing works well on a plane with the possible exception of the 11" Air. Where do you plan to take the laptop? Is there enough space on the table at that coffee shop? Do you plan to move it from room to room at home?
I use an iPad for portability around the house. My MBP stays in one place until I travel. My 15" is about ½ the thickness of my old 14" Lenovo I used to have. It fit in my backpack better too. I like the extra screen space too much to go to a 13". Your mileage may vary.
I use an iPad for portability around the house. My MBP stays in one place until I travel. My 15" is about ½ the thickness of my old 14" Lenovo I used to have. It fit in my backpack better too. I like the extra screen space too much to go to a 13". Your mileage may vary.