15'' rMBP Owners - wish you had the 13?

[notrack]

Coming from a 13" late 2008 C2D Alu unibody, I just got the 15" with nvidia this week. It's huge and it's a biest.

I think 13" is the ideal size for usability and mobility. But I need power for heavy editing in Aperture, so a 13" is no option.

On the other hand, the new 15" rMBP has the exact same weight as my old 13" (2.02 kg) and fits in the same bag.

A showstopper for the big one would be if I was constantly on a plane or train or in meetings all the time. That can get really inconvenient as even 13" is pretty big in such situations.

 

[jffluis]

15" rMBP is so light that I don't need a 13".. I carry my own rMBP to university everyday and is so light that sometimes I check my bag to see if it is in there

 

[abowlby]

I should add that another reason I love the 13" is because it finally dethroned the MBA as "traveller's best friend."

Plus, upon returning home Thunderbolting into a Cinema Display is easy peazy. :^)

 

[Traverse]

No, I like the 15" rMBP.

I wouldn't go for a 13" if it was free.

Really? I'm sure you could find some use for a 13" free rMBP.

 

[carjakester]

i was planning on getting the 15" but due to cost i opted for the 13". I am now glad with the size though i liked on my pc (17.7") how much room i had to work 2 applications in almost full size. on the 13" it is difficult to have pages and safari side by side. But since I'm in school, the 13" is favorable and with 16gb of ram I'm sure it will easily last me 5-6 years and by then i will be able to decide whether to upgrade to 15" or not.

 

[yjchua95]

Really? I'm sure you could find some use for a 13" free rMBP.

I had an almost identical situation too (got a free 13" base Haswell rMBP from a raffle), and didn't know what to do with it since it was a 2.4/4/128 machine. 4GB of RAM was just plain inadequate for what I do.

So I gave it to my mom. She's thrilled with it and uses it for web surfing and listening to music, and the occasional movie and word processing.

 

[FuNGi]

Nope. Not at all. I can't get serious work done day after day on anything less than 15". Also, I like the better speakers and graphics card on the 15". I take my old ass 2010 MBA when traveling so that I don't get too crowded on airplanes.

I can't wait until the day when they can make a laptop the size of an 11" air with an expanding screen that can go up to 17".

 

[thundersteele]

I can't wait until the day when they can make a laptop the size of an 11" air with an expanding screen that can go up to 17".

A while ago there was an IBM (or Lenovo) workstation, 17'' I believe, where you could fold out another 11'' or so screen on the side. Of course it was a 6 kilo monster

Imagine a small notebook with a form factor corresponding to a 960x1200 resolution, that folds out and gives you a nice 1920x1200 screen (of course in retina, so 3840x2400... ).

Or... Starbucks and other coffee shops should install TB displays

 

[Barney63]

Also, I like the better speakers and graphics card on the 15".

I think the audio on my 15" actually sounds quieter than the 13".

Barney

 

[Powermax]

I had a 13" MBP before the 15" and I love the bigger screen! Would never wanna go back!

 

[FuNGi]

I think the audio on my 15" actually sounds quieter than the 13".

Barney

Really? Through the keys rather than grill?

 

[Barney63]

Really? Through the keys rather than grill?

I've just tried them side by side and the 13" is definitely louder.

Barney

 

[yjchua95]

I've just tried them side by side and the 13" is definitely louder.

Barney

I agree. I also tried the same thing between my 15" and 13" rMBPs.

That said, I always have them connected to a Bose system in my home, so the built-in speakers don't really matter much to me.

 

[FuNGi]

I agree. I also tried the same thing between my 15" and 13" rMBPs.

That said, I always have them connected to a Bose system in my home, so the built-in speakers don't really matter much to me.

I have a feeling the apparent louder volume through the keys does not equate to overall better sound through the grill of the 15". I for one never listen to the laptop speakers above around 75% unless watching a movie with two. In that case the audio blow-out is less important.

Edit: I just noticed how much louder the 15" sounds if you cover both grills with your hands. It forces the sound out of the keys and air intakes only. It sounds louder but not better. Sound is so weird. 13" rMBP speakers link; 15" rMBP speakers link

 

[benguild]

Nope. Weight on the 15-inch is practically the same it seems like. Also, the 15-inch is much better to use for projects IMO

 

[Badrottie]

I have 2012 rMBP 15" I love it very much and coming from 15" Powerbook G4 and 2007 15" MBP (those two are very heavy to carry around) and I thought 15" rMBP was light to carry but it is not...it is little heavy. I am unable to run as fast as I can to catch departing city bus anymore. I should have gone to 13" but I don't think dual core CPU is powerful to run what I work with FCPX, Aparture, Handbrake, and some big time games.

 

[CosmoFox]

I have a 15" that I really like. I might sell it for a 13" so I can lug it to work though. maybe even get a MBA if they ever get a retina display. The MBA display is terrible as-is.

 

[Hieveryone]

15" rMBP is so light that I don't need a 13".. I carry my own rMBP to university everyday and is so light that sometimes I check my bag to see if it is in there

Do you use a case? My 13" has gotten surprisingly heavy after throwing a case on it.

 

[Mike Boreham]

I would never the get the 13"...far too underpowered for its price range especially with that wimpy dual core processor. Took a little bit of getting used to the 15" coming from a 12" toshiba but now I don't even notice it. I feel like anything less would be too small.

True, but remember that the single core speed of the 13in MBPs is similar to the single core speed of the 15 inch....so it is only multi processor apps where the quad core benefits. If you are regularly do heavy movie work or similar you will see a difference, but for most activity you won't.

I couldn't decide 13 or 15 so I got both (I needed two anyway). I sold two 17 inch MBPs to get late 2013 rMBPs and have been surprised by how little I notice the smaller real estate...even when using the 13 inch. For just a few activities where real estate matters I switch to higher res (with Eye-Friendly, one click in the menu bar).

The battery life is a bit longer on the 13 inch.

 

[jffluis]

Do you use a case? My 13" has gotten surprisingly heavy after throwing a case on it.

Yes, I use this one

 

[UBS28]

No, the 15" rMBP is already extremely portable. It's very thin and light. The only advantage the 13" rMBP has over the 15" rMBP is lower costs.

 

[ECJ]

Just got my rMBP 15", and it's very portable. I went from MBA 13 to rMBP 13", then finally to to the rMBP 15". It's not that bad at all. I feel a little more weight, but I don't carry my bag all day. The benefit of the screen size and power far out weighs the weight for me.

 

[brdeveloper]

Turn the 15" 6-core and the 13" 4-core, then we have a deal. I came from a 2kg White Macbook, so a 15" rMBP with a bigger screen and around 5x processing power for the same weight is a great deal. I carry it in my bag every day.

 

[joejoejoe]

just want to say i got it (15 rmbp nvidia) and i'm head over heals for this machine.

it's the best machine i've ever owned.

never been so happy with a computer.

 

[MikeVera]

I just went from a mid 2013 Air to a retina 15, and absolutely love it!!!

The speed, and screen much outweigh the larger form factor, and I'm a full time student that takes it everywhere. It's really quite portable!