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17" of Bliss

I like the 15" there is reason and place for a 13", but honestly, give me 17" of Doom. Where else can I land my harrier jump jet without an aircraft carrier (AKA 17" PowerBook). Not that I have a harrier jump jet, but if I did, the 17" would be a perfect place to land one. Anyway, give me 17" or give me death.

~The Red Wolf~
 
im a little confused here. are the new 17" MBP's optical drives going to have the same capabilites as the current ones? from what i gather, the extra "thinness" is resulting in having to use slower optical drive with less capabilities. if this is true then i will just stick with what i have.

how on earth can they release a new product like this with a worse optical drive than what they currently have? you mean you have to trade one thousandth of an inch for a worse optical drive? say it aint so! :confused:
 
a vote for the 17, along with the 12ers

While the 12-13" form factor may be perfect for lawyers and other types who do not need to do much more than look at webpages, for anyone who uses their laptop as a computer during client meetings, or architects/designers/artists...if you want a laptop, the bigger the screen, the better. In SF, I see more 17"ers than 12"ers. The 12" is mostly a ibook, with the same very dim screen.
Oddly, every design firm ceo I have come across in the bay area seems to have a 17" for their main computer. They take them to client meetings, and don't even need to have a projector for presentations.

As for portability, yes, its 2 or 3 pounds heavier, but its not a problem. My 3g ipod seems large and unportable compared to a nano, and my canon elph s500 seems fat and heavy compared to current models. But really, if you think a 17" powerbook is not portable, you might be a little spoiled. it weighs 7 pounds! Mine has gone coast to coast and around the world, and I've never wished I had a 12". IN fact, as a designer, the ultimate laptop would be a 19"+. Not many have the money to buy a laptop AND a cinema dsiplay!:D

Cheers.
 
Kelmon said:
In regards to the 12" vs. 17" debate, I'm voting 17" because it will be my sole computer so I need the screen space. I presume that those voting for a 12" already have a "main" computer with a good sized screen or will be connecting it directly to an external display. I can't imagine trying to work with only a 12" display on a day-to-day basis.


Ditto. But I'll probably wind up going with 15" for portability if the screen size is the only difference.
 
notrylook said:
While the 12-13" form factor may be perfect for lawyers and other types who do not need to do much more than look at webpages, for anyone who uses their laptop as a computer during client meetings, or architects/designers/artists...if you want a laptop, the bigger the screen, the better.
Cheers.

Exactly...I cannot understand why this idea eludes a good number of people. If you don't have the need for the power, don't get the 17. However, you should recognize that the 17 certainly has a large user base, and is really not all that huge when your actually using one. I would certainly jump on a 20" macbook pro.

The other day, I was presented with a good analogy to this notion, which I will outline here. I was standing outside of a building smoking a cigarette the other day, when I happened upon an old friend of mine. We chatted back and forth, then he mentioned how he was involved in the whole "Truth" movement against cigarette smoking. He went on to assert that he does not understand why people smoke cigarettes, and concluded by saying they have no place in our society. I quickly followed by highlighting the fact that he does not have to understand or condone why people smoke. He just has to accept the fact that some choose to smoke, and respect that option.

Similarly, the 17 inch powerbook (and potentially larger) is activly used by a good number of people that see benefit from its form factor and feature set. All the students using their iBooks to take notes and visit web pages cannot fathom why on earth someone would need a 17" laptop, it just doesn't make sense to them. What they fail to realize is that having a computer that is on par, in terms of speed, with some desktops in a package that is easily movable from point A to point B (notice I didnt use portable) has many uses for the professional and amature alike.

I encourage any developments in Apple's line. Many collegues of mine would die for a 10" Apple laptop. I certainly can do without one, but I dont immediatly write their idea off as crazy. Rather, I understand that there is a market for a 10" book, and the expert financial planners over at Apple will determine if one is in the cards or not. Similarly, we should not disregard each other's ideas/wishes, but embrace them as something the Apple customer-based would like to see. If these ideas keep popping up in isolation (ie: a 20" Macbook Pro, or a 10" iBook for that matter, have been recurring themes over the past several months), then they deserve attention.

Open your minds people, THINK DIFFERENT ;)
 
i understand the point you make with your analogy and this is not so much a rebuttle as an aside


a better statement for your friend would be he doesnt have to understand why people start smoking. i hate cigarette smoke, and i don't understand taking up the habit of smoking marijuana. i DO understand what i consider the most basic reason people who have started one of these activities continues doing it (and you can quit anytime ;))
 
Ahhh... what a wonderful thing of beauty the 17" powerBook has been: perfect for DVD viewing & creating, manipulating images in Photoshop & Carrara Studio (or whatever your fave 2d & 3d, respectively, programs are), relearning mathematics, and relieving stress via Unreal Tournament (or Marathon Rubicon).

A new dual-core unit with native software conversions of my fave graphics suites will have me upgrading in a jiffy -- provided Apple eventually speeds the things up to 3ghz !! :D
 
Honestly, I hope they do make a 17" MacBook Pro. However, I don't wanna see a 12" or 13" MacBook Pro like there was a PowerBook 12" because it clashed too much with the iBook 12". They need to seperate the lines a lot so therefore have 13" or 12" MacBooks (Intel iBooks) and then have the 15" and 17" MacBook Pros. That could work. :)
 
Having used an Acer Travelmate C11Tci for a few years now, I can tell you that there's definitely good things to be said for small laptops (this laptop has a 10.4" screen). Now,I can also think of many good arguments for 17" and upwards: if you need it, or feel that you do, I have no business telling you that it's absurd. Personally, anything would be an increase in size for me at this point, so I will be more than happy with a 13.3" widescreen. Granted, I will eventually buy an LCD TV for home use (and connectivity, naturally). The point is that portable can be good, but I can also see the point in a larger, but still moveable, laptop.
 
I can't understand why anyone would want to fob off the 17" PB. Honestly, it is the best damn computing experience I have ever had. Have you ever tried to watch a DVD with a couple of friends on 12" laptop. Nuff said. And it is not as much of a problem lugging it around if you dont need to be mobile all the time...I know all this crap has been said before but I thought I would just include my 2 cents again...:D
 
Caitlyn said:
Honestly, I hope they do make a 17" MacBook Pro. However, I don't wanna see a 12" or 13" MacBook Pro like there was a PowerBook 12" because it clashed too much with the iBook 12". They need to seperate the lines a lot so therefore have 13" or 12" MacBooks (Intel iBooks) and then have the 15" and 17" MacBook Pros. That could work. :)

I think it would make most sense to have 3 sizes 13, 15, 17 and a 'low end' and 'high end' at each size.

The iBook & PB distinction will probably cease to exist. I think that Apple would want to decrease the number of product lines it has rather than increase them; in the interests of inventory and profitability.

How they name these products is a different story.
 
It's horses for courses really chaps.

I think we're all agreed that we can't wait to see more MBPs in various sizes and with loads of goodies on board.

I'm personally hoping for a very nicely specced 13" MBP which, hooked up to a big display at home, will be my main system yet portable enough to use frequently on the road.
 
Let's make it happen!

sunfast said:
I'm personally hoping for a very nicely specced 13" MBP which, hooked up to a big display at home, will be my main system yet portable enough to use frequently on the road.

AMEN!! My only want from Apple:

$1499 price-point 13.3”

Intel Core Duo 1.67Ghz Processor
512Mb DDR2 SD-RAM (2Gb MAX)
667Mhz FSBUS
1280x960 resolution is enough for me, wouldn't mind more for HD.
80Gb 5400rpm Serial ATA Hard Drive (option for 7200rpms please..need it for audio!)
Slot-Loading Superdrive
Ati Mobility Radeon X1400 128Mb GDDR3 Memory (would love X1600 though)
Front Row and Apple Remote
iSight Built-in
Airport + Bluetooth and Firewire 400

PS: AT LEAST 4hours battery life on lowest settings is a MUST...(i get min 4.5hrs with the iBook 12")

Let's make it happen guys, the more we post about it, the most Apple will have a reason to make one. How could anyone possibly outcast the 12" Powerbook? One of Apple's biggest legacies in portable computing...
 
mishi said:
seriously...all you people who complain about the weight and/or size of th 17" powerbooks really need to go to the gym or somthing!!

ive had my 17"pb for ages now..and i use it at uni every single day, screw a 12" or 13".....we want POWER!!

oh ya...X1800 512 PLEASE!!!:eek: :) :rolleyes: :cool:

I am with you. I don't get all of these people complaining about the 17" being too big. I've had mine for two years and I've taken it to Mexico, China, Japan, Spain and Hong Kong on business. Never had a problem on the plane and since I am in front of my system for long periods of time the bigger screen is much more comfortable than a smaller one. If you've never used one I really don't think you can provide a valid comment about the system.
 
I love my 15" powerbook, but I'm definately waiting to see if a 17" MB drops.. I always proclaimed I don't need 17" of real estate, buuuut, the MB may just persuade me!
 
stuartguthrieuk said:
What is 'Merom'?

It's the architecture Conroe and Woodcrest are based off. :p :cool:

Yeah, basically it's Intel's upcoming mobile solution - 64-bit chip, low power, and here's a big one - pin-compatible with Yonah. :eek: :cool:
 
Yonah Soldered To MBP Motherboard

~Shard~ said:
It's the architecture Conroe and Woodcrest are based off. :p :cool:

Yeah, basically it's Intel's upcoming mobile solution - 64-bit chip, low power, and here's a big one - pin-compatible with Yonah. :eek: :cool:
Yeah, that would be cool if it weren't for the fact that Apple is soldering Yonah to the motherboard instead of plugging it into a socket. :mad: :( :eek:
 
anybody else hoping we get expresscard/54 AND FW800 on a 17"?
there should be enough space for these, and it would make up for neither of these being in the 15" MBP
 
Surreal said:
anybody else hoping we get expresscard/54 AND FW800 on a 17"?
there should be enough space for these, and it would make up for neither of these being in the 15" MBP

I would certainly hope for the FW800 implementation, I have a couple of LaCie FW800 drives which run brilliantly. I am however a tad nervous that Apple may be losing it's commitment to FW800.:(
 
Hoping For FW800 at Least

Surreal said:
anybody else hoping we get expresscard/54 AND FW800 on a 17"?
there should be enough space for these, and it would make up for neither of these being in the 15" MBP
Would you mind explaining what Expresscard/54 is? I am unfamiliar with Expresscard standards.

Yes I am definitely hoping for FW800 in the 17" model as well as a dual layer 16x ±R Superdrive. I wonder if the Intel processor motherboard is unable to support FW800. It really miffs me why Apple would drop FW800 from even the 15" model.
 
Multimedia said:
Would you mind explaining what Expresscard/54 is? I am unfamiliar with Expresscard standards.

the easiest way to phrase it is: expresscard is essentially a PCI slot with 2.5GBs maximum bandwidth.

you can use it to add ports to the computer. there are actually firewire 800 modules just now being released....but in Expresscard/54 as opposed to the 34mm implementation on the 15"MBP.

the 34/54 in is in regards to the width of the port. 34 modules fit in 54 slots...but the reverse is not true.

(i simplified much.)
 
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