Depends...it might be TOO BIG to carry around but most people said 17 inches laptop Apple or Windows is a desktop pc replacement.
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17 macbook pro too big
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Depends...it might be TOO BIG to carry around but most people said 17 inches laptop Apple or Windows is a desktop pc replacement.
back in the powerbook days i had a 17 inch and loved it. i have also had 17 mbps. the idea of a notebook has changed since then now smaller lighter seems to be popular. the macbook air offers a lot more vs the mbp than the ibook did vs the powerbook.
which is apples best notebook 13 mba with 256 ssd and i7 vs loaded 17 mbp
Just so you know, my reference to it being a MBA were because it's much lighter, and thinner. Not actually referring to power or anything.
Just look at netbooks and the 11" MBA. People want the lightest, thinnest, notebook possible. I can understand why, for Facebook and YouTube, you don't need a 17" MBP. But for actual working, I'd much rather have a larger notebook than a little notebook. That's why I'm looking to step up from a 13" MBP. I thought it would be enough for everyday use, but I've found that in my engineering classes, I'm frequently having to use 6 or 7 windows at a time, and a 13" just doesn't cut it with the lower resolution. And this is freshman year, I can only see it getting more demanding later on. In hindsight, a 17" seemed too big, even a 15" seemed too big, but now that I've been using a 13" MBP for a year, I've found it was great for high school (MS Word mostly), but bad for college (Excel, Matlab, Word, Safari, etc... even some virtualization at times).
great points
the 17 powerbook seemed to be a status symbol. now people look at a 17 inch as a larger out dated machine. its funny how things have changed. the current mbps are great machines. i wonder when they will take cues from the mba.
the 17 powerbook seemed to be a status symbol. now people look at a 17 inch as a larger out dated machine. its funny how things have changed. the current mbps are great machines. i wonder when they will take cues from the mba.
I hope not...
Jobs said that the MBA was "The future of the MacBook", I hope he wasn't referring to the Pro also. I don't want soldered RAM, blade SSDs, or overly thin designs. I would like to have dual hard drive bays standard, without the optical drive. Give me the option to have a 128GB SSD and 1TB HDD (without "unauthorized modification," read: no warranty coverage) and I'll be more than happy. I'm a huge fan of OSX, but the success of the MBA scares me, that's not the direction power users want Apple going.
The base 17" and a 15" optioned out with equivalent hardware are the same price.
A 15 with hi res, 2.2ghz, 6750 graphics costs the same as a 17 2.2ghz 6750.
Too Big..
Hard too say what Too Big is.. Depending upon your usage and How Big your Eyes are.. and maybe What You Weigh..
Hard too say what Too Big is.. Depending upon your usage and How Big your Eyes are.. and maybe What You Weigh..
I use my 17" MBP as a desktop replacement. My last 2-3 laptops were 17". In that regard it isn't big at all when compared to what it replaced! Has plenty of ports and since they started using intel chips I even replaced my big box PC that I used to play games.
If I were still in school and had to carry it around all day, then I would probably go for a 15" or maybe even one of the current MBA, but I'm not in school anymore. I work at home and it sits on my desk 99% of the time. It's not too big for that 1% of the time I have to take it with me.
If I were still in school and had to carry it around all day, then I would probably go for a 15" or maybe even one of the current MBA, but I'm not in school anymore. I work at home and it sits on my desk 99% of the time. It's not too big for that 1% of the time I have to take it with me.
Uh, no. Identically specced hires 15 and 17 pro are $200 apart.
Anyways, I bought the 17 and absolutely love the monster. After many years of always getting the small models, I got tired of the integrated graphics and decided to go big or go home. Best decision I've ever made, finally I have a laptop that was made for me! Add a TB display and it becomes an iMac as well!
Yeah it does, however get the 15 because there is no harware advantage. its the same machiene
Hook up a TB display and then you have an imac aswell.
But with the 15 hooked up you have a USEABLE LAPTOP whereas with the 17 to lug around its just too big
Hook up a TB display and then you have an imac aswell.
But with the 15 hooked up you have a USEABLE LAPTOP whereas with the 17 to lug around its just too big
It's all relative. Apple's 17" is actually the best 17" you can buy. Because it's so thin, light and easy to carry it's an excellent choice if you want that size display.
I carry mine around a lot, due to the type of work I do the display size is a real time saver. Less scrolling, room for more open windows, terrific clear and vivid colors, it's unbeatable.
I also have a 15" MBP and the difference in size is not as dramatic as most imagine. Once you have some hands on experience with both it really does come down to your preferences, since the computer itself is so close in size and weight to the 15".
If you take other brands of 17" laptops into consideration, you really can see how well made, and how small the MBP is compared to the thick, heavy, and very large 17" models that other manufacturers offer.
The other aspect that I really like about a 17" MBP is the centered keyboard. Most all others have offset keyboards due to the space they use on the right side for the number pad.
If needed I can see the usefulness, but I have no need for a number pad and like the keyboard centered as well as the huge glass touchpad that is such a nice input device to use.
I carry mine around a lot, due to the type of work I do the display size is a real time saver. Less scrolling, room for more open windows, terrific clear and vivid colors, it's unbeatable.
I also have a 15" MBP and the difference in size is not as dramatic as most imagine. Once you have some hands on experience with both it really does come down to your preferences, since the computer itself is so close in size and weight to the 15".
If you take other brands of 17" laptops into consideration, you really can see how well made, and how small the MBP is compared to the thick, heavy, and very large 17" models that other manufacturers offer.
The other aspect that I really like about a 17" MBP is the centered keyboard. Most all others have offset keyboards due to the space they use on the right side for the number pad.
If needed I can see the usefulness, but I have no need for a number pad and like the keyboard centered as well as the huge glass touchpad that is such a nice input device to use.
I am so glad to see this topic up. I have a Mid-year 17' MBP and I love it. However, by day I am law student, and I am always on the run. So I find that carrying around a 17in laptop is not always the most efficient thing. I also have a hackintosh mini 10v that I used when I went to Europe last summer. Sometimes I bring that to class because it is more portable. However I have considered bringing my ipad to class and taking notes on it. But I am concerned with 1) Ease of use. Not having a traditional desktop makes me weary. 2) Taking notes on Ipad: Douchy? 3) Ipad is not the best thing to do legal research on.
In short, I have been using my MBP as a desktop, Using my 10v as a laptop, and using my ipad to...IDK, screw off with?
In short, I have been using my MBP as a desktop, Using my 10v as a laptop, and using my ipad to...IDK, screw off with?
You take which everywhere you? You have an 11 and 17" in your signature, are you saying you take the 17 everywhere? If so why don't you take the 11"?
The problem for me has been that the 17inch isn't more powerful than the 15". The 15" high res suits me great, still a lot of screen real estate with the same power as a 17" but smaller/lighter
I think Apple set the small and thin trend. Who else makes a 17" Laptop that's only an inch thick? Apple's been doing it for years now, and other manufacturers are still trying to do it was well as Apple has been for awhile now.
In my opinion, the 17" could use a bit of an upgrade to set it apart front the 15":
- 4 RAM slots
- Optibay as a CTO option
- 4 USB ports, spaced slightly farther apart than they are currently (some dongles/cables are slightly too wide to use side by side)
- HDMI out without an adapter
- 2 Thunderbolt ports: TB display/external video card at the same time, great for professionals, would truly make it a mobile workstation for most any task
If that MBP was offered tomorrow I'd buy it if it was under $3000 with the student discount
Working as an engineer, I use my 17" MBP as a tool to do my job. I find trends just that, trends that may or may not survive the long haul.
I don't care what's fashionable, I care about what is the best tool for me. And that tool is a 17" MBP. I have used a new one each year for the last five and find it ideal for my needs.
Oh sure I have a new 15" MBP, 13" MBA, and 11" MBA, but all for very specific reasons and applications.
Admittedly I could do with less. However I'm in a position to easily afford whatever I want in the way of new computers. Working in a cross platform environment that means I take great pleasure in having the newest fully loaded ThinkPads and MBP's.
For personal and just pure pleasure, I use Macs as it's my platform of choice and has been for years. I never leave home without a laptop of some sort. That is why the MBA's are so enjoyable. In addition they fit with my frequent international travel schedule for both pleasure and business.
That's my take on it