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17 macbook pro too big

is 17 mbp just too big

  • too big

    Votes: 492 53.1%

  • not too big

    Votes: 434 46.9%
  • Total voters
    926
vitzr said:
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 :)
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Hey, you sound like me :)

I do industrial design and employ a number of Engineers. Also fortunate enough to be able to own a number of machines, in addition to what's in my signature I have a 15" MBP and a Sony Z. I buy MBP's for my Engineer's, they love them.

Like you I rarely leave the home without a laptop in which case I'll usually take my 11", the 13 if I think I'll need longer battery or if I'm working on drawings.

I don't like to work formally at a desk so my Mac Pro only gets used for a server and back up.

I find myself using the 13" MBA the most lately.

What's your favorite of the bunch to use? What kind of bags do you carry your laptops in. I can't find a decent small bag for my 11".

All Mac's are great!
 
entatlrg said:
Hey, you sound like me :)

I do industrial design and employ a number of Engineers. Also fortunate enough to be able to own a number of machines, in addition to what's in my signature I have a 15" MBP and a Sony Z. I buy MBP's for my Engineer's, they love them.

Like you I rarely leave the home without a laptop in which case I'll usually take my 11", the 13 if I think I'll need longer battery or if I'm working on drawings.

I don't like to work formally at a desk so my Mac Pro only gets used for a server and back up.

I find myself using the 13" MBA the most lately.

What's your favorite of the bunch to use? What kind of bags do you carry your laptops in. I can't find a decent small bag for my 11".

All Mac's are great!
Click to expand...

the 15 mbp needs to get a standard screen res bump. the 17 for years has had a great screen res.
 
I want a MBP with 15' size and a WUXGA screen. They can do it just don't want to. That's why i have to still use the old 2007 MBP in order to get a 1920 reselution......I also don't find it too small to read.....
 
i dont understand why the 13 and 15 mbp screen res has not been increased. the mba and 17 mbp have high res screens.
 
The question is of course very subjective and only relevant to individual use.
Is the MBP 17” too big for what exactly? Let me lend my own experience as a 17” owner to the thread, which may help those who are considering buying the MBP 17”.
If you want a desktop replacement Mac but don’t like the idea of being tied to a particular location (iMac, MacPro) then it is ideal. I use mine at work on a desk and at home on a desk and it’s perfect in almost every way, and the high screen res makes it way more preferable than a smaller model for most tasks. Throw in the quad core i7 and 8GB of RAM and it flies.
If you want a notebook to be a highly portable device (and let’s face it most people do) then I wouldn’t recommend it. Weight is not an issue - the aluminum unibody keeps things relatively light, but size is, and the idea of trying to use one of these things in economy class on a plane or train would fill me with dread. If you know you’re going to be on the road a lot with a Mac, get a smaller MBP or an Air. If I knew I was always gong to be tied to a desk at home I’d have a 27” iMac, but the ability to pick the 17” up and carry it elsewhere occasionally makes it the perfect fit for me.
(Get a good backpack and not a shoulder bag - in my SwissGear backpack the thing actually feels light).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Swissgear-G...R7PY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1318951346&sr=8-3

I use an iPad for sofa surfing which is why I returned both a 13” and an 11’ MBA because they were just overkill for a second mac for which functionality ultimately an iPad could fulfill (web, mail). Make sure you buy to fit your individual requirements and you cant go wrong with any MBP. They are all great. But at work or at home with half a dozen desktops open in Lion and numerous apps running in some of those desktops, nothing beats a 17” for multi-tasking seamlessly.
 
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Magpie-23 put it well.

It depends on you and your usage.

I've owned all three sizes, and I think the 15" is the right blend of screen size and portability. The 17" is big enough to be a desktop replacement, but it's awkward to carry around. I love the form factor of the 13" MBP, but the screen just isn't big enough for me (which is, of course, why I have a 13" at the moment - that will change in time).

And I like the screen resolution on the 15". I've owned the higher-resolution models and text is just too small for me.

Ultimately, the only answer is to try each size and to see what "fits" you best.
 

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For a 17 inch the price soars all the way up to almost $3000. In my opinion it's too expensive.
 
For my own needs? 17" isn't too big at all. I loved the screen size on my Toshiba Satellite. Thing was a beast, though, so a 17" MBP would certainly not be too large. I didn't find that one too hard to carry around or use in my lap, either.

...However, space in my room and in various places where I plan to use my MBP can get cramped. (I ran into desks that my netbook barely fit on once.) I ended up going 15" myself - 13" is a good size (and the least change from my 12" iBook), but it's just kind of underpowered, and not enough screen space for me.

Amusingly, my Satellite and this MBP have the exact same screen resolution.
 
The MBP 17" is a beast. It feels like it deserves to weigh 6.6 lbs or even more. My MBA 11" feels like it should only weigh 2.3 lbs or even less for me to continue considering it to be awesome.
 
VMMan said:
The MBP 17" is a beast. It feels like it deserves to weigh 6.6 lbs or even more. My MBA 11" feels like it should only weigh 2.3 lbs or even less for me to continue considering it to be awesome.
Click to expand...

Cool combo of 17 mbp and 11 air
 
I think the 17" isn't THAT much bigger than the 15. Go to a store with both, close both, and stack them. You'll see. An inch each way maybe. The 17" weighs about what a lot of 15" from other manufacturers weigh.

That said, if I was buying something that is mostly just going to sit at home, but you occasionally want to take it out, get something small, and get a big monitor with keyboard and mouse setup at home. Just home and enjoy that nice 27" screen, but still have your stuff with you at the coffee shop.
 
How can it be too big? It's 17'', if you want a different size choose a different size.

This aside, I've been working on an older 17'' almost exclusively the last year. Carried it around every day. I've had access to a 15'' machine with the low resolution in between. Comments:

- whenever I switched back to the 17'', I was wondering who put that extra brick in my backpack
- the 17'' matte screen is awesome. the 15'' low res felt tiny in comparison. However the 15'' hi res is almost as good, I spent some time with one today
- moving from one desk (home) to another one (office) is not a big deal with the 17''.
- true mobility is somewhat limited by the size, i.e. you can't really open the lid on an economy class flight, it won't fit on a small table in a cafe or on a train, and getting it out of the backpack in a small seminar room can be difficult.
- the choice of bags and backpacks that fit 17'' is limited, and they tend to be huge


TLDR: The 17'' is great if you can live with somewhat limited mobility. I think the 15'' is better as a true mobile workstation... or a 17'' + a 13'' Air.
 
thundersteele said:
How can it be too big? It's 17'', if you want a different size choose a different size.

This aside, I've been working on an older 17'' almost exclusively the last year. Carried it around every day. I've had access to a 15'' machine with the low resolution in between. Comments:

- whenever I switched back to the 17'', I was wondering who put that extra brick in my backpack
- the 17'' matte screen is awesome. the 15'' low res felt tiny in comparison. However the 15'' hi res is almost as good, I spent some time with one today
- moving from one desk (home) to another one (office) is not a big deal with the 17''.
- true mobility is somewhat limited by the size, i.e. you can't really open the lid on an economy class flight, it won't fit on a small table in a cafe or on a train, and getting it out of the backpack in a small seminar room can be difficult.
- the choice of bags and backpacks that fit 17'' is limited, and they tend to be huge


TLDR: The 17'' is great if you can live with somewhat limited mobility. I think the 15'' is better as a true mobile workstation... or a 17'' + a 13'' Air.
Click to expand...

yea 17 mpb and 13 mba!
 
My 17" Is a little lighter

Than the Toshiba it replaced, I needed max real estate and I'm happy with it....I don't use it on my lap as I have my MBA and iPad for that, butI love my pro, It's fast and reliable and I use it in the studio all the time.
 
17" is a desktop replacement. It might now weigh 15lbs like all the Windows counterparts but the fact that it takes up so much space (what like 18"-9" or something?) and forces you to carry it by itself, or get a giant bag for it makes it difficult to call it mobile....
 
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