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Anybody returned the 15" high res because of small fonts ?

Tex-Twil

Tex-Twil

macrumors 68030
Original poster
May 28, 2008
2,501
15
Berlin
Hi,
I just got my 15" high res and I have a serious doubt about the resolution. Without making the font bigger in firefox/safari I found it quite difficult to read and I'm thinking about returning it and getting a 1440x900 screen.

On the other hand, I really like the fact than more things can fit on the screen.

My usage of the MBP is surf, movies, xCode, Eclipse, GarageBand and games in BootCamp

I ordered the MBP on the 13th and received it only today so I think I don't have much days left to decide if I return it or not. Basically I have to decide till tomorrow.

Any advices ?

Thanks,
Tex
 
I know this is just anecdotal, but when I switched to the Hi-Res 17", I too first thought the fonts were small. In time, however, I got really used to it and it feels "normal" now.
 
I had the same issue with the 17..finally changed the screen resolution and its much better. Kind of defeats the purpose of a high rez screen but on the other hand its not much good if you can't read it. I have the higher rez if I need it and for web browsing jut change it.

Phil
 
Yeah maybe I just need to get used to it.

I thought I could change the resolution but I can't set 1440x900 .. only 1440x852 which looks totally strange.

Will I be able to set 1440x900 in Win7 in bootcamp (I haven't installed it yet) ? I think 1680x1050 is too much for games.
 
You don't think you can call Applecare and discuss actually being able to have the machine for 14 days in order to decide, could you?

There's delivery confirmation so I would assume they could track it that way.

But in my opinion, if it's that bad, then return it.

I'm the type of person who cannot have high resolution screens, because my eyes can't focus on it, they're in rather poor condition.

But Apple's font smoothing makes resolution independence nonexistent.

Try it for a few more hours and see how it feels. If you don't use the high resolution, then return it and get one with a lower resolution. It is easier on your eyes.
 
Let me ask a silly question....

Are all you folks viewing a 15" hi-res matte or glossy screen?

I was debating screen texture and finally convinced myself on the 17" hi-res glossy because I could read the tiny fonts (with my bad eyes) from further away than I would normally use the computer.

I could do that in glossy but less well in matte.

Matte matters to this issue - which is one reason I went glossy....
 
Tex-Twil said:
I ordered the MBP on the 13th and received it only today so I think I don't have much days left to decide if I return it or not. Basically I have to decide till tomorrow.
Click to expand...

I believe the return period starts from the day your computer shipped, not when you placed the order. I know that is how the warranty period works. You might want to give Apple a call and confirm.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
I believe the return period starts from the day your computer shipped, not when you placed the order. I know that is how the warranty period works. You might want to give Apple a call and confirm.
Click to expand...

The 14-day grace period begins on the day you received your MacBook Pro.
 
Don't worry, you have more time to decide. If you received it today you have until May 7th to return it. Just keep in mind that a restocking fee might be applied. I have a 15" anti glare hi-res. Yes, in the beginning it's kind hard to get used to it. Especially if you have an external monitor+mouse+keyboard, like I do. When I switch a browser window for example, from the 24" to the MBP screen, I do have more difficulties reading text. But when I'm using the MBP by itself it's great because of the screen real state and I'm much closer to it.

So I think it's definitely worth it. Do you have any external monitor to plug into?
 
JerseyBill said:
Let me ask a silly question....

Are all you folks viewing a 15" hi-res matte or glossy screen?

I was debating screen texture and finally convinced myself on the 17" hi-res glossy because I could read the tiny fonts (with my bad eyes) from further away than I would normally use the computer.

I could do that in glossy but less well in matte.

Matte matters to this issue - which is one reason I went glossy....
Click to expand...

I returned my 15" Hi Res Matte, I saw both the glossy and the Matte in the local Apple store earlier this week and couldn't believe the trouble both were giving me reading and otherwise. Thankfully, Apple got a 20" iMac refurb in this morning which I bought. Hope this will be the one.

If I do get another MBP somewhere down the line, I'll definitely test resolution size & brightness at the store and not choose the matte finish.
 
I dunno, I've got the eyes of a 90 year old and can't see crap for the most part. But the hi-res fonts are so clear and crisp...I just use zoom in Firefox and it makes all the forums very readable. And in my other apps...no issues.
 
I can read the text just fine on the 15' high-res. Now if I only didn't have a huge yellow tint on the bottom half of the comp!
 
I'm a believer that you shouldn't be looking at tiny fonts from a distance for long periods of time, regardless of resolution. MANY people disagree with that I realize.

The 1440 x 900 resolution on the 15" is an absolute must for me.... I read more on my computer than I watch movies or look at photo's ...
 
This is why I was so angry at the decision to only offer matte on the high res. I wanted matte but don't want high res and don't want to pay extra for it. I turned down the resolution on the last gen just to read it comfortably. Sounds like the yellow tint is becoming more than just an isolated incident as well.
 
Using my 17" hi res as a desktop (using it kind of far away) the text is too small (unless I do the command and + function to make the text bigger) but using it as a notebook (right infront of me) I have no problem with any size of the font.
 
thanks for your answers.

I will call Apple and ask how long time I have to decide. If I still have 2 weeks, I will wait and see.

If I don"t get used to it I will just return it.

@Guiguiga, no external monitor.

cheers
Tex
 
Tex-Twil said:
Hi,
I just got my 15" high res and I have a serious doubt about the resolution. Without making the font bigger in firefox/safari I found it quite difficult to read and I'm thinking about returning it and getting a 1440x900 screen.

On the other hand, I really like the fact than more things can fit on the screen.

Thanks,
Tex
Click to expand...

I think I'd probably keep it myself and change the default font sizes in XCode and Safari. Now you have the best of both worlds.
 
rols said:
I think I'd probably keep it myself and change the default font sizes in XCode and Safari. Now you have the best of both worlds.
Click to expand...


People repeat this a lot but it doesn't solve the problem. You cannot universally scale up all places where fonts are used even in the apps that give SOME control over font size. And not all apps offer the option.

Without universal scaling it will continue to be a bother for a lot of people.
 
I really wanted the hi-res anti-glare screen, but the fonts hurt my eyes so I ended up with the standard resolution. I mainly work on word documents, browse the web and photo-editing occasionally.
 
I have alway used 17"high res since they first came out on the 2.4 17" SR macbook pro and have had no problems. However I am really struggling with this 15" high res, I ordered a 15" i7 with high res yesterday but am now considering cancelling this order and ordering a 17" macbook pro.

I initially thought t was because I was tired after being up late tracking my macbook pro over the last few days. So I thought my eyes would be fine. But this morning eyes still are not comfortable.

You have 14days from the day of receipt of the machine i.e the day you sign for it.
 
I spent a great deal of thinking about this issue too, and just couldn't decide what to do. I decided in the end that 1440x900 is fine, just because I don't plan on doing things that require a great deal of screen space. Also, I don't have bad eyes, but because I spend so much time at the computer, they begin to hurt a little bit after a while, and straining them on a higher resolution is going to make that worse, for sure. I could probably get used to it, sure, but do I want to go through exchanging the perfectly good one I have now, paying an extra 100 bucks, waiting for shipping, and then having the possibility of screen issues/dead pixels/other cosmetic defects? Keep in mind also, if you plan on getting the high res GLOSSY, that you will not be able to get the machine replaced at a retail store since they don't carry them. Any major issues will have to be sent to Apple. This was another big con for me because I hate being without a computer and dealing with shipping/waiting times.

EDIT: one last note about screen real estate. I can equate this to how I recently got a second monitor for my desktop and experienced my first multi-monitor setup. The added screen space is amazing, and it's weird to go back to a single screen. That said, there isn't a great deal of time where having all that extra space is absolutely crucial. With OS X, having things like 4 finger swipes also helps a great deal. I really don't ever encounter times where I absolutely need to have 2 apps up side to side and find 4 finger swipes to be a chore. Sure, it can be a hassle to have to switch between a bunch of open windows sometimes, but for me that one benefit doesn't really justify the additional costs.
 
murdercitydevil said:
Keep in mind also, if you plan on getting the high res GLOSSY, that you will not be able to get the machine replaced at a retail store since they don't carry them.
Click to expand...
Well I do have a high res glossy ... plus I have a US keyboard but ordered in Germany. I think this is going to be fun to exchange.
I'm more and more convinced that I have to exchange it. I really have to force my eyes all the time :(
 
Any chance you could upload a picture showing how the 1440x852 looks?

I have a 15" hi-res on the way and I am getting really nervous after all this talk about eye-strain and whatnot.

On a sidenote, probably a stupid question but I live in Norway and we don't have any apple stores here, just premium resellers. I don't suppose there is any possibilty to make a swap at a reseller store if I find I am not happy with the 1680x1050 resolution?
 
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