Anyone else scared of 15-inchers (not a dirty joke!)

[luffytubby]

Here is my stigma against anything above 13-inchers based on the past:

1) 15 inchers are too heavy to carry around. they usually also have heavy chargers. what is the point of a laptop if its cumbersome to carry around? what if you want to carry it around all day at classes/work, in your gym bag on your way to a friends house, or take it to the kitchen to check a recipe or use it in bed? 13 inchers are perfect because of their lighter weight. you can carry the machine with one hand without feeling like your wrist is strained.


2) battery! the bigger screens kill battery much faster than the smaller machine turning 15 inchers into power outlet abusers!


3) footprint... they usually are thick, have a large bezel and a lot of depth.





But enter - Retina MBP. Can it be... could this be the worlds first truly portable 15-inchers? or am I kidding myself in thinking that?

They called 15 inchers dekstop replacements because they were meant to sit on a desk. not be carried around and used everywhere. Is this machine putting a stop to this belief?
Because no reviews mention this - none of them mentions how mobile it really is. thats whats important to me. I had a 15 incher back in 2006. it weighed 3,5 kilo (around 7 pounds), had 1,5 hour battery (before gpu disabling), massive power brick and it had a crazy large bezel. could have been a 17 incher.



Are any 13-incher believers thinking of converting?

 

[GGJstudios]

1) 15 inchers are too heavy to carry around.

They're only 1.1 lb more than the 13". They're certainly not too heavy to carry.

they usually also have heavy chargers.

No different than the 13".

13 inchers are perfect because of their lighter weight. you can carry the machine with one hand without feeling like your wrist is strained.

You can do the same with a 15", unless you're extremely weak. Again, only 1 pound difference.

2) battery! the bigger screens kill battery much faster than the smaller machine

False.

3) footprint... they usually are thick, have a large bezel and a lot of depth.

The 15" is less than an inch deeper, about 1.5" wider and the same thickness as the 13"

They called 15 inchers dekstop replacements because they were meant to sit on a desk.

No, it's because they can do the all the work that most users used to do on a desktop, with the added benefit of being portable. They replace the desktop function, not the size.

If you prefer a 13", go for it. But it's inaccurate to try to claim that the 15" isn't every bit as portable as the 13".

 

[dasx]

They're only 1.1 lb more than the 13". They're certainly not too heavy to carry.

No different than the 13".

You can do the same with a 15", unless you're extremely weak. Again, only 1 pound difference.

False.

The 15" is less than an inch deeper, about 1.5" wider and the same thickness as the 13"

No, it's because they can do the all the work that most users used to do on a desktop, with the added benefit of being portable. They replace the desktop function, not the size.

If you prefer a 13", go for it. But it's inaccurate to try to claim that the 15" isn't every bit as portable as the 13".

True all.

BUT. A still prefer to carry a 13" around.

 

[JPOWA]

They're only 1.1 lb more than the 13". They're certainly not too heavy to carry.

He was referring to the Retina Macbook Pro and thats wrong!

The RMBP is actually lighter than the 13" MBP, 0.04lb lighter!

 

[luffytubby]

They're only 1.1 lb more than the 13". They're certainly not too heavy to carry.

No different than the 13".

You can do the same with a 15", unless you're extremely weak. Again, only 1 pound difference.

False.

The 15" is less than an inch deeper, about 1.5" wider and the same thickness as the 13"

No, it's because they can do the all the work that most users used to do on a desktop, with the added benefit of being portable. They replace the desktop function, not the size.

If you prefer a 13", go for it. But it's inaccurate to try to claim that the 15" isn't every bit as portable as the 13".

Impressive. Very, very impressive.

In general usage as far as taking up space in the backpack the 1.5 wider... thats.. 5 centimeters? (sorry, im from europe!).

I guess that doesnt make that much of a difference. and im a tall big man. I should carry around a girly computer!

 

[terrymaz]

I used to have a Macbook 13 inch. I was forced to go with a 15 MBP 09 due to losing my eyesight in the right eye and depth perception issues. Multiple Sclerosis caused it. I noticed no hassles with switching to the 15. I could be biased though cause i kind of needed the bigger one. I also have a 15MBP Retina on order. Im hopping that one helps with my vision issues even more .)

Tery

 

[JPOWA]

Impressive. Very, very impressive.

In general usage as far as taking up space in the backpack the 1.5 wider... thats.. 5 centimeters? (sorry, im from europe!).

I guess that doesnt make that much of a difference. and im a tall big man. I should carry around a girly computer!

Like you I was always against anything above 13" because of the size and the weight!

But after i saw the RMBP i forgot that and I ordered one!

Here you can see the screen difference and the size comparing to a 13" MBP and 11" MBA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYOKp9j-_yY&t=10m10s

 

[maflynn]

1) 15 inchers are too heavy to carry around.

Perhaps you need to hit the weights at the gym a little more I carried an old HP 15" laptop that was a beast for years. Every day I commuted with it and it was much heavier then what we have now. The 15" MBP is not too heavy by a long shot.

2) battery! the bigger screens kill battery much faster than the smaller machine turning 15 inchers into power outlet abusers!

Apple's 7 hour battery seems to contradict this thought.

3) footprint... they usually are thick, have a large bezel and a lot of depth.

This is one of the thinnest laptops around and its bezel is not that large.

If you don't want a 15" MBP that's fine, its a personal preference thing, but don't say its too heavy or the battery doesn't last long because the physical attributes contradict you.

 

[Laco]

Here is my stigma against anything above 13-inchers based on the past:

1) 15 inchers are too heavy to carry around. they usually also have heavy chargers. what is the point of a laptop if its cumbersome to carry around? what if you want to carry it around all day at classes/work, in your gym bag on your way to a friends house, or take it to the kitchen to check a recipe or use it in bed? 13 inchers are perfect because of their lighter weight. you can carry the machine with one hand without feeling like your wrist is strained.


2) battery! the bigger screens kill battery much faster than the smaller machine turning 15 inchers into power outlet abusers!


3) footprint... they usually are thick, have a large bezel and a lot of depth.





But enter - Retina MBP. Can it be... could this be the worlds first truly portable 15-inchers? or am I kidding myself in thinking that?

They called 15 inchers dekstop replacements because they were meant to sit on a desk. not be carried around and used everywhere. Is this machine putting a stop to this belief?
Because no reviews mention this - none of them mentions how mobile it really is. thats whats important to me. I had a 15 incher back in 2006. it weighed 3,5 kilo (around 7 pounds), had 1,5 hour battery (before gpu disabling), massive power brick and it had a crazy large bezel. could have been a 17 incher.



Are any 13-incher believers thinking of converting?

I don't know why but I enjoyed reading this. haha.

 

[mpaquette]

I'm in the same boat re: 13" vs. 15" laptop. Lately I've found myself doing a lot more work from home where I have multiple windows open and I think a 15" screen would make things easier for me. I'm going to need to see a retina MBP in person before I order one though.

 

[Zwikker]

This whole thread is completely a joke. I stopped reading after you started to talk about the charger.

 

[luffytubby]

Perhaps you need to hit the weights at the gym a little more I carried an old HP 15" laptop that was a beast for years. Every day I commuted with it and it was much heavier then what we have now. The 15" MBP is not too heavy by a long shot.


Apple's 7 hour battery seems to contradict this thought.

This is one of the thinnest laptops around and its bezel is not that large.

If you don't want a 15" MBP that's fine, its a personal preference thing, but don't say its too heavy or the battery doesn't last long because the physical attributes contradict you.

I don't know, but maybe you misunderstood my post?

I was trying to explain my generalization towards 15 inch laptops that I have personally experienced in the past. I tried to make it clear that I am now questioning that perception given the improvements Apple has done!


I just don't understand how they can fit a 650m in there without the machine blowing up. its impossible thin for a mid class graphic cards!! the fans needed to power such a GPU would surely have to be thick!

 

[NathanA]

2) battery! the bigger screens kill battery much faster than the smaller machine turning 15 inchers into power outlet abusers!

Apple's 7 hour battery seems to contradict this thought.

I believe that the 15-inch rMBP has a larger (== higher capacity) battery in it than the 13" MBP or MBA comes with. This offsets the extra power draw of the larger and definitely more power-hungry screen in order to achieve a battery life equal to that of the smaller laptop.

If you don't want a 15" MBP that's fine, its a personal preference thing, ...

Actually, if you actually read what the OP was saying, what he was getting at is that in the past these generalizations seemed to be true, but that it would seem Apple has managed to overcome these shortcomings in the new 15" rMBP. He is looking for feedback from people who also thought as he did and have purchased the rMBP so that he can get some real-world feedback.

-- Nathan

 

[luffytubby]

This whole thread is completely a joke. I stopped reading after you started to talk about the charger.

Actually it's not a joke. That was not the intent. You shouldn't have stopped reading, because it makes me sad. Not really, but you know. I like to say I'm sad because maybe you will be sad, but then that makes me sad, and none of us knows why? sorry my english is broken.


I actually think I can take the plunge on this. I've calculated that I will be carrying it around 10 hours a day. in backpack, in between classes, to and from work, and it will probably accompany me in my gym bag to which I go on bike (10 km every second day). So you see it's a lot of carrying around for me.

That's why the portability is important, but now I see that its not even that much smaller physically than a mbp except for how wide it is. And all the stuff you get!

The rumor is that they are making a Retina MBP 13 but that it will still rely on Intel HD 4000. Then I dont see the point.

Between my Iphone 4 and a 2 kg laptop even if it has a bit larger footprint that im used too. I think I can make it work.

My objective is too have a long lasting laptop. I dislike swapping electronics. The last 3 computers I bought I felt needed replacement under after a year of getting them!

----------

I believe that the 15-inch rMBP has a larger (== higher capacity) battery in it than the 13" MBP or MBA comes with. This offsets the extra power draw of the larger and definitely more power-hungry screen in order to achieve a battery life equal to that of the smaller laptop.


Actually, if you actually read what the OP was saying, what he was getting at is that in the past these generalizations seemed to be true, but that it would seem Apple has managed to overcome these shortcomings in the new 15" rMBP. He is looking for feedback from people who also thought as he did and have purchased the rMBP so that he can get some real-world feedback.

-- Nathan

If you were a woman, I would tell you thank you.



Ahhh to hell with it nathan - regardless of gender, Thank you!

 

[samac92]

People need to read the whole post before getting offended..

two things made me prefer 13" over 15": portability and price

with the new rMBP portability is no longer an issue, but of course the price is even more so.

So yes I'd switch to the 15 inch if I could justify the price, but really it's far more than I need.

 

[takeshi74]

OP would probably get more positive responses simply by using "I" instead of "you". If he has needs/wants along those lines, great. Don't attempt to present them as everyone else's though. Plenty of people have seen the point of the 15 and even the 17.

 

[leenak]

I've been alternating between a 14" laptop and a 13" laptop for the past few years. A 15" seems huge. The 13" MBP and MBA don't meet my needs though so I knew I was going to upgrade to a 15". I got the 15" rMBP today. It is a bit big but I think I'll get used to it.

 

[-tWv-]

I use my 15" MBP the same way as I used my 13" MacBook. I saw no noticeable different in portability or any downside to having a larger footprint. It's really not a huge difference and I actually loved the larger screen real estate. My experience with my 15" MBP is what prompted me to not even consider the new 13" MBP and just go for the retina. For me it seems like the best of both worlds with a great screen and the slim profile that makes it light. Im excited to receive mine later this week and try it out.

 

[PAPO]

I swear these boards must be full of anaemic midgets, sooo many people think the 15" is this HUGE thing, but it's not, I carried a 15" (pre-unibody at that) around high school for over 2 years, it was pretty easy, it was smaller than my science textbooks and I put both of them on it, it also saved me carrying notebooks, not to mention at the time it was the larger rectangular power brick, but I still never had any problems, and I wasn't the only one lugging a 15" either, yeh there were 13" laptops too but no one complained about the 15" being too much

 

[luffytubby]

I use my 15" MBP the same way as I used my 13" MacBook. I saw no noticeable different in portability or any downside to having a larger footprint. It's really not a huge difference and I actually loved the larger screen real estate. My experience with my 15" MBP is what prompted me to not even consider the new 13" MBP and just go for the retina. For me it seems like the best of both worlds with a great screen and the slim profile that makes it light. Im excited to receive mine later this week and try it out.

you had the older 15 MBP? or have you already carried the Retina version around?


the problem is that no stores have the Retina version yet in my country so I cant try it, hehe. but even if I could it would be hard to gauge.


look at this video:


Lisa Gade compares the Retina version with the Vaio Z: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSHPMSS_AlU&feature=channel&list=UL


TL;DR - She says that portability, then you need to go with the Vaio. But if your only carrying the machine around 2-3 times a week then you can go with the Macbook Pro Retina!

That scares me! I need my laptop everywhere I go. But Vaio Z gets even more expensive that the Macbook Retina, and thats crazy because it seems you get a lot more solid computing with the Retina.


its a difficult because I dont have a crystal ball. I want to have a Mac because ive been told they are more future proof. almost all my pc laptops (Zepto, Samsung) have.. well they were never high end to begin with, but they got busted quickly. I want something that still works (I understand they get slower over time.. even macs) 3-4 years down the road. for that I am willing to pay a heft premium!! thats my thing.




What surprises me in the video, is that the 13-inch doesnt look that much smaller than the 15 inch MBPR. Thats two inch classes higher and goes to show how thin the black bezel must be on the MBP! Which is great! also they have the same thinness. and the MBP just has incredible battery life under OSX!

 

[-tWv-]

I had the older MBP and I didn't see a huge difference in portability. I loved having a larger screen and the weight really isn't an issue.

Don't have my retina yet, should come in the next few days.

 

[Martialis]

Here is my stigma against anything above 13-inchers based on the past:

1) 15 inchers are too heavy to carry around.

They weigh what? 4.7 pounds? I don't understand people saying this. This is not heavy. If you have a difficult time carrying slightly under five pounds, you should see your doctor.

they usually also have heavy chargers. what is the point of a laptop if its cumbersome to carry around? what if you want to carry it around all day at classes/work, in your gym bag on your way to a friends house, or take it to the kitchen to check a recipe or use it in bed? 13 inchers are perfect because of their lighter weight. you can carry the machine with one hand without feeling like your wrist is strained.

Five pounds shouldn't be a strain for a healthy adult.

 

[7even]

The 15" is very portable. Never had issues with portability with mine. The 17" is the one that isn't as easy to use on the go - almost too big for a lot of coffee tables, definitely too large for an airplane seat, etc.

 

[brentsg]

Five pounds shouldn't be a strain for a healthy adult.

I think many people make more of this than they should. Just because it shouldn't "be a strain" to carry, if you do any serious travel with the device and all the associated junk you have to carry.. every pound counts. If I can knock a pound out of my backpack when I'm going to be hoofing it around various airports all week then that's awesome.

Not to mention that a ton of people have back issues to begin with. Herniated disks, arthritis, etc.. Back problems are very common so weight is important.

 

[jsnuff1]

Are you trying to say smaller is better?