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Biggest Disappointment with 15" Macbook Pro: No Bump In Screen Resolution
- Thread starter ddarko
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Yes, hi-res would be a nice option, not stock.
There's times when everything with 1440x900 is great, but other times when I'm away from external monitors where more would be super.
In particular when doing dev work in FileMaker Pro...ugh.
There's times when everything with 1440x900 is great, but other times when I'm away from external monitors where more would be super.
In particular when doing dev work in FileMaker Pro...ugh.
On top of that, 1920x1200 15" was an option when I bought my Dell Inspiron 6000... IN 2005!
I'm kind of glad I didn't pull the trigger on a MBP when it was first announced. At this point I think I'm content to hang around for a resolution upgrade and an update that includes actual Hybrid SLI support. Don't let me down, Stevie.
from a philosophical perspective, i agree. it would be great to have the option to go hi-res but under usual use circumstances, for a 15inch screen, anything above 900 vertical resolution means everything becomes a squint fest. until the os has resolution independence, i don't want to deal with hi res screens unless for work: and even then only in certain circumstances. for gamers i think i see why it would be important however. otherwise, way too straining.
but apple should have bto for it
but apple should have bto for it
I totally agree with the OP. And in my optimism for features, I think that maybe the next MacBook Pro (and MacBook) updates will have resolution bumps. But probably not.
In fact, I think that the 15" MacBook Pro needs to have 1680x1050 standard and a BTO for 1440x900. Same with the MacBook and Air, but with 1440x900 and 1280x800.
It's time to get with the times, Apple. It's been over 3 years since the last resolution bump.
And with resolution independence (is it coming with Snow Leopard?), there's really no excuse (except for cannibalization) to have at least BTO options for the highest-resolutions possible for each display size.
In fact, I think that the 15" MacBook Pro needs to have 1680x1050 standard and a BTO for 1440x900. Same with the MacBook and Air, but with 1440x900 and 1280x800.
It's time to get with the times, Apple. It's been over 3 years since the last resolution bump.
And with resolution independence (is it coming with Snow Leopard?), there's really no excuse (except for cannibalization) to have at least BTO options for the highest-resolutions possible for each display size.
I tried using the 1440x900 glossy screen on my unibody macbook pro for a few months but I just can't do real work (code) on it as well as I can on my W500. The glossy low res screen kills my eyes. Not sure what to do about my macbook pro though since I really enjoyed the gestures for browsing and like the way the MBP looks.
I believe Apple will need to boost its product specs moving forward in these tough economic times. Fewer and fewer people will be able (and willing) to pay premium Apple prices for mediocre product specs.
I own two MBPs (2.16 C2D ATI x1600 & 2.2 C2D SR nVidia 8600) and am typing on the SR machine now, however, after having my nVidia GPU fail (and replaced under the Applecare I purchased under duress) and finding nothing truly compelling in the latest MBP release I bought a Sony Vaio FW290 (6.5lbs) with 16.4 1920x1080, 160GB HD (easily upgraded to 320GB I had sitting around), 2GB RAM (upgraded to 4GB), Bluray, ATI HD 3650 for $999 before Christmas (price since raised to $1149).
It is no replacement for my Macs, which I use everyday for work, however, after having my GPU fail I didn't feel I could rely on using my MBP's bootcamp capability for after work gaming.
Between sticking with nVidia and providing only low res display options Apple pushed a large group of users away, either encouraging them to look at other options or making it easier to just wait for the next upgrade.
You need only look at the drop in Apple market share (important to note while almost all manufacturers saw reduction in total sales, Apple took a step back as to the share of those reduced numbers) to see how disappointing the latest Apple laptop offers were/are.
Cheers,
It is a bit poor that the 15" is only available at 1440x900.
Personally though, that res is fine for me and I'm very happy with it as I use my mbp purely for browsing, iTunes, gaming via bootcamp and some video encoding ie. one app at a time. It's fine for video playback too - in the context of watching hd video/films etc (not editing) 1080p is complete overkill on a 15" screen. Never quite understood the obsession with getting Blu Ray playback on lappys either - Blu Ray burning would be ace though.
If I was using it for serious work though, I would definitely have plumped for the 17".
Personally though, that res is fine for me and I'm very happy with it as I use my mbp purely for browsing, iTunes, gaming via bootcamp and some video encoding ie. one app at a time. It's fine for video playback too - in the context of watching hd video/films etc (not editing) 1080p is complete overkill on a 15" screen. Never quite understood the obsession with getting Blu Ray playback on lappys either - Blu Ray burning would be ace though.
If I was using it for serious work though, I would definitely have plumped for the 17".
How did you manage that upgrade> I have been using a 15 inch because i need a higher screen resolution for sibelius but really prefer the 13 inch for its portability.
The old pre-SR MBP use non-LED screens which could be upgraded to 1920x1200 displays. Since then plenty of users wanted to upgrade the more current models. Unfortunately, the HD LED screens are very expensive and the Apple connectors more proprietary so AFAIK no one has performed the upgrade.
I miss it but it was getting old and I wanted the better performance of the newer uMBP. I'm sure someday (when HD screens allow as much profit as the current lo-res displays) Apple will give us the HD option on a 15 or 16" system.
Cheers,