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College students' opinions!! 13" vs 15"

PolySciSurfer said:
I've never even heard of it. :eek: What's it used for? :D
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It is a stats program, its great for statistical analysis, anovas, manovas, cronbachs alpha blah blah blah blah BLAH! But it has a super steep learning curve like nothing youve ever seen. And having to use it on a QuadCore 3.2 dell at school is enough to make you want to kill. Literally 5 to 7 minutes to open. And that was the computers in the Engineering Bldg. where there isnt much stuff on those computers. (I miss the Mac lab in the lang. bldg:()
 
if screen space is keeping you from getting a 13, one thing to consider is... use the money you save from getting a 15 to get a monitor

13' for traveling (trust me, i have the 15 and i really wish i got the 13 inch)
24' monitor for chillin..
 
sukanas said:
if screen space is keeping you from getting a 13, one thing to consider is... use the money you save from getting a 15 to get a monitor

13' for traveling (trust me, i have the 15 and i really wish i got the 13 inch)
24' monitor for chillin..
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Yes.. agreed! Small,light and powerful…and cheaper
 
I carry my black macbook (late 2006) to class all the time and it is not really a problem. The new 15" mbp is only like a half pound heavier, so if weight is an issue...do some squats? I think the extra display area is worth it.
 
Go for the 13" dude. I love mine. I get asked all the time at school if it's the MacBook Air. It's super portable and easy to take anywhere.
 
I go to UC Davis and got the 13" uMB when it came out in Oct. It's been awesome. It is great because of the small desks we're mostly stuck with. And so there's a smaller tendency to have it wobble off. Another reason the 13" is a great choice is because of the lighter weight. I think it's 4 or 4.5 pounds, but a good pound less then the 15" MBP. And I always wanted the 15" for screen, backlit keyboard and sound. When I had the white plastic MB the speakers were so low. But now the new 13"MB even without grills since the speakers are right underneath the keyboard, and they're bigger, the sound has dramatically improved. and at the time I got the backlit keyboard, so that was great, and expose solves the screen size issues, trying to find things, and the new Snow Leopard Expose updated features will help too. I increase the fonts over most system preferences to forget I don't have a larger screen and it works! And like someone else said, a desk monitor is great to have. Hope that helps!

-Anthony
Univ. of Cali., Davis
Undergrad of Econ
 
mikes70mustang said:
Dude, you should be shot. Excel is much more user friendly. But yah, SPSS is the standard for stats. But SPSS is freaking EXPENSIVE!!!!!! Its like $60 for a 6 month license, thats crap. And the price goes way over $1000. Fing stats for psych........(bitterness grows)
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I should be shot? Thats pretty harsh :(

Plus I just use my school's computers for SPSS. The UI is pretty bad, but I just appreciate the time it saves :)
 
13". The portability just cannot be beat. And it's plenty powerful - my CoreDuo BlackBook has been a perfect companion now for three year's of University, and I have zero regrets about my choice.

If screen space is a concern, an external monitor is cheap and will give you lots more screen space. I have my MB connected to an external keyboard, monitor, and mouse and it's a near-ideal setup.
 
Don't forget...

Don't forget that the 13" MBP has one Audio in/out port (I really don't know how this thing works) while the 15" MBP has separate audio in and another audio out port, like any normal Notebook...

I don't know why did Apple do this with the 13" MBP, but most probably, to make people think more of the 15" one...

So if this won't bother you, surely go with the 13" one... Much better in every possible way...
 
dra3b said:
Don't forget that the 13" MBP has one Audio in/out port (I really don't know how this thing works) while the 15" MBP has separate audio in and another audio out port, like any normal Notebook...

I don't know why did Apple do this with the 13" MBP, but most probably, to make people think more of the 15" one...

So if this won't bother you, surely go with the 13" one... Much better in every possible way...
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Who the hell even uses the "audio input" port anyways?...
 
lu0s3r322 said:
I'm going to college next year and I was just wondering what current students think of the difference in portability between the 13" and 15" macbooks. I'm stuck between the higher end 13" mbp and the lower end 15" mbp which only differ in screen size, correct?

I'm just not sure how often students really use their laptops in class or lug them around so opinions would be very useful, thanks!
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I'd go for a 13" and get an external monitor, kb, and mouse for the dorm. Best of both worlds for cheaper than a 15".

O and btw, get a the lower end 13" and buy extra ram and a bigger hd to put in yourself. The CPU increase is marginal and you'll save $150 at least.
 
Optimal would be 13 inch with 15 inch resolution, but since Apple refuses to bring its laptops up to date in resolution and gets away with being stuck in 2000, I can only recommend getting one of two compromises...
 
I initially bought a 13.3" macbook but sold it for a 15.4" macbook pro. I personally didn't like the small resolution of the macbook. The footprint of the macbook pro isn't that much larger than the macbook and the weight difference is very small too.
 
I'm only a college student for one more semester and I'm in the same dilemma... Portability is a plus but i might miss the extra space that the 15 provides....
 
dra3b said:
Don't forget that the 13" MBP has one Audio in/out port (I really don't know how this thing works) while the 15" MBP has separate audio in and another audio out port, like any normal Notebook...

I don't know why did Apple do this with the 13" MBP, but most probably, to make people think more of the 15" one...

So if this won't bother you, surely go with the 13" one... Much better in every possible way...
Click to expand...

I have an audio in on my MacBook, and I've never used it. I doubt many people do, honestly. The new MB uses the same I/O port as the iPhone/iPod touch, so if you have a compatible headset it does everything through one cable.
 
15" easily, what you "loose" in portability (seriously, it's not that much heavier), you gain in better hardware, and more screen real estate.
 
sukanas said:
if screen space is keeping you from getting a 13, one thing to consider is... use the money you save from getting a 15 to get a monitor

13' for traveling (trust me, i have the 15 and i really wish i got the 13 inch)
24' monitor for chillin..
Click to expand...

This was exactly my situation. I got the 13" and a 22" monitor and it's awesome.
 
sukanas said:
if screen space is keeping you from getting a 13, one thing to consider is... use the money you save from getting a 15 to get a monitor

13' for traveling (trust me, i have the 15 and i really wish i got the 13 inch)
24' monitor for chillin..
Click to expand...

exactly what i decided on. keep it as portable as possible. i'm a student at uc berkeley and don't even want to carry my 9 inch aspire one around sometimes!
 
OP, so are you going to college this upcoming Fall? Or next year?

If next year, why buy one now? Why not wait until next June. I'm sure the laptops will be updated then. I think if you buy one now, you'll want a new one next year before you head to college.

But its your money and you can do whatever you want with it.
 
Chase R said:
Who the hell even uses the "audio input" port anyways?...
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Well, I use skype a lot to talk to my family & friends whenever I travel, so I use the audio input to use the mic & the audio output for the headphones...

I don't know about you guys, but the joined audio in/out is a downgrade for me... I have no idea why they did that... That's one of the main reasons that might make me go for a 15" MBP...
 
I changed my mind, im thinking of going mid 15'... As much as i want portability, i might regret the real estate... That and i might need the dedicated 9600M GT for Snow and might get into video editing down the line.
 
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