Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I could have purchased any MBP or MacPro or whatever, and chose the 13". The specs of the 13" are already more than I need for what I do(that said, I'm getting a SSD because I WANT one, and 8GB of RAM just because I'm already going to have it open and for ~$100 why not.)

I wanted the smaller dimensions and footprint of the 13", at the time it was the last gen Air, and I would still choose the 13" MBP over the current Air. The 13" fits perfectly in my messenger bag, I honestly don't think the 15" would fit and if it did I would have to stretch it to fit it in. The only thing I wish the 13" had was the option for a high res screen, something like the Air's resolution with the quality of the Pro's would be the only upgrade I want. Hopefully the redesign has at least a 1440x900, and the option of anti glare would be nice.
 
I went with the 13" on purpose.

Really, my decision was between the MacBook Air and the 13" MBP. I wanted excellent portability and favored the Air, but I was concerned about the RAM limitation on the Air.

The 13" MBP is still half the weight of my last laptop and is at least 1/3 thinner. So it was still a significant upgrade. The specs also blew away the 11" MBA. After a RAM upgrade in the MBA I would pay about the same price as the MBP (student discount) and would be locked in at 4GB of RAM. I also still occasionally use the DVD drive. I wouldn't have really missed it, but if offered an advantage.

In the end, considering the pricing, I went with the 13" MBP and I'm quite happy with it. I've ended up using it a lot more than I thought I would and I'm fairly certain the Air wouldn't have met my needs as well as the Pro.
 
I went with the 13" on purpose.

Really, my decision was between the MacBook Air and the 13" MBP. I wanted excellent portability and favored the Air, but I was concerned about the RAM limitation on the Air.

The 13" MBP is still half the weight of my last laptop and is at least 1/3 thinner. So it was still a significant upgrade. The specs also blew away the 11" MBA. After a RAM upgrade in the MBA I would pay about the same price as the MBP (student discount) and would be locked in at 4GB of RAM. I also still occasionally use the DVD drive. I wouldn't have really missed it, but if offered an advantage.

In the end, considering the pricing, I went with the 13" MBP and I'm quite happy with it. I've ended up using it a lot more than I thought I would and I'm fairly certain the Air wouldn't have met my needs as well as the Pro.

it sounds like you and i were thinking along similar lines. if the mba or mb lines had been updated, i might have bought something else. everything changes. again. on wednesday. i wonder if this is the end of the mb?
 
i had both, the 2010 13 and the 2011 15.

sold 13 for the 15inch.

main reason, it was more badd ass

well real reason i wanted a bigger screen, qquad core processor, and in toherwords, better perforamnce that will last.

with taxes in cnada, base model 15 came to 1922 dollars. not cheap to say the least but was worth it for a compute that will hopefully last my 4 years of university

did price matter initially on the 13? yes
other reason why i got 13 initially? i only need basic needs. my current 15inch is a little more than i need but, im cool wit that.

what do you think dog?
 
I want the 13" for the size but the performance of the 15". Therefore, I got the 15" because I cannot sacrifice the performance for the size.
 
from the responses i got from the 15 each owners im guessing you guys needed the extra processing power or NEEDED the higher res screen? So you guys got the 15 cause the things you do required the qualities such as the quad cores or the high res screen?

what im saying is, no one got a 15 for the hell of it right? just to say "i got a 15"

asking cause one of the posters (surfer something on block?) just flat out said that the 13" were pathetic so i was wondering if it were because the 15" had the things he needs for the things he does or cause he just likes having a powerful computer.

can't lie, im a bit butt hurt he would call my beautiful 13" pathetic ;)
 
I want the 13" for the size but the performance of the 15". Therefore, I got the 15" because I cannot sacrifice the performance for the size.

off topic but im guessing the stuff you do require the performance of the 15 right?
 
from the responses i got from the 15 each owners im guessing you guys needed the extra processing power or NEEDED the higher res screen? So you guys got the 15 cause the things you do required the qualities such as the quad cores or the high res screen?

what im saying is, no one got a 15 for the hell of it right? just to say "i got a 15"

asking cause one of the posters (surfer something on block?) just flat out said that the 13" were pathetic so i was wondering if it were because the 15" had the things he needs for the things he does or cause he just likes having a powerful computer.

can't lie, im a bit butt hurt he would call my beautiful 13" pathetic ;)

in all seriousness, it really is. I had the 13" before, and was sick of the lame resolution it had. I know people bought monitors for solve that problem and I do have a Dell 2209WA, but i would have bought a mac or imac if that was the case. i work in all kinds of places each day, so bringing a monitor to lug around is just plain out of the question

it was also the fact that the MBP 13" had internal speakers whereas the 15/17 had speakers that had better directional output

and if you use laptops ALOT, the antiglare screen is a godsend, and the bonus is that it is brighter than the glare glossy screens at max

since apple doesnt add options for the 13" it is really inferior to the 15 in everyday, because if you try carrying a 15" around its not that bad, this 15" is as heavy as a normal 13" laptop

you should of just got the MBA, which has a better resolution and would practically do the same things a MBP 13" can do. sure if it has no ethernet port, and if thats the reason you bought the 13" you should have went with the 15"
 
To be honest if I'm going to invest more than a grand on a notebook then I'm making sure I get the best cpu and grafics card Apple has to offer. I mean why invest so much money and settle with a 13".
 
from the responses i got from the 15 each owners im guessing you guys needed the extra processing power or NEEDED the higher res screen? So you guys got the 15 cause the things you do required the qualities such as the quad cores or the high res screen?

what im saying is, no one got a 15 for the hell of it right? just to say "i got a 15"

asking cause one of the posters (surfer something on block?) just flat out said that the 13" were pathetic so i was wondering if it were because the 15" had the things he needs for the things he does or cause he just likes having a powerful computer.

can't lie, im a bit butt hurt he would call my beautiful 13" pathetic ;)


IMO the 13 inch is pathetic. If my main focus was portability, I would get a MBA. If I wanted portability and power, I would get 15 inch or 17 inch.

My buddy has the 2011 13inch and using final cut pro on it was unbearable in comparison to a 15 or 17 inch (maybe that was a little harsh, it was a lot slower than I expected). I create surf videos for high end clients and I would never buy a 13 inch, since I have no need for it.

MacPro, MBP 15 or 17, or a MBA are the only macs I would ever consider buying at this time.
 
Last edited:
i would choose my 2011 13+2011 imac over the top of the line 15 or 17 any day of the week. alot more flexible than trying to make a 15 inch to do everything a desktop can do.

I would choose my MacPro and MBA over your combo any day of the week also.... I don't get your point at all?
 
in all seriousness, it really is. I had the 13" before, and was sick of the lame resolution it had. I know people bought monitors for solve that problem and I do have a Dell 2209WA, but i would have bought a mac or imac if that was the case. i work in all kinds of places each day, so bringing a monitor to lug around is just plain out of the question

it was also the fact that the MBP 13" had internal speakers whereas the 15/17 had speakers that had better directional output

and if you use laptops ALOT, the antiglare screen is a godsend, and the bonus is that it is brighter than the glare glossy screens at max

since apple doesnt add options for the 13" it is really inferior to the 15 in everyday, because if you try carrying a 15" around its not that bad, this 15" is as heavy as a normal 13" laptop

you should of just got the MBA, which has a better resolution and would practically do the same things a MBP 13" can do. sure if it has no ethernet port, and if thats the reason you bought the 13" you should have went with the 15"

haha. i actually sold my 2010 13" air to get the pro. Yeah, i have an imac at home but i spend a good portion of my day at school.

it didn't come down to money regarding the 13" vs. 15" but more of the size of the laptop. many people say the added weight from the 13" to 15" isnt that much but that argument applies both ways. Why don't 15" users upgrade to the 17" or why do people rave about how light the air is when its only 1.6 pounds lighter than the pro?

While i loved the air (and i really did) the fact that it got bogged down (which is more my fault cause i bought the 2gb model. stupid me) left me furious at times. Plus, the value of the 13" pro seemed better at the end to compliment my imac. but who knows, maybe i'll get a 15 inch later on, highly doubt it, but who knows.

i mean, isn't it a bit overkill to have a 15" and an imac?

but i will give u one point, it was tough getting used to the low resolution on the 13" when i transitioned. but to be honest, the base 15" screen looked whack too when compared to the air.

so to contribute to the "how great the 15 inch pro is over the 13" topic, i say high res or bust. imo, the base model of the 15 seems to have the same time of low res quality as the 13 inch. i;ll give it to you, high res is beautiful, but the standard res on the 15" is terrible in my opinion.
 
oh no. you have an air? why man? 15" or 17" rule. Macbook airs come in sizes of 11" and 13", don't you know thats pathetic? :rolleyes:

I love the MBA 11" and 13", they are great portable computers. The 13" MBP.... I mean its nice but apple could really get rid of it completely. It is only "Pro" in name. I have not met a professional video editor work on a 13" MBP since they were released.

Just stating what I know. If you don't agree.. then you have that right.
 
I first purchased a 2011 13 inch model. I kept it for a week. I was and still am in love with the portability of the 13 inch MBP. However I ended up swapping it out for the 15 inch model for the discrete graphics. I game on my laptop and I wasn't too sure about the future with only the Intel HD 3000 , and I didn't want to regret my decision later on had I stuck with the 13 inch model.

I am very happy with the 15 but I do wish the 13 came with discrete graphics, as I would have kept the smaller computer even if I would have had to pay more for it. Before anyone shoots me, I'm a lady and the weight does matter to me. :D

Edit: I bought the high end 15 .
 
I have had 15 for about 2 month now w/ HR.

I thought it would be enough for some serious programming and work but I find it that it's not enough.

At this point, I am getting ready to ditch 15 and go w/ 13 MBA.

It's not enough to do serious programming and I find myself constantly running to desktop to hook up to big monitor.

When does 15 especially sucks?
In bed. Really sucks to juggle this monster in bed plus HR is too small to read comfortably.

It's great machine and I am sure it works for many people but it just isn't for me.
 
I love the MBA 11" and 13", they are great portable computers. The 13" MBP.... I mean its nice but apple could really get rid of it completely. It is only "Pro" in name. I have not met a professional video editor work on a 13" MBP since they were released.

Just stating what I know. If you don't agree.. then you have that right.

your right. my bad on getting touchy. just thought it was a bit EXTREME to call the 13" pathetic.

like the OP said, if people say how theres no difference in weight between the 13" to 15" than why doesn't it apply .6 more to the different in the air to the 13" pro. theres no argument that the pro outclass the air anyday of the week.
 
your right. my bad on getting touchy. just thought it was a bit EXTREME to call the 13" pathetic.

like the OP said, if people say how theres no difference in weight between the 13" to 15" than why doesn't it apply .6 more to the different in the air to the 13" pro. theres no argument that the pro outclass the air anyday of the week.

If the 13 inch had an option for dedicated gfx card and high res screen... I could see it having a place in the "Pro" series of laptops. Right now... it really is what the macbook should be.
 
If the 13 inch had an option for dedicated gfx card and high res screen... I could see it having a place in the "Pro" series of laptops. Right now... it really is what the macbook should be.

I agree with this answer somewhat.

BUT.

thats almost as if your saying a dedicated video card is what makes the 15" a pro. Your high res argument becomes null because the 15" base has a lower PPI than the 13". Unless you dont consider the base 15" a pro. yes, a high res option is given, but you have to admit, you don't see 90% of the people with a 15" choosing that option. if you do, i have to live where you live! :p

The only other difference i can see that you'll list is the quad core. so is the quad core and gpu the two deciding factors to YOU that make a computer a pro? No shots, honestly just curious.
 
If the 13 inch had an option for dedicated gfx card and high res screen... I could see it having a place in the "Pro" series of laptops. Right now... it really is what the macbook should be.

btw. you really wouldnt mind the extra power in the 13" pro over the air? its only a 1.6 pound difference. i know you have a macpro, but im sure its better knowing that the pro is more capable than the air in those situations where you do need the power.


hahahah i feel like a salesman! :D
 
My first Mac was the 13 inch MacBook. Then I upgraded to the 15 inch MacBook Pro. After owning both, I would say I love my 15 inch MacBook Pro so much more. Most of the reason is because of the power behind it, but I also love the larger screen. Yeah, it's not as portable as a 13 inch, but it's still worth it. I can still easily travel with my 15 inch mbp. If money isn't a factor, I say go with the 15 inch. If money is a factor, save up then buy the 15 inch. Hope I helped a bit.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.