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Do you feel the 17" MBP is cumbersome?

C

CaptainClams

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 1, 2008
16
0
Hello!

I am preparing myself to make a purchase of a 17" MBP, and I just want to get a few thoughts of mine cleared up before I sink a large sum of money into it.

My main fear is that a 17" laptop is a bit... clunky. I won't be transporting it around too much, but I would like to be able to sit it on my lap, or use it while I lay in bed without feel like I've got some big beast sitting on me. Does it ever get too hot to use in that type of position?

Thanks for your input, cheers!
 
i have not been disappointed in my 17'' in the least
i am in bed now with it on my lap

i love the bigger screen

Woof, Woof - Dawg
pawprint.gif
 
That's great to hear. And are you enjoying the glossy, or do you have a matte screen? I can't decide which to go for... glossy looks kind of "plastic-ish" to me, but the colors are so much nicer.
 
I wasn't sure which screen to get either until I went to the Apple store and saw the glossy and was sold on it. I was worried about visibility and glare while I was in the car, but I've been very happy with it, very little glare. My husband has a Dell glossy, and it cannot even be compared to the appearance of the Mac.

You should go take a look at both. If you do much research you'll find out that opinions are split right down the middle on this one.
 
Some like them, i tried one for a week but found it more luggable than portable. Happy with 15" matte but it's all down preference. I take mine to work every day and it fits in my lowepro sack with my cam etc. so 17" is too big for my tastes.
 
digitalpencil said:
Some like them, i tried one for a week but found it more luggable than portable. Happy with 15" matte but it's all down preference. I take mine to work every day and it fits in my lowepro sack with my cam etc. so 17" is too big for my tastes.
Click to expand...
I keep mine (17") at home on my desk most of the time, except for trips, and occasionally to my office. I like the big screen, and the extra usb port.
 
i don't have a desktop, so this is my only 'puter
that is one reason why i preferred the 17''

i've carried it around a good bit and traveled with it
used it on the airplane with no problems
(other than everyone wanting to see it)


Woof, Woof - Dawg
pawprint.gif
 
I love the 17". Sure the screen doesn't stay open when you're trying to use it with the keyboard perpendicular to the bed, but hey, it's still the best.

Love it.
 
I had a 17" HP laptop and it was a pain to move around (and murder for air travel), plus I usually ran it connected to a 20" display (with identical resolution) at home. So I decided to buy a 15" MBP instead of a 17" since it is easier to tote around the world.

However, the MBP 17" is much lighter and svelte then my HP was and gets vastly better battery life and needs far less power (so a much smaller and lighter external power supply). So if I needed/could use the 17" real estate, I'd have bought it.
 
Both have good and bad but for me:

The Good:
1) Screen is bigger than the 15" for more space
2) 17" feels a bit faster than the 15" mbp (from my experience I've owned them all).
3) I love the speakers are crystal clear and plenty loud.
4) HD screen looks gorgeous

The Bad
1) Text is small and you will have to get used to it but gives me a headache at times.
2) Like someone mentioned the screen falls down sometimes when your trying to use it perpendicular on the bed.
3) A bit bulkier than the 15" and not as fun to just carry it around, especially at the $3k price tag feels dangerous to carry around everywhere.
4) Too pricey, extra $750 for just a higher pixel screen + louder speakers.
 
i do lug it around a lot and the high res screen is very good for me. Laying back with it is out of the question, and it is a bit large on my lap, but as it is my only mac (my wife confiscated my previous 15") i really like the huge amount of pixels. If you could use the large screen, the other solutio is a 15" with an external. But i like my desk to be as clean as possible, and i'm a large amount of time in customers offices, so I dont have a second screen available.
 
A couple of months ago I went through this same question.

In my case I decided on a MBP15. I am on the go most of the time, so for me the smaller size was welcome. I have not regretted that decision.
 
Wow, thanks for all your replies everyone. I think I'm going to opt for the 17" and take the blow to portability, but thus gaining a high-resolution multimedia machine. As for glossy/matte, I still haven't decided. I think I'm going to drive out to an Apple store or something and check them out in person.

Cheers!
 
CaptainClams said:
Wow, thanks for all your replies everyone. I think I'm going to opt for the 17" and take the blow to portability, but thus gaining a high-resolution multimedia machine. As for glossy/matte, I still haven't decided. I think I'm going to drive out to an Apple store or something and check them out in person.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Just for your reference they sell 2 models at the store:
17" Standard Resolution 1680x1060 (Matte or Glossy)
Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 (2.5 GHz)
2GB DDR2 RAM
250GB 5400RPM HDD
8600M GT 512MB VRAM
$2799

17" High Resolution 1900x1200 (Matte only)
Intel Core 2 Duo T9500 (2.6GHz)
2GB DDR2 RAM
200GB 7200RPM HDD
8600M GT 512MB VRAM
$3199

They can't stock every configuration, so those are the only 2 choices; if you want just a high resolution screen without the $250+$50 extra for CPU and HDD, you will have to configure it online.
 
Yeah, I am leaning towards ordering it online. When I receive it in the mail with a dead pixel on it (which I will. I ALWAYS get dead pixels.), is there anyway for me to get a replacement screen or model for free if I notify them right away? I'm guessing not, since a dead pixel is such a minuscule thing to complain about.

Cheers!
 
CaptainClams said:
Yeah, I am leaning towards ordering it online. When I receive it in the mail with a dead pixel on it (which I will. I ALWAYS get dead pixels.), is there anyway for me to get a replacement screen or model for free if I notify them right away? I'm guessing not, since a dead pixel is such a minuscule thing to complain about.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

They will if you complain hard enough; I just got a 17" high resolution upgrade today; no dead pixels, so don't count on getting defective stuff!
 
While trying to decide between the Macbook Pro 15" vs 17", I realized that the 17" Macbook Pro is similar in dimension to friends' 15" Dell Inspiron and 15" Sony Vaio. They certainly didn't mind lugging around 7+ lb 15" notebooks so I figured a lighter notebook with a larger screen would be AWESOME!!!

I've had my 17" MBP since mid March and I've been bringing it to work every day. The weight really isn't as bad as many say. If you're worried about it being too heavy, I suggest using a backpack so that the weight would have less of an impact over two shoulders vs one shoulder.
 
Whatever finish for the screen you decide on, I would definitely pony up the cash for the 1920x1200 screen - it's amazing, the LED backlighting is just superb.
 
CaptainClams said:
Hello!

I am preparing myself to make a purchase of a 17" MBP, and I just want to get a few thoughts of mine cleared up before I sink a large sum of money into it.

My main fear is that a 17" laptop is a bit... clunky. I won't be transporting it around too much, but I would like to be able to sit it on my lap, or use it while I lay in bed without feel like I've got some big beast sitting on me. Does it ever get too hot to use in that type of position?

Thanks for your input, cheers!
Click to expand...

I've got the older 17" highres SR2.4 model - bought it last August as an upgrade from an old 15" Powerbook G4 and I really don't find the extra size/weight a problem (it's my primary machine and I use it both at home and at work). It's a LOT lighter than most Dell/HP/Sony laptops with similar screen size and very comfortable to use on your lap - yes, it gets a little warm, but unless you're gaming it doesn't get _that_ warm (certainly no more so than other laptops I've used).

Well worth springing the extra for the high-res screen btw - that extra real estate is very handy if you run major applications such as Adobe CS3 etc.
 
if only they add the HD screen to the 15" model. I prefere the 15" size. At some point in Mac history, there was an imac with 17" dispay, so why a laptop with that size.
 
17" works great if you are not physically challenged. And it's just way cool to use it as a 17" ipod in line.

I move it almost every day. Sometimes use it in the car with map PDF or screenshots if no printers are available to print directions.

Yes, it's not as light as the other Macs, but the 17" MBP weights the same as most 15" and some 14" PCs. It's definitely not "Heavy" or "not portable".
 
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