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errrrr...liking me 13" more then my new 17"

F

farmermac

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 23, 2009
779
11
Iowa
So I just got my 13" MBP back from applecare (it was in for cracking hinges).

I bought a 17" early this week for the higher resolution but quickly realized that it is ginormous and defeats the purpose of a portable computer. I think I can do without the higher resolution. It seems the 13" just looks and feels right, but maybe I didnt get used to the 17".

I never thought i'd say this but i think i will be returning the 17" and keeping the 13" until it dies.

I might add that I have a hard time reading the tiny fonts on the 17"

mbp.jpg
 
Dude, keep the 17''. The hi-res screen may make some text harder to read, but the resolution of the screen is what makes it a true portable primary computer. Your needs are probably different, but I can do things with the extra pixels on the 17'' that were not possible on the 15'', much less the 13''. For example, when writing essays or doing programming projects for compsci, I often have 2 windows open side-by-side so that I can do research or look at documentation while I write code or an essay. For me, at least, this makes the computer far more valuable. I used to need to plug my 15'' MBP into my 24'' monitor to actually get work done. After I got the 17'' 2 months ago, I haven't used my monitor once.
 
I'd probably get the extra pixels by grabbing a refurbed ACD and save some cash.
 
DVD9 said:
So make the text bigger.

Does no one but me know that there are at least two ways to do so?
--
Click to expand...

reggie_i_dunno-735186.jpg


I've been staring at my 17 for a week now. It doesn't feel like 1920x1200 at all. My eyes got used to the fonts, I zoomed them maybe one notch, but generally speaking it's quite normal and comfortable. I guess some don't like the need to zoom. Dunno (like the pic says)
 
entatlrg said:
elaborate please
Click to expand...

Well, you could hit:
Command and the + button

OR

Use the Multitouch trackpad on a web page or document and reverse pinch (like on the iPhone)

Those are the ways I know of.

I honestly have never used a modern 17"
I used to have a 17" PowerBook G4, and that was massive. I much preferred my 12" The 17" PBG4 only had a 1440x900 screen though. I don't know what 1200P would look like on a 17" as sometimes it's too small on my 23" Cinema Display.

I'd only keep the 17" for the Dedicated Graphics and newer processor OP. If you don't need that, i'd return it then.
 
It really depends on what you need the machine for. I personally don't see the point of having a 13" and a 17" MBP. If you need power and portability without an overpowering resolution than a 15" i5 (or i7 upgrade) could be an alternative, but if your not desperate for portability you could exchange the 17" for one of the new 27" iMacs. You would always have your 13" in you needed a laptop and the new 27" i7 iMacs would be more powerful than the 17" MBP.
 
I like my 13 inch. The resolution is perfect. My old 15'' laptop had the same resolution (1280x800) ... now, that was a problem (but not really)

As much as I woud love a 15 inch, I love my 13 inch. If I had $2000, I would have a serious time deciding whether 15 inch MBP or 13 inch 2.66ghz + 8GB RAM + 500HDD
 
I wanted the 17 for higher resolution. It makes my work much easier, not having to plugin when I'm away, etc. Power and graphics are fine on the 13. The logistics of keeping 2 machines up to date is beyond what I am willing to do.

The logic solution to get a 15 is complicated by the fact that I got the 17" new for cheap (2009 model, old stock) and a new 15 would end up being several hundred more (especially specc'd how I want it). Even a bone stock one with edu pricing (wife is faculty at uni) and iPod would cost the same as the 17 did.
 
I got a 13" too, and absolutely love it. I was thinking of getting the 15" with highres/antiglare, but looking at it in a store even the 15" feels bulky.

I bring my MBP everywhere and the size of the 13" is just perfect. However, I wish they would come with a tad faster processor (i3?) and higher resolution screen in the next update. I'll hold out for the next update, and if the 13" doesn't get some love I might go with the 15.. but 17? No way, it's huuuge.
 
I bought a 15" HR AG last week to replace my 13" and had the exact same experience as the topic starter. I found that the HR made everything too small, despite my conviction that higher resolutions are awesome. Also, the 15" just felt too bulky compared to my 13". Not like a real laptop, but more like a stick-it-to-a-desk machine. I don't want to think about what the 17" would feel like. I love that I can take and place my 13" everywhere and it's never really in the way.

After working with the 15" for a short week I really started to appreciate my 13" more and more, and finally packed up the 15", called Apple and made an appointment for them to pick it up. I wanted the 15" for a long while, and with the i5/i7 and HR-screen options I thought this was the right time to upgrade, but my dream of a 15" screen has now been completely shattered :) . For me, 13" is definitely the right size.

Also, for day to day things like browsing, messaging, emailing, coding, light photo/video work, the 13" resolution is just fine, and Spaces is a very powerful app for window management. Yes, on the 15/17" you can have a few more screens next to each other, but most of the time you don't really utilize the extra space. You just have more white space everywhere. And if you really want/need the extra resolution for serious photo/video work or what not, you can always hook it up to an external monitor. If you need this ánd be on the go, the 15/17" might be for you. But if you want something portable, and if you can do the 'heavy' stuff at a desk with an external monitor anyways, the 13" is the way to go.
 
mgartner0622 said:
Well, you could hit:
Command and the + button

OR

Use the Multitouch trackpad on a web page or document and reverse pinch (like on the iPhone)

Those are the ways I know of.
Click to expand...

Okay - thing is, there's no official way to scale OS X.

Also, zooming in a webpage is dreadful - you either increase font size, thus sacrificing the layout (because the font will be too big for some objects), or scale the webpage up so the font and content gets increased. But then you end up with pixelated graphics. Can't really win..


In an ideal world, an LCD would have more than one native resolution. But they don't..
 
I should had gotten the 13 inch to save money but dang it... I got the 15 inch instead......

Oh well, at least it has higher specs.
 
C64 said:
I bought a 15" HR AG last week to replace my 13" and had the exact same experience as the topic starter. I found that the HR made everything too small, despite my conviction that higher resolutions are awesome. Also, the 15" just felt too bulky compared to my 13". Not like a real laptop, but more like a stick-it-to-a-desk machine. I don't want to think about what the 17" would feel like. I love that I can take and place my 13" everywhere and it's never really in the way.

After working with the 15" for a short week I really started to appreciate my 13" more and more, and finally packed up the 15", called Apple and made an appointment for them to pick it up. I wanted the 15" for a long while, and with the i5/i7 and HR-screen options I thought this was the right time to upgrade, but my dream of a 15" screen has now been completely shattered :) . For me, 13" is definitely the right size.

Also, for day to day things like browsing, messaging, emailing, coding, light photo/video work, the 13" resolution is just fine, and Spaces is a very powerful app for window management. Yes, on the 15/17" you can have a few more screens next to each other, but most of the time you don't really utilize the extra space. You just have more white space everywhere. And if you really want/need the extra resolution for serious photo/video work or what not, you can always hook it up to an external monitor. If you need this ánd be on the go, the 15/17" might be for you. But if you want something portable, and if you can do the 'heavy' stuff at a desk with an external monitor anyways, the 13" is the way to go.
Click to expand...

Great post, well said, thanks for solidifying my decision to settle on my 13" MBP and 24" ACD, it's perfect
 
What about getting a 15"? You still get the portability, and you can get the high res screen on it.
 
I switched over from 13 inch to 17 inch. In my experience, the 13 inch was horrible. The screen was way too small to do anything meaningful. There were other reasons too, like the graphics card. But the screen res was the biggest reason. Im loving my 17 inch now.
 
I had a 13inch Macbook (not the pro) and gave it to my wife and moved onto the 17 MBP. I loved it and used it for a desktop till I got my iMac 27 which I love...now the 17 just seems ginormous (although I still love it) and my iPad takes over for alot of what I do on the fly...but I sure do wish I had that 13 MB back again...so I know your pain!
 
As for my experience and having owned the 15", 17" and the 13" I prefer the 15" or the 17" over the 13".

For some reason no matter what, the 13" was TOO small for me, especially the screen size where it gave me neck cramps after more than 15 minutes of usage.

Also having the 13" on my lap felt very awkward, kind of like having to balance the notebook on my lap to find a comfortable zone where none can be ever found with the display so small that I'd have to move my head closer to view at times which would lead to the neck cramp.

Another thing that I hated about the 13" is that it felt more like a "toy" rather than a laptop. Carrying it around was nice because it was so small but when you sat down on a nice desk/table on campus or the library, the screen that it provided was too small for comfort for the long hours of studying. Now with the 15" the weight wasnt that much heavier than the 13" while giving you a treat when you set it out on the desk/table at the library to work on a project/homework all night. Same goes for the 17" just that its even more a treat when you have it on the desk/table with the sacrifice of it being a bit more heavier than the 13"/15".

Either way, for me I came to the conclusion that the 13" macbook pro is too much of a toy and didnt feel like a real notebook/laptop to me.

I'm actually debating getting the 15" HR antiglare or the 17" HR antiglare model.

Oh and another thing about the 13" is that they dont offer the antiglare screen and its a huge let down as it defeats the purpose of carrying around everywhere and using it everywhere when there are crazy amounts of reflections everywhere you go. Especially near the windows or outside where its all around campus. I remember I had to put the brightness level to full always to try to drown out the reflections on the 13 inch's glossy screen so that I can comfortably see/work but at the same time it would waste alot of battery life compared to the 1 notch I used on the 15"/17" antiglare screens. It saves considerably more battery life depending on which brightness you use too. 1 notch vs. full can save you something like 3 to almost 4 hours more of battery life.
 
Since I've had a 13" MacBook for a little over three years, I frankly couldn't imagine lugging around a bigger laptop with a bigger screen. I don't think the 15" would be a huge difference (just a little adjustment), it's the 17" that is unfathomable to me. It's just too big for my portability needs.

The sole reason I would consider the 15" MPB (I currently plan on getting the 13") is the speakers. I like to listen to music and watch movies headphones-free, so a quality speaker system would be fantastic and it sounds like they'd be much better in the 15" and 17" compared to the 13".

Can anyone comment on the difference in speaker quality, assuming there is one (which I would, though obviously I've no personal experience)?
 
DerApfel said:
Since I've had a 13" MacBook for a little over three years, I frankly couldn't imagine lugging around a bigger laptop with a bigger screen. I don't think the 15" would be a huge difference (just a little adjustment), it's the 17" that is unfathomable to me. It's just too big for my portability needs.

The sole reason I would consider the 15" MPB (I currently plan on getting the 13") is the speakers. I like to listen to music and watch movies headphones-free, so a quality speaker system would be fantastic and it sounds like they'd be much better in the 15" and 17" compared to the 13".

Can anyone comment on the difference in speaker quality, assuming there is one (which I would, though obviously I've no personal experience)?
Click to expand...

Having owned all three, I'd have to say that the 13" is just almost good enough in the speaker department but at times I wished it was louder and with the 15" its a bit louder but still too weak. As for the 17" (this is the reason why I always get sucked into getting the 17" mbp) has a very loud speaker with a much fuller sound.

Combining the 1920x1200 full HD display with the very nice speakers and longer battery, this has always swayed me towards the 17" behemoth.

Its not so bad though in terms of size. Usually around 2-3 weeks of lugging the 17" mbp around you get really used to it and the 17" starts to look pretty small and normal sized looking. I remember at one point I really loved my 17" mbp and would have even considered a 20" macbook Pro if they really had such a thing.

The 17" is a bit bigger than the 15" but for what you get and how thin it is compared to all other 17" notebooks in the computer industry it is very small.

I sold my 2.66GHz i7 17" macbook pro just a couple of months ago and I'm starting to regret it. I did however needed the money to buy a projector that I've been wanting to upgrade to but now I have the funds again to buy the 17" i7 macbook pro again. I might either wait and see (this august) if there is a speed bump to the macbook pro line (higher clock GHz to the i7 lineup) before I buy again.

But so far my new mac mini is handling everything like a champ! What I'm really wanting is the 27" LED ACD this September... Man September is SO FAR AWAY!
 
jjahshik32 said:
Having owned all three, I'd have to say that the 13" is just almost good enough in the speaker department but at times I wished it was louder and with the 15" its a bit louder but still too weak. As for the 17" (this is the reason why I always get sucked into getting the 17" mbp) has a very loud speaker with a much fuller sound.

Combining the 1920x1200 full HD display with the very nice speakers and longer battery, this has always swayed me towards the 17" behemoth.

Its not so bad though in terms of size. Usually around 2-3 weeks of lugging the 17" mbp around you get really used to it and the 17" starts to look pretty small and normal sized looking. I remember at one point I really loved my 17" mbp and would have even considered a 20" macbook Pro if they really had such a thing.

The 17" is a bit bigger than the 15" but for what you get and how thin it is compared to all other 17" notebooks in the computer industry it is very small.

I sold my 2.66GHz i7 17" macbook pro just a couple of months ago and I'm starting to regret it. I did however needed the money to buy a projector that I've been wanting to upgrade to but now I have the funds again to buy the 17" i7 macbook pro again. I might either wait and see (this august) if there is a speed bump to the macbook pro line (higher clock GHz to the i7 lineup) before I buy again.

But so far my new mac mini is handling everything like a champ! What I'm really wanting is the 27" LED ACD this September... Man September is SO FAR AWAY!
Click to expand...

Thanks so much!! I have a lot to keep in mind the next couple of weeks as I wait for money to come in lol
 
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