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For those on the fence about getting a 17" MBP...

M

Molson1020

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 3, 2009
146
43
So I just got a new 17" MBP to replace my old 15" MBP.

I was sort of worried because a lot of people talk about how hard it is to carry everywhere, and it's so big and cumbersome.

I just want to say, DON'T LISTEN! This thing is absolutely amazing, and after having this, I can't see myself going back to a 15" ever again.

Just thought I would show the 17" some love since it seems to get the short end of the stick sometimes.
 
It's new and shiny. Mark this thread and report back to us in 6 months.

Personally, I don't understand the niche market for the 17" MBP and am quite surprised it generates enough interest and cash for Apple in order for them to keep the tool and die factories geared up to make them.

The smaller models have enough punch these days for most people and the smaller screen size is thwarted by virtue of external display adapters.

But that's just me.
 
I only have the 15" but the 17" really is no bigger than a 15" PC and people carry those around all the time. I'd have a 17" if it were more affordable.
 
Molson1020 said:
So I just got a new 17" MBP to replace my old 15" MBP.

I was sort of worried because a lot of people talk about how hard it is to carry everywhere, and it's so big and cumbersome.

I just want to say, DON'T LISTEN! This thing is absolutely amazing, and after having this, I can't see myself going back to a 15" ever again.

Just thought I would show the 17" some love since it seems to get the short end of the stick sometimes.
Click to expand...

You cannot come to that conclusion based on your own experience. Everybody has a different life, some take the bus, some drive, some walk, some cycle. People travel different distances everyday. Some people are stronger, some are more fit than others. Just because you don't think it's hard to carry around, does not mean that this is the case for everyone else.
 
I used to think like you
I had a big heavy laptop I carried around in college
built me some muscles

if your 17" is the only computer screen in your house I can see how you would think its awesome

sadly, I have a second 24" monitor at home nowadays, I just plug my macbook into that which makes your extra 2" totally obsolete and is much better for working in adobe

if I want to watch movies, I plug it into my ginormous LCD TV in the living room through HDMI adapter...

so really, a macbook is just for carrying to work or home unless I go on a business trip or vacation, and then I'll live with a 15" screen a few days
 
@Potatochobit, you will be glad to know Apple includes a mini-DisplayPort/Thunderbolt port on the 17" MBPs, not just on the 15" ones. So one can hook the 17" up to external monitors, not that one would ever need to.

Agree with OP that 17" is not a big deal to carry around.
 
Potatochobit said:
sadly, I have a second 24" monitor at home nowadays, I just plug my macbook into that which makes your extra 2" totally obsolete and is much better for working in adobe
Click to expand...

Congratz. Unlike you, however, some of us take our laptops outside. It's only an extra pound.

That 2" extra inches + hi-res = supreme authority when previewing pictures in the field, contracting (i.e. graphic design or coding at a customer site). Don't forget the expresscard slot which is extremely versatile on a variety of tasks.

And I also agree w/ the op. It's not that big of a deal. Most who say it is probably never held one and just assume.
 
Potatochobit said:
I used to think like you
I had a big heavy laptop I carried around in college
built me some muscles

if your 17" is the only computer screen in your house I can see how you would think its awesome

sadly, I have a second 24" monitor at home nowadays, I just plug my macbook into that which makes your extra 2" totally obsolete and is much better for working in adobe

if I want to watch movies, I plug it into my ginormous LCD TV in the living room through HDMI adapter...

so really, a macbook is just for carrying to work or home unless I go on a business trip or vacation, and then I'll live with a 15" screen a few days
Click to expand...

that extra 2" gives you the same resolution as your 24" display, 1920x1200, so if you have good eyesight and sit close to the screen it makes a huge difference and is far from obsolete. If you had a 27 or 30+ that might be a different story.
 
I was actually considering the 17" myself. The only thing is that sometimes I need to use the computer for travel, and a 15" is hard enough to fit on a flight or a train. Nevermind a 17". I like the fact that you can get the same power in a 15" and save a little bit of space. For me, thats the best of both worlds.
 
My last laptop was a 17" (HP Envy) and IMHO a 17" laptop just feels extra large compared to a 15". Granted, I'm comparing an HP to the MBP, but the Envy is a relatively slim, aluminum laptop. It's great on a desk, but for portability the 15" hi-res is the perfect spot for me (I'd love to get 1920x1200 on the 15" though like my old XPS m1530 had :D )

Plus, let's not forget that the 17" is $700 more than the $15" ($300 if you get the similarly-spec'ed 2.2GHz model)
 
it's good to see some love for the 17"!

but, it won't fit under a plane seat (my 13 is a tight fit).

it is significantly more expensive than the base 13.

and, every ounce makes a difference if you walk to work. the 13 is a bit heavy for me, but i needed the extra performance, so i didn't get the mba. my back isn't terribly strong, and even the 13 can be tiring some days. yesterday i was walking around with it for a couple of hours in the field, and i was glad to slough it off my back at the end of the day. a 17" would have been much more unpleasant.

really, "light" and "heavy" are subjective, and you have to take into account your own situation.

still, it is a beautiful device, and i would have gotten itif i could have!
 
JamesGorman said:
I was actually considering the 17" myself. The only thing is that sometimes I need to use the computer for travel, and a 15" is hard enough to fit on a flight or a train. Nevermind a 17". I like the fact that you can get the same power in a 15" and save a little bit of space. For me, thats the best of both worlds.
Click to expand...

I fly a lot too and I even found the 13" too big for plane travel, so it ended up staying in my bag the whole flight. For me, I felt if it was going to remain in the bag, then a 17" isn't a big deal at all. So that's why I bought a 17" MBP anyways despite lots of flying. I've got an iPad to use in flight anyways.
 
I guess the only reason I made this topic is because, while looking for a new MBP, I really was enticed by the 17" but was a little discouraged reading everyone's nitpicks about it being to big to be portable.

For the record, I live in Chicago which means I take public transportation to and from work every day and have not found this to be a inconvenience at all! I was really intrigued that people who were into photography and graphic design said this was the best choice to go with... and they were right!

I just posted this to say, it really isn't NEARLY the burden that some make it out to be. Yes, if you want a laptop to surf and email, then this probably isn't for you. But if you are considering it for professional work, and are torn between this and the 15"... 17" is the way to go!

Oh, and coming from a 2007 MBP... this thing just SCREAMS when it comes to speed... man do I love it!
 
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