LOl... I'm pretty sure 13" is most popular...not sure what strain you are referring to? Mine seems to do everything I ask of it...
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Going from a 15” to a 13”
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“I'll gladly strain that extra little bit to have more screen real estate once I get settled and need to do some work.”
Dude I quoted said something about 15" being too heavy long term and I said I will gladly endure the additional pound by "straining" in carrying it around to gain additional space while traveling. Not saying you can't use a 13" to get work done, I'm just saying the extra 2" is nicer when you're set up on a desk.
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Please stop making fun on my English. Sorry we are not all native speakers “dude” maybe you are just not clear?
I like the 15 for screen size vs. the 13 weight (only a pound difference). I use a day pack to spread the weight over both shoulders. Roller bags (push or pull) might also be helpful as they keep things on the ground and off the muscles/joints of the shoulders and spine. And perhaps the air at under 3 lbs might be another way to go.
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I’ve done it, and its a great shift.
Do i miss the screen size? Not a lot. The portability vastly outweighs the screen size change, and you can always plug in a monitor if you have to use a big screen. A 15” screen isn’t very big anyway...
The lack of GPU failures, no heat problems, better real world battery life, cheaper price, etc. are all welcome benefits, and the 13” form factor just recently went quad core too.
As above, the ability to actually use the 13” on aircraft tray tables, and in other cramped situations is a massive win over the 15”.
The 15” is more of a “i take my machine from desk to desk” machine. If that’s what you want the 15” is fine - you’ll have AC power, the space isn’t an issue, etc. You can use it away from a desk, but it’s larger on your lap, won’t fit on an aircraft tray table, hotter, etc.
The 13” is far superior if you work on battery away from a proper desk and away from AC power a lot. If you don’t need the discrete GPU, more than 4 cores or more than 16 GB of RAM it is a no brainer IMHO.
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it is also noticeably lighter. Whether or not you “can” lug a 15” machine around, its much less annoying and takes less space in a bag. Even better though is an ipad if you can get away with that as a portable. Which is what i’m doing next time, and leaving computer only work to a desktop. But YMMV..
Also. I lugged a 15” classic around europe for 6 weeks. Can it be done? Of course. But i much prefer something lighter...
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That's why I asked then edited it, so stop being disingenuous. If you don't understand something, look it up. Don't make us both look stupid by pretending or assuming you understand when you don't.
Another alternative if you're worried about screen space...
Just something to consider for the near future. I personally can't wait for this feature.
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Also, on the modern 13" machines, if you need "more space" from time to time, don't be afraid to turn on screen scaling for "more space". The performance hit even on my 2015 isn't too bad at all (for the things i need the space for) - i would imagine on the 2019s or any more recent machine its virtually nil.
- A 13" Retina Macbook Pro PLUS an iPad (plus keyboard and pencil) is cheaper than a 15" Retina Macbook Pro of equivalent spec (at least for the machines i have compared where i live)
- You can use the iPad you bought as a second screen with iPadOS and macOS Catalina when they drop
- Combined they probably aren't much heavier than a 15" Macbook pro - and you only HAVE to carry one of them at a time. if you can get away with the iPad only on a particular outing (e.g., you just need to be email contactable or are planning only light work use or whatever), it is much lighter. Even than the 13"
- if/when the macbook pro keyboard dies, you have another device to use as a backup
Just something to consider for the near future. I personally can't wait for this feature.
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Also, on the modern 13" machines, if you need "more space" from time to time, don't be afraid to turn on screen scaling for "more space". The performance hit even on my 2015 isn't too bad at all (for the things i need the space for) - i would imagine on the 2019s or any more recent machine its virtually nil.
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Duet Display does this currently but it kinda sucks IMO. Apple's native implementation should be much better and yes this will be a great use case.
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FWIW, I'm looking at upgrading the other way, from 13-inch to 15-inch.
BUT... my current 13-inch MacBook Pro is the early 2011 model (albeit with 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD). This model weighs 4.5lbs, which is 0.5lbs heavier than the 2019 15-inch MacBook Pro. And the 2011 13-inch MBP has thick bezels so the 2019 15-inch MBP will only be marginally bigger in terms of dimensions (an inch in height and breadth). So I'll actually be winning in terms of portability (not that I use the laptop on planes/trains much anyway).
BUT... my current 13-inch MacBook Pro is the early 2011 model (albeit with 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD). This model weighs 4.5lbs, which is 0.5lbs heavier than the 2019 15-inch MacBook Pro. And the 2011 13-inch MBP has thick bezels so the 2019 15-inch MBP will only be marginally bigger in terms of dimensions (an inch in height and breadth). So I'll actually be winning in terms of portability (not that I use the laptop on planes/trains much anyway).
Get a better bifocal instead of enlarging the Mac screen estate. Portability will always have a direct effect on you compared big aka more pounds or Kilos to carry for that matter.
I’ve gone back and forth over the years on 13 vs 15, actually just downsized from a 2018 15” to a 2018 13” like two months ago. At the end of the day, I didn’t need the power and I wanted the portability of the 13” Pro. They are very well built machines sans keyboard.
I suspect the majority of 15” owners out in the wild don’t need the power, they just prefer the form factor. Really comes down to whether or not you require a GPU for a lot of people.
I suspect the majority of 15” owners out in the wild don’t need the power, they just prefer the form factor. Really comes down to whether or not you require a GPU for a lot of people.
Just be aware that it isn't so much the weight that is annoying with the 15", but the form factor. It's a double-edged sword. it is unwieldy to try and use in various situations where you might want to use a laptop due to its footprint. Although it doesn't fit in bags/backpacks as nicely as a 13" either.
If you're mostly carting it from desk to desk a modern 15" machine will be fine though.