Help me choose: 13 or 15-inch MBP?

[Alameda]

Seeing as USB-C will be the future, more and more stuff will simply be USB-C natively from the outset, so there's that to consider as well. It will take a few years, and then we'll be wondering what the BFD was. ...hopefully

Truth: If the MacBook Pro had all the usual ports AND USB Type-C, the one I’d never use is USB Type-C.

Great that it’s there for the future, but for the billion TV sets with HDMI, and the billion USB Type-A devices, it’s a massive pain.

UPDATE: I started this thread July 9. It’s August 22, and the new laptop still hasn’t arrived.

 

[mdnz]

Truth: If the MacBook Pro had all the usual ports AND USB Type-C, the one I’d never use is USB Type-C.

Great that it’s there for the future, but for the billion TV sets with HDMI, and the billion USB Type-A devices, it’s a massive pain.

UPDATE: I started this thread July 9. It’s August 22, and the new laptop still hasn’t arrived.

To be honest I wouldn't be shocked if in 5 years USB-C still isn't the standard. Look at how slowly it's being picked up.

 

[deeddawg]

Truth: If the MacBook Pro had all the usual ports AND USB Type-C, the one I’d never use is USB Type-C.

Great that it’s there for the future, but for the billion TV sets with HDMI, and the billion USB Type-A devices, it’s a massive pain.

Just for conversation's sake: That's largely because you're still sitting on a pile of legacy cables, and manufacturers are (often) still equipping their devices with legacy ports and including legacy cables.

Until a person transitions, it's always going to be "easier" to stick with what they have.

Much easier to transition now than it was 2-3 years ago. For an HDMI TV or monitor, a simple $15 USBC/HDMI cable gets the job done. Similar cables are readily available for displayport. Various cables to connect USBC to USB3 micro or USB2 micro (or mini) are readily available as well in the $7 range on Amazon. Type A to type C adapters to convert existing cables are as low as ~$2.50 each.

We've done this before: Why aren't the forums filled with people clamoring for VGA ports, DVI ports, DB9 serial ports, PS/2 keyboard & mouse ports, or even parallel printer ports? Because we've transitioned away from them -- or folks entered the market after they'd gone the way of floppy disks. *During* the transition though, people did need to adapt/adjust. Even with USB, we had a bit of a transition from the typeB connector to type B mini and finally to type B micro.

Let's also not forget the cries of doom when Apple dropped optical drives...

 

[Alameda]

Just for conversation's sake: That's largely because you're still sitting on a pile of legacy cables, and manufacturers are (often) still equipping their devices with legacy ports and including legacy cables.

Until a person transitions, it's always going to be "easier" to stick with what they have.

Much easier to transition now than it was 2-3 years ago. For an HDMI TV or monitor, a simple $15 USBC/HDMI cable gets the job done. Similar cables are readily available for displayport. Various cables to connect USBC to USB3 micro or USB2 micro (or mini) are readily available as well in the $7 range on Amazon. Type A to type C adapters to convert existing cables are as low as ~$2.50 each.

We've done this before: Why aren't the forums filled with people clamoring for VGA ports, DVI ports, DB9 serial ports, PS/2 keyboard & mouse ports, or even parallel printer ports? Because we've transitioned away from them -- or folks entered the market after they'd gone the way of floppy disks. *During* the transition though, people did need to adapt/adjust. Even with USB, we had a bit of a transition from the typeB connector to type B mini and finally to type B micro.

Let's also not forget the cries of doom when Apple dropped optical drives...

But... dude... a LAPTOP is a PORTABLE device. You carry it to business meetings, into conference rooms, onto lecturns. And none of them have USB Type-C cables, and very few have DisplayPort. I go into customer conference rooms all the time. Lugging a dongle along is a royal pain. I did it before when I had the MacBook Air, and it stinks.

Of course if you only use your laptop at home and in your own office, the connector type doesn't matter. But I'm a road warrior, my friend, and I assure you, it matters a lot.

 

[deeddawg]

But... dude... a LAPTOP is a PORTABLE device. You carry it to business meetings, into conference rooms, onto lecturns. And none of them have USB Type-C cables, and very few have DisplayPort. I go into customer conference rooms all the time. Lugging a dongle along is a royal pain. I did it before when I had the MacBook Air, and it stinks.

How do you accommodate VGA ports given they're rare on laptops today? I still see them in conf rooms and at times, though of course the frequency is diminishing.

If you're already carrying a VGA adapter for those instances, it seems the jump to a combo VGA/HDMI/3.5mm isn't that big... and this one is a bank balance busting $20.

Of course if you only use your laptop at home and in your own office, the connector type doesn't matter. But I'm a road warrior, my friend, and I assure you, it matters a lot.

Certainly.

In my company we're moving to USBC/TB3 docks for hoteling cubes and wireless presentation capability in all conference rooms with screens. While we still have a number of laptops without USBC/TB3 capability that population is decreasing as we refresh employee equipment on the usual cycle. BTW we're mostly a Lenovo shop.

I see this is somewhat similar to dropping optical. Apple jumping out ahead of the industry, and Apple users who have to deal with legacy stuff they don't control end up dealing with adapters or whatnot until the rest of the world catches up.

 

[snagnyou]

13" i7 2.7 8th gen with 16GB of ram is the way to go.

 

[Jaro65]

13" i7 2.7 8th gen with 16GB of ram is the way to go.

Though one has to question if the CPU upgrade is really worth it.

 

[GtrDude]

I would think if you like the size of a 13 inch laptop you should get the 13 inch.
That being said, I would also think if you like the size of a 15 inch laptop and find the 13 is too small, then you should get the 15 inch.
Wow...

 

[snagnyou]

Though one has to question if the CPU upgrade is really worth it.

It has a faster core than the i7 on the 15", but it really depends on what you do with your machine daily. If you're asking then I don't think you would need the i7 2.7 8th gen.

The 13" is a great compact machine. 15" is nice as well if you can benefit from the bigger screen, additional cores and 32G of memory. Productivity wise I don't think the 13" would hold you back. I've used both and the bigger screen doesn't help me much. I still need multiple desktops to swipe between for my needs.

Try them both out at the Apple store and then decide.