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How portable are 17'' MB Pros?
- Thread starter sebkom
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i even removed the superdrive to make it more portable, but minus the super dive, it doesn't help significantly. i buy 2 chargers and put it on the office and my home so i don't have to put more weight in my bag. it's still heavy and not portable enough to carry it all day.
but, i can't replace it because i do tshirt graphic design and i really need the high resolution of the 17" mbp. i don't like working with external monitor, so i keep it as a better workhorse than 15" mbp.
if you just carry the mbp and magic mousr, it's not so bad, but if you carry these things like external drive, books etc, dang it's quite a burden.
but, i can't replace it because i do tshirt graphic design and i really need the high resolution of the 17" mbp. i don't like working with external monitor, so i keep it as a better workhorse than 15" mbp.
if you just carry the mbp and magic mousr, it's not so bad, but if you carry these things like external drive, books etc, dang it's quite a burden.
A 17" notebook is something that you can move if you have to. If you don't have to, you won't want to. It's even worse with windows laptops that can have in excess of 8lbs of pork that you have to haul around. My 13" is about the same as just throwing an extra small textbook in my bag. 17 is a major pain when you are using it on anything but a proper desk as well, as it has a huge footprint. Any 17" laptop is typically intended to be a desktop replacement, so you do sacrifice portability. I know people have them and move them around, but I haven't heard anyone that doesn't wish that it was easier to do.
I'm a small guy 5'7" 130lbs. I find the 17" MacBook Pro to be quite portable. After a while I didn't even realize that I was carrying it. I will never ger another sized laptop.
I have a 17" Dell Workstation, and it is a pain to have to move around(I have to be careful with my wrists if grabbing my bag). However, It is considerably thicker than my 15" uMBP(which is just in the portability department), so I imagine a 17" uMBP wouldn't be TOO bad.
My wife and I used to have a ginormous 17" HP (a DV9000) - nice machine, but it was HUGE. To me, weight wasn't the issue; yeah, it was a little thick, but that wasn't it either. It was just so darned huge you couldn't put it ANYWHERE. Just pulling it out of the bag was a chore - I had to look and make sure I had clearance all around so I wouldn't bang it on anything (I drive a school bus, so I'm used to checking mirrors and clearance, but doing that with my laptop was ridiculous)! Sold it when my wife switched to a Mac - I, personally, would love to always have a 13/14" laptop (perfect size, IMHO; love my 13" MBP), but since Apple likes to make screen size and performance upgrades go hand-in-hand, I guess I'll have to get a 15" someday. 
I find that my 17" uMBP is relatively portable in terms of carrying it around. However, I find that it is a little large to have sitting on my lap. The weight isn't bad...until you realize how much lighter a 13" MBP or iPad is.
The portability really depends on what else you're going to be carrying. If you're only carrying the laptop, mouse, and charger, then its not a bad load. If you're dragging along other things as other posters have said, the burden increases quickly.
The other factor to consider is the primary tasks that you're going to be completing on the computer. In other words, do you really need the extra power for the i5/i7 vs the C2D? I'm assuming that you're considering the MBP for use in college. If you're in a design or engineering based major, you will probably benefit from the i5/i7. If you're in a business type major, then the 13" MBP should last you the 4-5 years of college.
The portability really depends on what else you're going to be carrying. If you're only carrying the laptop, mouse, and charger, then its not a bad load. If you're dragging along other things as other posters have said, the burden increases quickly.
The other factor to consider is the primary tasks that you're going to be completing on the computer. In other words, do you really need the extra power for the i5/i7 vs the C2D? I'm assuming that you're considering the MBP for use in college. If you're in a design or engineering based major, you will probably benefit from the i5/i7. If you're in a business type major, then the 13" MBP should last you the 4-5 years of college.
I have an aluminum 17" MBP and find it to be easily portable. I think it depends on what kind of bag you have and, as others have said, what else you are carrying around with it. I use a messenger style bag with an additional soft cover on the computer and it's not too heavy at all. Whatever choice you make is going to carry sacrifices with it. You just have to decide what features are more important to you, screen size, graphics, weight, small footprint, etc. etc..
I'm siding with AppleGuy 123 on this one.
I've had a 15" for four years, but snapped up a great deal on a 17". It's not significantly heavier, and the screen and other benefits are awesome.
I take it with me to school daily, and have traveled with it to 3 countries and 7 cities with it in my backpack without a problem.
It IS only one pound heavier, that's not the end of the world.
Most desks I've used have had more than enough room to accommodate the 17" and my textbooks. The chairs in classrooms don't however, but I take notes the old fashioned way anyways.
I've had a 15" for four years, but snapped up a great deal on a 17". It's not significantly heavier, and the screen and other benefits are awesome.
I take it with me to school daily, and have traveled with it to 3 countries and 7 cities with it in my backpack without a problem.
It IS only one pound heavier, that's not the end of the world.
Most desks I've used have had more than enough room to accommodate the 17" and my textbooks. The chairs in classrooms don't however, but I take notes the old fashioned way anyways.