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How portable is your 15" rMBP ?

P

PT123

macrumors member
Original poster
May 19, 2011
64
0
I have been using my 13" MBP for a couple of years but am looking to upgrade so that I can give it to my daughter, who needs a laptop.

I notice that the 15" retina is the same weight as the regular 13" MBP. I travel a lot, I don't work on the plane etc, just when I arrive. I wouldn't mind the extra screen real estate that the 15 offers but was wondering if a 15 rMBP is a genuinely portable computer.

Could anyone give me their opinion? Thanks!!
 
I went from the 13" mbp to 15" mbp to 15" rmbp. Now although the screen got bigger and yes weight increased, the retina was definitely easy to carry around than the 13" it felt lighter and doesn't even feel that heavy. I'd definitely go for the 15" rmbp if you can
 
"Portable" is not a well defined measure and is subject to personal whim, but I find my 15" retina MBP to be quite easy to carry around on a daily basis.
 
I love seeing all these posts. Unless you have a carrying case that's made out of solid gold that only fits a 13" laptop there is no reason to worry about the 2". They are both extremely light and compact. Make your decision based on what kind of power you need.
 
lightz39 said:
I love seeing all these posts. Unless you have a carrying case that's made out of solid gold that only fits a 13" laptop there is no reason to worry about the 2". They are both extremely light and compact. Make your decision based on what kind of power you need.
Click to expand...

No specific power requirements, just the basics. But I have no real budget limitations and fancy a bigger screen if it wasn't an inconvenience to haul around the world...
 
lightz39 said:
I love seeing all these posts. Unless you have a carrying case that's made out of solid gold that only fits a 13" laptop there is no reason to worry about the 2". They are both extremely light and compact. Make your decision based on what kind of power you need.
Click to expand...

Depending on what you do, or how you travel that 2" can be huge. The 15" needs desktop or table space to use that the 13" certainly does not. The 15" requires a larger bag to carry, and its by no means as portable. While I agree with the part about buying the power you need, the size comes into play also.

I went from 15" to 13" and have yet to regret it.
 
In terms of just lugging around, weight is more of an issue than size in my opinions.

And I actually haven't noticed that much of a weight issue with my 15" rMBP. I lug the thing around all day... every single day of the week, without any issue at all. And that's usually in complement to documents and other devices. The desk space needed for the 15" is just barely an extra 1" in either dimension. I've never found myself in a situation where I can't fit my 15" on a table and still not have enough room for a bunch of other things... like my phone, a portable hard drive, and etc...

Some people say the 13" is more portable especially for airplanes... but... I don't agree. If size was an issue, the 11.6" MBA would be the best fit on an airplane. Anything larger would have serious issues fitting on that tray... on many airplanes. I know because I travel overseas at least once... on a 12-hour flight, every year. Back and forth. I have tried many devices over the year, and... an 11.6" laptop is the most that would fit. Anything larger is an exercise in futility, especially if you sit behind someone else who wants to lower his chair to take a nap.
 
I too am looking to switch from a 13 to 15


Ccrew said:
The 15" needs desktop or table space to use that the 13" certainly does not.
Click to expand...

This is what worries me, i at times use my computer on my lap sitting in a random place in a hall at school or random chair/bench. Not sure how this will work with the 15.



bill-p said:
In terms of just lugging around, weight is more of an issue than size in my opinions.

And I actually haven't noticed that much of a weight issue with my 15" rMBP. I lug the thing around all day... every single day of the week, without any issue at all. And that's usually in complement to documents and other devices. The desk space needed for the 15" is just barely an extra 1" in either dimension. I've never found myself in a situation where I can't fit my 15" on a table and still not have enough room for a bunch of other things... like my phone, a portable hard drive, and etc...

Some people say the 13" is more portable especially for airplanes... but... I don't agree. If size was an issue, the 11.6" MBA would be the best fit on an airplane. Anything larger would have serious issues fitting on that tray... on many airplanes. I know because I travel overseas at least once... on a 12-hour flight, every year. Back and forth. I have tried many devices over the year, and... an 11.6" laptop is the most that would fit. Anything larger is an exercise in futility, especially if you sit behind someone else who wants to lower his chair to take a nap.
Click to expand...

informative post, thank you
 
Compared to my 17" HP Envy that had SSD plus two 1TB drives and DVD....my rMBP is light as a feather. :D
 
I tried a 15" rMBP for 3 weeks- great computer, but a little big (not really too heavy). The cases (like BookBook) make it even bigger for travel.
I now have a 13" rMBP and it is WAY more portable and I don't miss the screen real estate at all because I travel, and it's so light and smaller....
 
I find my 15" rMBP to be extremely portable. I walk everywhere with a messenger bag and I don't have any problems.

It first perfect on my lap for typing and it's not a problem for work or college. The 13" would be easier to get around with, but I'd sacrifice far too much performance and deal with a smaller screen in that regard.
 
It's relatively light and thin, hence it is portable in a sense. So it really depends on how you define portability. I think most people would say that for something to be truly portable it should be easy to use on the go, on the plane, in the terminal, on a subway, in the car, etc. and that it's also easy to carry and secure in all these places. Others might say that simply being able to transport from A to B without breaking your back is a good definition. IMO portability means carry-ability sans case. I wouldn't want to carry this to work or through anything resembling a crowd without a shoulder strap and padded case. So IMO it's not that portable. That being said I take it to the coffee shop all the time, in a case, in a bag, on a shoulder strap.
 
oxymoron

anything more than 11 inch is not very 'portable'

the limit of portability applies to 17" the ultimate portable notebook

13 and 15 inchers are consumer options, there isn't much difference between 13 to 15 inches but the 17 incher really stands out

just as the 11 incher is an ultra portable VS 17 inched ultimate portable
because people choose an 11" or a 17" for very 'specific' purposes.

many would say the current retina 15" macbook is a perfect marriage of portable with power but i personally want more so only a 17" will do.

i'd rather the retina technology on really small or really large displays
if there were just three lines of retina displays:

11 inch retina
17 inch retina
27 inch retina

i'd be living in a perfect world.
 
Always had the feeling that 13" were to small.
Had a 17" 5+ ago, bulky and big.
went to 15" MBP loved it.
got myself a 15" rMBP, best thing ever to have with me around
 
I went from carrying a 10" netbook to a 15" rmbp. I have to say I notice the weight on my shoulders when carrying a bag. I'm pretty strong 190lbs but I like to not carry tons of weight...

13" is practically the same...
 
Spetsnazos said:
I have to say I notice the weight on my shoulders when carrying a bag. I'm pretty strong 190lbs but I like to not carry tons of weight...
Click to expand...

Let me recap: a 15" rMBP is ~2kg (~4.5 pounds ) + a few more things that you might be having in your bag + the bag itself. Let's say a max of 3.5 - 4 kg ( most likely less ). So, a ~85kg dude is a few steps away from whining like a little girl because he has to carry around a few pounds of stuff ON HIS SHOULDER? You clearly have some serious problems there bud... but changing the notebook will most likely not help, what you need is medical treatment / a psychiatrist.
 
Spetsnazos said:
I went from carrying a 10" netbook to a 15" rmbp. I have to say I notice the weight on my shoulders when carrying a bag. I'm pretty strong 190lbs but I like to not carry tons of weight...

13" is practically the same...
Click to expand...

"tons of weight"??

Now if that is not the definition of exaggeration, then I dont know what it is.

Plus a tiny bit of weight aint gonna do you harm... for christ's sake sometimes I feel like all people do is sit in a desk all day.. then they wonder why their body becomes a mess why their physical condition is a mess...

The tiny difference between 13 inch and 15 inch retina is nothing to write home about... for crying out loud already... if you want to talk about footprint and if it can fit your bag with the rest of your stuff, i hear you, but saying you are 190 lbs and have trouble with 15 inch rmbp extra weight... then OH MY GOD. Really...
 
Barna Biro said:
Let me recap: a 15" rMBP is ~2kg (~4.5 pounds ) + a few more things that you might be having in your bag + the bag itself. Let's say a max of 3.5 - 4 kg ( most likely less ). So, a ~85kg dude is a few steps away from whining like a little girl because he has to carry around a few pounds of stuff ON HIS SHOULDER? You clearly have some serious problems there bud... but changing the notebook will most likely not help, what you need is medical treatment / a psychiatrist.
Click to expand...


Valkyre said:
"tons of weight"??

Now if that is not the definition of exaggeration, then I dont know what it is.

Plus a tiny bit of weight aint gonna do you harm... for christ's sake sometimes I feel like all people do is sit in a desk all day.. then they wonder why their body becomes a mess why their physical condition is a mess...

The tiny difference between 13 inch and 15 inch retina is nothing to write home about... for crying out loud already... if you want to talk about footprint and if it can fit your bag with the rest of your stuff, i hear you, but saying you are 190 lbs and have trouble with 15 inch rmbp extra weight... then OH MY GOD. Really...
Click to expand...

Why does everyone feel the need to attack others for the things they say online? Neither of you did anything to carry on the topic. Instead of posting about which screen size you prefer you decided it would be better to attack this individual for trying to give his/her input on the topic. First, you don't know this individual, his day-to-day activities, the items in his bag, or his exact physical makeup. All of these issues may be a contributing factor as to why he says that the 15" is much worse on his back than the 10". I don't disagree that if an individual were used to carrying a 10" netbook and went to a 15" rMBP that would probably take some getting used to if there are also other items in the bag. Then, you have to figure that because the laptop is bigger lengthwise it is also probably sitting differently on his back, while in his bag. But you didn't take that into consideration did you?
Barna, you are the one with the problems if you felt the need to berate this person and tell them to seek help for trying to express his/her opinion. You should probably consider taking your own advise. At minimum you are a troll and a borderline sociopath.

To answer the OP's question, I recently purchased the 15" rMBP and have yet to be in a situation where it was an inconvenience and the 13" would have fixed the problem. You do have the quad core with the 15" and a few more extras that have already been mentioned. My recommendation is the 15" version with the 512 if you have the funds for it.
 
Thank you for posting that huge wall of fail. You clearly have imagination, but that's kinda it... I do hope the OP will find your post 100x more helpful than ours, cause your post is clearly a masterpiece. Your wonderful advice: "I recently purchased the 15" rMBP [...] so you should get one like mine too if you have the money" is pure GOLD, really. :rolleyes:
 
lightz39 said:
i love seeing all these posts. unless you have a carrying case that's made out of solid gold that only fits a 13" laptop there is no reason to worry about the 2". they are both extremely light and compact. Make your decision based on what kind of power you need.
Click to expand...

lol
 
Barna Biro said:
Thank you for posting that huge wall of fail. You clearly have imagination, but that's kinda it... I do hope the OP will find your post 100x more helpful than ours, cause your post is clearly a masterpiece. Your wonderful advice: "I recently purchased the 15" rMBP [...] so you should get one like mine too if you have the money" is pure GOLD, really. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Thank you for proving my point. Best of Luck.
 
I went from ~10 yr. old 15 macbook to a 2008 13" macbook and loved the size of the 13" macbook. It was nice to travel with and pull in and out of my backpack. I recently purchased a 15" rMBP. I thought this was a better value than the 13" rMBP. This new 15" rMBP is thinner and liter than my 13". I am enjoying the additional screen area. I find it easy to carry around and pull in and out of the backpack.
 
I switched to a 15" rmbp from a 13" computer. The weight is not an issue, but the footprint is. The computer in a laptop sleeve (Waterfield Outback) barely fits (length and width) in my briefcase (Redoxx Metro). The sleeve also weighs close to a pound, so I am probably going to switch to a different one.

I switched from a laptop (with mobile broadband) and two desktops linked with box.com to the single 15" laptop. With that in mind, I am glad I made the switch, the 15" computer is portable enough, and it is so nice not to have to sync anything anymore.

I am waiting to check out the Surface Pro to see how it would work as an ultraportable, since there are times I do not want to lug around a full briefcase. Depending on how Office RT ends up when the dust settles, I may just opt for the entry level Surface.
 
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