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is 17 inch laptop too big?/ 17's in public others opinions

for laptops 15" seems to be the sweet spot when choosing sizes. It still small enough to be portable and yet it not so small that you are giving up a lot of screen space for it.

If you noticed the packpacks out there most of them max out around the 15.6" range. 17" laptops just do not fit in bags.

For me personally I choose to go with the 15" laptop for the one I just got. Large enough to have great screen space but small enough to carry around with me.

I view 17" and larger as desktop replacements and they are more of a desktop that you take on longer car trips. For example if I had a 17" I would pack it up for when I drove home for a week or so but I would not take it for a weektrip for on a trip I was going to fly. Driving is another matter since space is not really as issue.
 
I found a thread re the 17 mbp vs an asus 17.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/891908/

Here is a some of the post:

"Thing is, the iPhone snobs touting a Prada case and tight jeans wouldn't touch the 17" MacBook Pro with a 10 foot pole, because it doesn't fit in the glovebox of their Audi, and Prada doesn't make a bag big enough for it."

does anyone agree?
 
I have the 17" i7, and although I think its an absolute gem - the screen and whole package is just brilliant, I wouldnt really ever want to use it in such public arenas as coffee shops, airplanes etc - its just too imposing and obtrusive.

It would be akin to reading a semi large atlas or encyclopedia with your cappuccino! I'd feel a bit silly frankly!

The size and weight doesnt effect its portability one bit to me, I'm a designer/photographer and it goes places with me often on jobs in a pelican hard case (amazing by the way) and I never feel its heavier than carrying a few books for example. But yes, I'd be too self conscious I think using it for any length of time in public - I'd be constantly aware of someone pinching it for a start!

If youre just a browser, or use mainly for typing work, I'd think the 17" would be far too clumbersome personally, go for the smaller models.

If however youre a creative of any sorts, the weight/size wont matter at all once youve spent any length of time using a 17" - anything smaller afterwards just feels so confined and cramped.

Hell, this screen is so good I rarely even bother hooking it up to my 24" external monitor anymore!

hope helps
 
good

having read and posted several threads on the subject of the 17 being big, i have concluded its not that much bigger than the 15 and the difference in size between them is not very much. now the 13 does offer greater portability.

i then found the above "gem" post regarding the 17. (see link) I think the real question (if its not money) is does a 17 inch make the user look silly, is a persons first reaction thats too big. many apple user buy the products because their cool and for status. i think of it like a bmw status, a ford or chevy can get you from a to b.

so what do you think? what are they putting in the glove box of their audi a 13?
 
tim100 said:
having read and posted several threads on the subject of the 17 being big, i have concluded its not that much bigger than the 15 and the difference in size between them is not very much. now the 13 does offer greater portability.

i then found the above "gem" post regarding the 17. (see link) I think the real question (if its not money) is does a 17 inch make the user look silly, is a persons first reaction thats too big. many apple user buy the products because their cool and for status. i think of it like a bmw status, a ford or chevy can get you from a to b.

so what do you think? what are they putting in the glove box of their audi a 13?
Click to expand...

The 'feeling silly' question regarding the 17", isnt a case of vanity at all I dont think, the 17" is apples top of the line notebook so why wouldnt people want to use it in public and show it off?

That doesnt make sense, the question should be rather the necessity of a screen this big for use in coffeshops etc......I for one certainly couldnt envisage doing design work or editing in this environment, that would just feel plain weird.....so what do people need a laptop for this big to use 'around town' as it were!?!?

Its like I said prior, most people wouldnt dream of reading a book the same size as the 17" in public, simply because its obtrusive and would just feel awkward amongst people in a confined space.

If people choose their tech based purely on self image, thats a whole different topic to be honest and is it really worth discussing? Not really

I think the two very simple questions you have to ask yourself when buying a notebook are: Where am I most likely using this, and do I really need a large screen? Its that basic!

The portability thing is hardly an issue really, these things are super compact and super light
 
17" MBP shouldn't be an issue unless you're an extremely small person-- or very weak. You get used to the size very quickly. The screen real estate is worth it.

As for bags for the 17" MBP: I carry mine almost every day for work. I have carried my MBP in a backpack, to a leather satchel, to dufflebag. Never had a problem finding bags big enough to accommodate my notebook. Depending on the bag, it does make a difference in weight.

As for those people that can't find a Prada bag to carry their 17" in-- they're idiots, because designer bags are available in very large sizes, and if you're looking for a Prada bag for your 17", I assure you that you won't have a problem finding one if you just go into the Prada store.
 
ha ha ha

suburbia said:
17" MBP shouldn't be an issue unless you're an extremely small person-- or very weak. You get used to the size very quickly. The screen real estate is worth it.

As for bags for the 17" MBP: I carry mine almost every day for work. I have carried my MBP in a backpack, to a leather satchel, to dufflebag. Never had a problem finding bags big enough to accommodate my notebook. Depending on the bag, it does make a difference in weight.

As for those people that can't find a Prada bag to carry their 17" in-- they're idiots, because designer bags are available in very large sizes, and if you're looking for a Prada bag for your 17", I assure you that you won't have a problem finding one if you just go into the Prada store.
Click to expand...

good post. i also found the other thread very interesting re a prada bag.
 
jnpy!$4g3cwk said:
OK, some may think this funny, but, in my experience, this preference is correlated with height. I notice that under 5'5 or so tend to prefer 13", 5'5"-5'8" prefer 15", and 5'9" and up prefer 17". In the end, it is whichever *you* prefer.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't be surprised. I'm 6'3" and broadly built, and I would never get a 13". I have a 15", and its great, but when I had the chance to borrow a friend's 17" I fell in love with it. When I need to get a new MBP, I'll get a 17" if I can afford it.
 
I used to have a 15.4 inch Toshiba Satellite, and liked it for my home use, but when going for the MacBook, I opted for the 13 inch model not because of the weight really, 500 grams isn´t that big a deal to me, but because of the space it occupies. The 15 inch (my sister has one) was a pain to fit into my backpack and as a high school student I find it really useful to carry only one bag around all the time. I am pretty happy with it, it´s fast, beautiful, light, and it has amazing battery life. Really depends on the use you give to your notebook IMO.

I spend several hours a day in front of my Mac, and I´m not having any trouble with the 13.3 inch screen. Of course I would have liked an i5 Mac better, but it just wasn´t practical.
 
^^^ That's it-- whatever suits your need is what you should get. I will always prefer a 17" MBP for field work. When I'm home,it's connected to my ACD.

As for Prada bags: These things are made to last. I use a leather and nylon dufflebag that will fit my 17", with so much room to spare. The leather briefcase/satchel model fits my encased 17" like a glove, with room to spare. But is noticeably heavy. I also use a backpack by SUPREME: This bag is like wearing a SWAT vest-- comfortable and light. The lightest leather bag I use to carry my 17" is from Mulberry-- these bags are all kinds of awesome,and so light!
 
Took this from another thread I posted in. thought it might be of use here too:

"LOLWUT. the 17 is less than an inch deeper, one inch wider and 1 pound heavier. i routinely laugh at my friends with 15 inch laptops when they reference portability, because once you buy a backpack for a 17 inch (which are the same size as normal backpacks, only the weight becomes an issue. and if 1 extra pound is gonna trip you out, then you're doing something wrong. the increase in dimensions don't even come into play in cramped lecture theatres, as what lecture theatre seat isn't 16 inches wide? so unless you go to school in a thimble you should be O.K.

even when i had loaded my bag to the brim with books and my 17" i never regretted it, as the mbp wouldn't have made much of a difference. that's why i don't buy into the "OH MY LAWD THE 17 INCH WEIGHS AS MUCH AS AN ENTIRE ELEPHANT CONVENTION" that happens in some threads. if you want portability, get a 13". from what i experienced (as someone who lived with both a 15" mbp and two 17" notebooks), the 15 and 17 are much closer in terms of portability than the 13 and 15 are. i understand a difference between the 15 and 17 exists, but it's not as noticeable as you'd think. if you don't trust me, head down to an apple store and figure it out for yourself! :eek:

now if it's price or excessive performance, i can understand those much more legitimate concerns. however, you should know, the 17" is a great conversation starter, and people really like it because it's so different. also, and i'm not joking here, shallow girls will dig it because they'll think you're rich :p"
 
agree

Sankersizzle said:
Took this from another thread I posted in. thought it might be of use here too:

"LOLWUT. the 17 is less than an inch deeper, one inch wider and 1 pound heavier. i routinely laugh at my friends with 15 inch laptops when they reference portability, because once you buy a backpack for a 17 inch (which are the same size as normal backpacks, only the weight becomes an issue. and if 1 extra pound is gonna trip you out, then you're doing something wrong. the increase in dimensions don't even come into play in cramped lecture theatres, as what lecture theatre seat isn't 16 inches wide? so unless you go to school in a thimble you should be O.K.

even when i had loaded my bag to the brim with books and my 17" i never regretted it, as the mbp wouldn't have made much of a difference. that's why i don't buy into the "OH MY LAWD THE 17 INCH WEIGHS AS MUCH AS AN ENTIRE ELEPHANT CONVENTION" that happens in some threads. if you want portability, get a 13". from what i experienced (as someone who lived with both a 15" mbp and two 17" notebooks), the 15 and 17 are much closer in terms of portability than the 13 and 15 are. i understand a difference between the 15 and 17 exists, but it's not as noticeable as you'd think. if you don't trust me, head down to an apple store and figure it out for yourself! :eek:

now if it's price or excessive performance, i can understand those much more legitimate concerns. however, you should know, the 17" is a great conversation starter, and people really like it because it's so different. also, and i'm not joking here, shallow girls will dig it because they'll think you're rich :p"
Click to expand...

the 15 and 17 are close in size. 13 is the real small one. 15 and 17 have alot in common. for someone who wants portable its 13. those who try to argue 15 is more portable than 17 ha. 13 was the favorite on here alot of fans now its the 15 i think due to the i5/i7. if the 13 got i3 it would still be the favorite.
 
after using many 13" the only reason why I jumped onto the 15" is because of the higher res screen and core i processors, otherwise the 13" is a much better deal, just a pain doing everything on the 13" now soo cramped and a 17" is far too large to be portable, also weighs a ton as well, the 13" and 15" are portable the 17" is a desktop replacement :)
 
Spartan-117 said:
after using many 13" the only reason why I jumped onto the 15" is because of the higher res screen and core i processors, otherwise the 13" is a much better deal, just a pain doing everything on the 13" now soo cramped and a 17" is far too large to be portable, also weighs a ton as well, the 13" and 15" are portable the 17" is a desktop replacement :)
Click to expand...

Are you seriously praising the 15" as being portable but the 17" being nothing more than a desktop replacement? Something tells me you've never actually seen/held a 17" MBP. It's really not that much larger..
 
spazma7ik said:
Are you seriously praising the 15" as being portable but the 17" being nothing more than a desktop replacement? Something tells me you've never actually seen/held a 17" MBP. It's really not that much larger..
Click to expand...

exactly. i think a lot of hate on the 17" comes from ignorance. refer to my above post for the extremely minimal dimension differences.

another reason to go with 17" is the extra screen real estate for multitasking. which is a HUGE reason to upgrade to at least a 15 from the 13. my girlfriend has a 13 and i lol when i see how the facebook chat box takes up like half the screen. not to mention the extra vram with the i5, making the the i7 even less appealing.
 
Also, the 17" has dramatically better internal speaker quality, the sound is a lot louder and doesn't crack.
 
Sankersizzle said:
exactly. i think a lot of hate on the 17" comes from ignorance. refer to my above post for the extremely minimal dimension differences.

another reason to go with 17" is the extra screen real estate for multitasking. which is a HUGE reason to upgrade to at least a 15 from the 13. my girlfriend has a 13 and i lol when i see how the facebook chat box takes up like half the screen. not to mention the extra vram with the i5, making the the i7 even less appealing.
Click to expand...

yea one window takes up all the screen on 13
 
For laptop computers it all about mobility and comfort. The 17 inch, ofcourse is too big and too expensive. In my opinion you should never buy a 17 inch laptop computer because it would kinda ruin the point of mobility comfort. For Home I have a desktop computer to Game, watch movies and all the good stuff.

You should ask yourself, is spending watt load of extra crash and increasing the size of your macbook pro worth it for the 2 inches of screen estate.
 
Bankaimadness said:
For laptop computers it all about mobility and comfort. The 17 inch, ofcourse is too big and too expensive. In my opinion you should never buy a 17 inch laptop computer because it would kinda ruin the point of mobility comfort. For Home I have a desktop computer to Game, watch movies and all the good stuff.

You should ask yourself, is spending watt load of extra crash and increasing the size of your macbook pro worth it for the 2 inches of screen estate.
Click to expand...

whats your take on 13 vs 15?
 
You'll find more people with 17's considering a MacBook, MacBook Pro or MacBook Air. So they have a lighter weight / smaller size option for travel.

People with 15's most often settle with their one notebook.

No doubt 15" is a wise choice for many people.

The only thing I like about the 17" over the 15" is the ability to have two pages open side by side, they fit on the screen much better with the 17"
 
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