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Is a 15" laptop too big for taking notes in class?

N

naturallight

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 15, 2007
59
0
For those of you in school who use a laptop to take notes in class, what size laptop do you use? How well does it fit your needs? Specifically, if you use a Pro, do you wish you had a smaller computer?

I'm off to grad school in the fall, and I'm torn between MB and MBP. Since they're nearly the same weight, I think that transporting it to and from class won't be substantially different.

What worries me is that a 15" laptop will be too big for taking notes in class. But then I notice that the 15" MBP is only 1 inch wider and a half an inch longer than my 14" Compaq. Would those inches really make a difference?

Ugh, I wish Apple made a 12" Pro.
 
I use my 12'' iBook and it's the perfect size for fitting on those little lecture desks or even on regular desks.

What are you going to study? If it's not film or graphic design or something where you need a really powerful computer, get the Macbook.
 
I'm in school and have found that it's not so much the size (within reason) as much as the weight that bothers me. I used to have a heavy 15" Dell and it sucked. However, I just got a 15" SR MBP and this will be great. 15" is not too big for taking notes. Although a smaller laptop is slightly easier to carry around to class, you'll be happy you got the bigger screen in general. 13" is too small if you get a lot of stuff going on at once, in my opinion anyway.
 
the 15" is not too bad as long as there is desk space for you to put it on. I've used a dell 14" laptop for my college classes and didn't really find a problem with the small desks, so i figure 15" wouldn't be much different. But if you are wanting to juggle opening a book and paper along with the laptop on the desk, 15" may be too large.
 
Hey, thanks for all the replies. I'm headed to business school, so I won't *need* a computer with a lot of graphics capabilities. However, a lot of the stats and test-taking software is only for windows, so I will have to run Parallels or Bootcamp. Also, I may be required to use Office 2007 for windows, but I think that Office 2004 is pretty much compatible, so we'll see.

The MBP seems like a better value when compared to the black MB. Something about paying that premium for the black irks me (yes I know you get a bigger hard drive, but going from 120 to 160 won't make a difference for me.) And no, I don't want a white one.

As for actually taking the notes, I agree, graphs and charts are way quicker when done by hand. But I type much faster than I write, plus it's easier to reorganize and read later on when my notes are typed vs written. In the classes I've visited, nearly everyone has a laptop.
 
flopticalcube said:
I never really understood the idea of taking notes on a laptop. Its much quicker to write, well it is for me anyhow, and is SO much easier to copy diagrams and formulae using a pen or pencil.
Click to expand...

That's why I have a tablet PC, :) . My MBP will be for more creative and powerful stuff.
 
Another somewhat related question: does the better graphics card in the MBP allow Parallels to run more effectively? Or will Parallels run about the same in both the MB and MBP?
 
Well, from what you are saying, if you do not want a white MacBook, I guess you answered your question. For me, jumping the extra $500 to hit a MPB vs a MB is worth it. Essentially, the MB and MPB is equivalent, besides screen size, graphics cards, and LED-LCD screens. So I guess it comes down to how much you want to pay.
In my opinion, Parallels (or VMware Fusion) is more RAM intensive than graphics taxing.
 
not sure about grad skool... but it definitely would not fun to use my 15" MBP in a 500-student lecture hall. we are a bit too close to one another and the desks are tiny. i've seen at least 3 students this quarter dropping their laptops during class.

i don't see the point of taking notes with a laptop either. i often draw figures and highlight important stuff when taking notes, hand is way more flexible.
 
taking notes in class with a laptop isnt too realistic. Often I find people TRY to do this, but then they start multitasking either surfing or chatting and in the end of the class they just end up goofing off.

The distraction is just too great to pass up and most people will end up not using it as it was intended. I say even if you were able to take your laptop, dont, because in the end you will do something else and not pay attention.

For me personally I tried doing this with a 12'' PowerBook and I was able to take notes in small classes, but in lecture halls it was hard. I cant imagine taking my 15'' MacBook Pro into a lecture hall.
 
I have taken notes in class, so I guess it depends on how you use your laptop. I admit that I have goofed off in class and started browsing the web, but i can run the laptop right on my lap with no problems typing. I guess it also depends on what content you are typing up. Personally, I hate paper, so I try to avoid using and bringing paper with me. (I'm one of those weird people who wishes everything was paperless, but that's me)
 
I end up typing my notes up anyway, so if I can skip the handwriting part by using my laptop in lecture hall, then I do. I've done this with a 15", it's not too bad. It's a little awkward if you're in a crowded spot and your laptop is almost touching the other person's desk.

What I really want is to take notes on the iPhone! :)
 
I never felt comfortable using my Macbook in a lecture hall, nevermind a 15" MBP.

To be honest, I don't like taking notes on a laptop anyway. I did it a couple of times then went back pen and paper. It just feels a bit more natural to write rather than type. Plus I think the information goes in more than when you type.
 
naturallight said:
Also, I may be required to use Office 2007 for windows, but I think that Office 2004 is pretty much compatible, so we'll see.
Click to expand...
Apple is working on Office 2008 which is the 2007 Windows equivalent. It should be released in the fall.
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2007/jan07/01-09MacworldPR.mspx

Also, taking notes with a laptop completely depends on the classes you're taking. If you're taking math/science/engineering classes, you're most likely going to want to use pen/paper. If you're taking business/english/history/law classes, then a laptop should be fine for notes.

Like everyone has commented on, you will find out what works for you. Definitely figure out how much space you will have though on your desk.
 
The 12' iBook was ideal but I think most people do indeed have 15' laptops so if everyone else is using them you should be fine :)
 
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