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Macbook Pro Retina 13 or 15

zhenya said:
I don't even see how you can argue this. You can probably carry a 50lb bag of rice fairly easily for 50 yards, without it even feeling all that heavy. If you suddenly had to carry it for a 10 minute walk, it would absolutely begin to feel heavier. Weight absolutely drags on you over time.
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Correct and I agree with your post. 50 pounds of rice will feel heavy and I'd probably say that over at RiceRumors :p

We're not talking about 50 pounds of rice but rather we are talking about is a difference of 16 ounces. In my experience I have not noticed my laptop getting massively heavier as time goes on.

Samuelan2001 stated this:
Samuelsan2001 said:
That will make a massive difference while travelling for 11 months...
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I'm not seeing how an increase of 1 pound translates into a massive difference and I posted my disagreement. I've traveled and commuted (mostly commuted) with a lot heavier laptops and you get used to what you use. :)
 
maflynn said:
Correct and I agree with your post. 50 pounds of rice will feel heavy and I'd probably say that over at RiceRumors :p

We're not talking about 50 pounds of rice but rather we are talking about is a difference of 16 ounces. In my experience I have not noticed my laptop getting massively heavier as time goes on.

Samuelan2001 stated this:

I'm not seeing how an increase of 1 pound translates into a massive difference and I posted my disagreement. I've traveled and commuted (mostly commuted) with a lot heavier laptops and you get used to what you use. :)
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And I have travelled extensively worldwide carrying everything I need for multiple situations climates and activities and I know that keeping the weight of everything as low as possible is the key to a more pleasant experience.

It's not that 1lb (although as I reccomended the rMB that'll be 2 and 1/2 pounds) is any great shakes on it's own but that pound is another pair of suitable shoes or half a cold weather coat for climbing mountains, a nice shirt or 2 for evenings out, an extra rating on your sleeping bag, etc etc etc. It also means you have more space for souvenirs and other day to day luxuries, bottles of water bits and peices to eat that are needed day to day.

Also the power bricks are smaller and lighter, the case to protect it (I'd recommend something at least water resistant) is smaller and lighter and the machine takes up far less of your very limited carrying space. It all adds up to meaning the smaller the machine the better the travelling experience.
 
I can't believe people are squabbling over 1 pound of weight difference. And that's between 3.5 vs 4.5 not like 250 vs 251 where that 1 pound can tip it over the edge. You people need to get in shape if 1 lb makes that much difference.

I travel two weeks out of every month, and I use 2011 MPB (15"). I have no problem with its weight. I also like the larger screen size. I tried 13" and did not like the small screen.

Of course this could all be moot if Apple puts 15" on the next MBP with reduced bezel so that the foot print will be the size of 14".
 
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Another semi-humorous thread on macrumors. As if traveling is the same for everyone. Those traveling from airport to Hotel to business have very different needs from someone on a walkabout carrying a pack occasionally staying in a hotel/ hostel. Without knowing the means and type of travel any recommendations are moot. Any machine that is going to experience 11 months of travel isn't going to look like one that sat on a desk. Maybe best bet is to buy a refurbished from Apple then sell it when done traveling. When home review your needs and purchase. Two things are for sure, after that much time traveling you will be a very different person, and tech will have changed. Again depending on your itinerary maybe something like Surface 3 with LTE would be better.
 
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Didn't expect such a great response to the thread. I will give a little more detail to see if it changes. The laptop will actually belong to my girlfriend whom I am travelling with. She loves Macs and will not consider going to Windows. We sold her '14 i7 MBA before we left because we thought of getting a rMBP in Asia as it was basically the same price for what we sold in the UK. I managed to convince her to trying my i5 Acer Windows laptop while we are travelling but she hates it. So we are already carrying one laptop. We are carrying about 15kg each in our backpacks and maybe 3kg each in rucksacks and move around every 3 or 4 days. Security isn't too much of an issue as we have insurance and we also have a PacSafe for when we leave the laptop in the room (basically chain it to the bed so it can't go anywhere). My girlfriend wants to get serious with editing and will want to continue. Therefore, we have a few considerations. 1) In Singapore, we plan to buy the Mac as with tax back, will be 25% cheaper. We don't want to buy something now and then have to replace it later when we become more 'static'. 2) We also want to travel. Video editing can be time consuming and for the equivalent clip, e.g. 10 minute 1080p clip, how much longer will it take to render on a 13" compared to 15" with dedicated graphics? Price isn't that much of a difference as with the 15", you get 512GB and 16GB which I would aim to match on the 13" anyway. Again, thanks for all the help
 
macstuff11 said:
Didn't expect such a great response to the thread. I will give a little more detail to see if it changes. The laptop will actually belong to my girlfriend whom I am travelling with. She loves Macs and will not consider going to Windows. We sold her '14 i7 MBA before we left because we thought of getting a rMBP in Asia as it was basically the same price for what we sold in the UK. I managed to convince her to trying my i5 Acer Windows laptop while we are travelling but she hates it. So we are already carrying one laptop. We are carrying about 15kg each in our backpacks and maybe 3kg each in rucksacks and move around every 3 or 4 days. Security isn't too much of an issue as we have insurance and we also have a PacSafe for when we leave the laptop in the room (basically chain it to the bed so it can't go anywhere). My girlfriend wants to get serious with editing and will want to continue. Therefore, we have a few considerations. 1) In Singapore, we plan to buy the Mac as with tax back, will be 25% cheaper. We don't want to buy something now and then have to replace it later when we become more 'static'. 2) We also want to travel. Video editing can be time consuming and for the equivalent clip, e.g. 10 minute 1080p clip, how much longer will it take to render on a 13" compared to 15" with dedicated graphics? Price isn't that much of a difference as with the 15", you get 512GB and 16GB which I would aim to match on the 13" anyway. Again, thanks for all the help
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Well that clears it up buy whatever you like, I personally wouldn't drag a 15 inch laptop around south east asia or the australian outback etc.

But if your priorities are speed over portability then the 15 inch is the only one to go for it'll be at least 2x as fast.
 
1) Weight makes a difference, even a single lb, especially when traveling and especially when physically "active" as in....hiking, climbing.....walking distances over an extended period of time etc.

2) the 15" rmbp's footprint is noticeably bigger than the 13" which means more space being taken up in whatever bag you're carrying the machine in

I personally would take the lightest machine I could get that could do what I wanted the machine to do.
 
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Sounds like the GF is quite stubborn in what she wants to use which is fair enough, and it sounds like the use of this device is a priority. So, I'd take her to an Apple store on your travels and let her choose - after all she'll be the one carrying it I assume.

If I were in her shoes I would go the 15".

For simple web-surfing, email, and Skype etc., it is hard to beat traveling with the 13" MBA IMO.
 
MushroomMan said:
Sounds like the GF is quite stubborn in what she wants to use which is fair enough, and it sounds like the use of this device is a priority. So, I'd take her to an Apple store on your travels and let her choose - after all she'll be the one carrying it I assume.

If I were in her shoes I would go the 15".

For simple web-surfing, email, and Skype etc., it is hard to beat traveling with the 13" MBA IMO.
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Haha, I'm guessing I'll be the one carrying it. Though more for security, I'd probably be the less easy target.

We went to a Mac store yesterday and compared the two, the 15 is significantly larger and heavier. Annoying that there is no 13 with a graphics card
 
Get the 15 inch MacBook Pro... i just replaced my 2011 15-inch with a 2015 15-inch and its really light. its not as heavy as people are making it seem to be. To me its perfect. I commute with my computer every single day and this 2015 has never been an issue for me, unlike the 2011 which was way heavier.
 
RichardMoran10 said:
Get the 15 inch MacBook Pro... i just replaced my 2011 15-inch with a 2015 15-inch and its really light. its not as heavy as people are making it seem to be. To me its perfect. I commute with my computer every single day and this 2015 has never been an issue for me, unlike the 2011 which was way heavier.
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Yeah cause commuting is exactly like hauling 15 to 18 Kg everyday on your back with your legs as the transportation device.
On security I use https://preyproject.com they offer cheap GPS location and wipe plans in case of theft. I carried an Air for years, now I use a rMB. At least halfway through the trip you can sell the MBP, ship it home or throw it into a river when you have had enough :)
 
DHagan4755 said:
Has anyone seen this recent video comparison?
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Nice video, it articulates the advantages/disadvantages pretty well. What I shouldn't have been surprised by, (but I was), was the cpu, for intents and purposes the 13" MBP is not that much slower then the 15" (single core test only).
 
I love my 15" rMBP. I think the screen size/power make it best. But, if I had to travel for 11 months I'd sell it and buy 13" rMBP in a heartbeat.
Everyone here who is advising you the extra pound (and extra inches of bulk) makes a difference knows what they are talking about.
I carry my 15", but not everyday. And certainly not ALL day (if I can avoid it). Perceived weight accumulates over time. Many days my laptop felt "almost comfortable" in the morning, but like a pile of textbooks by the evening. (I'm talking about using a backpack here, the effect is less so with a handheld bag).

And don't even think about carrying it one-sided in a shoulder bag. Don't know your age, but you never feel the damage being done to your spinal discs by torsional stress when you are young (and cocky). But when you reach middle age, the payback will be a b*tch!
 
I would probably go for the 13" if you're lugging it around all day. 1 pound can really make a difference. The weight seems to accumulate through out the time when on your back the whole day. I even felt it with a 13" MacBook Air.
 
macstuff11 said:
Thanks everyone. I think you pretty much confirmed what I was thinking. Might be a little heavier but probably worth it in the end. Don't think the 1TB upgrade is necessary for me, is the processor bump needed? I'm guessing not.
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I think you made a good choice in the 15". Extra storage is probably the only worthwhile upgrade, IMO. Pricey, though. Luckily, external storage is always an option later ok if you need it.
 
diesel said:
1) Weight makes a difference, even a single lb, especially when traveling and especially when physically "active" as in....hiking, climbing.....walking distances over an extended period of time etc.

2) the 15" rmbp's footprint is noticeably bigger than the 13" which means more space being taken up in whatever bag you're carrying the machine in

I personally would take the lightest machine I could get that could do what I wanted the machine to do.
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I have to ask why someone would hike or climb with a 13" or 15" MBP. Wouldn't you be taking video or photos, or whatever, and then editing it when you're done? Do you need photoshop when climbing a mountain or hiking trails?
 
zhenya said:
I don't even see how you can argue this. You can probably carry a 50lb bag of rice fairly easily for 50 yards, without it even feeling all that heavy. If you suddenly had to carry it for a 10 minute walk, it would absolutely begin to feel heavier. Weight absolutely drags on you over time.
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Gotta love MacRumors analogies. Somehow, a 1lb difference between laptops, is compared to a 10min walk carrying a 50lb bag of rice. Lol
 
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inhalexhale1 said:
I have to ask why someone would hike or climb with a 13" or 15" MBP. Wouldn't you be taking video or photos, or whatever, and then editing it when you're done? Do you need photoshop when climbing a mountain or hiking trails?
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It's not so much about hiking and climbing when travelling it is about being constantly on the move going form one form of transport to another with hours wait in between, security is an issue, you have to keep your gear with you and you are constantly carrying all your stuff. You may have a big bag with you but you won't want your computer in that when you are on a local coach for 15 hours with endless people on and off and in and out of baggage section, (which may just be the roof). In these situation the smaller the computer the better.

The OP is convinced they'll get the 15 inch but they are doing a bit of travelling before they get to the place they want to buy and I'm pretty certain they'll have changed their mind by then.
 
I'm hoping I'm not being too naive about the whole weight thing but half a kilo when we are already moving around 20kg is probably worth the hassle given the extra power it'll give. If the difference was less pronounced then I would say the 13inch but considering the size of the boost, I think we'll go for it. Plus, we won't actually be moving it around all that much. We aren't going to be hiking of trekking with it, the maximum we'll walk with it on our backs is probably around half an hour to 45mins if we are looking for a hostel/bus station. Thanks everyone for the input
 
maflynn said:
Not really its not like the weight is cumulative over the course of time. It will be the same weight on month 1 as it is on 6th month. I've commuted with far heavier laptops and all in all you get used to the weight after a few hours.

1 pound really does not equate into a massive difference in my book and the advantages of the 15" MBP far exceed the 16 ounce increase.
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Difference is, a 13" machine is far easier to use in transit on a plane or whatever. 15" machines suck trying to use in that situation, i know - i've done it. They're simply too large to fit on the aircraft tray table at all.

this may or may not be important to you, but the difference between the two machines isn't just weight, it's also physical size.


edit:
And yes, in terms of physical size an 11" air is even better. Or a 12" macbook. But neither have the same power and the MBA screen is just nowhere near the Pro.

If 15" works for you, great. If an 11" air works for you, great.

Everyone has their own set of trade-offs.
 
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Funny, I just got back in town from a tech training class.

Most of the instructors simply dragged their normal large PC laptops with them, since that is their usual machine they use day in and out. So they didn't buy the best laptop for traveling, but the one they used for daily work.

These are people that are on the road a lot, and only 1 person brought something light (a surface tablet) and found that it didn't meet the needs of the class when he tried to plug it into the av system in the training room, and found it didn't support driving that external monitor.

But alas, this just means, that this group of people tended to do the majority of their work at their destinations in the hotels, classrooms, etc. and not while traveling on trains and planes on the tray tables.

So might want to consider which machine suits your work and work style best then adapt.
 
macstuff11 said:
I'm hoping I'm not being too naive about the whole weight thing but half a kilo when we are already moving around 20kg is probably worth the hassle given the extra power it'll give. If the difference was less pronounced then I would say the 13inch but considering the size of the boost, I think we'll go for it. Plus, we won't actually be moving it around all that much. We aren't going to be hiking of trekking with it, the maximum we'll walk with it on our backs is probably around half an hour to 45mins if we are looking for a hostel/bus station. Thanks everyone for the input
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Well, now that you've provided more detail about how you'll be using/carrying the rMBP, I'd say the 15-inch (it's wonderful!) will be just fine in your case. Enjoy!
 
Bought the 15 inch. Also bought a PacSafe IntaSafe Z500 to help carry and protect the thing. Not bad all in all, about £1550 for the Macbook, backpack and got some goodies as well (wireless mouse, 1TB hard drive, Bluetooth speaker, laptop sleeve, keyboard protector, cleaning kit and mouse mat). And just flew to Singapore to Jakarta and the journey wasn't too bad weight wise so hoping we made the right decision
 
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