Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Macbook Users - Ever feel screen is too small?

I

iarejedi

macrumors member
Original poster
I made this thread to basically discuss the Macbook screen size and resolution. Do any people who use the Macbook have any problems with those two things? Do you ever feel you don't have enough desktop space, that the screen is too small? Or do you not even notice how small the screen really is? I just wanna make sure that if I get a Macbook I don't feel I am squashed and regret not getting a MBP with a bigger screen. Thanks!

One last question, Do you think using a Macbook as someone main computer is feasible?
 
I personally don't see how other peoples opinions will help you. The screen is perfectly fine for what I do with my macbook. However, my friend got a 17'' MBP and thought the macbook screen was too small for what he does.
 
Get what you can afford. The screen size won't matter.

It doesn't matter how big it is, it's how you use it. 😉
 
Surfing@Blacks said:
I personally don't see how other peoples opinions will help you. The screen is perfectly fine for what I do with my macbook. However, my friend got a 17'' MBP and thought the macbook screen was too small for what he does.
Click to expand...

Im just looking for a general opinion here. It has nothing to do with "what you do" with your computer.
 
It's fine for me, but I don't do too much work on the sucker that needs lots of space:

  • browse the web
  • excel sheets
  • edit video
  • edit photos

If I were gaming, I might want a bit more screen, but the Macbook isn't capable of anything worth playing anyways. That's what the desktop is for 🙂 <--Main reason I would never make the Macbook my one and only computer.
 
iarejedi said:
...Macbook screen size and resolution. Do any people who use the Macbook have any problems with those two things?...
...One last question, Do you think using a Macbook as someone main computer is feasible?
Click to expand...
If I'm watching a DVD at home I'd prefer it to be bigger, say 50". If I'm traveling I'd prefer it to be smaller, say 10".

My MacBook is my only lap/desktop PC so yes it is feasible. In fact I can't think of any reason I'd use a desktop at home now, except for the bigger screen for video.
 
Works fine for alot of what I do. Light video/photo editing, office apps, web design. But I do bounce around alot on my powermacs g4 and g5, and then my intel mini too, so I tend to think that when your working, things like that may bother you a little, but not once you immerse yourself in your work.
 
MBP Display

you can always alter the display resolution. I have a 17" ACD running at 1280x1024. this allows for more area viewable. I wanna get a 17" MBP for animation, but I also like the new 24" iMac's coming out soon.
 
It depends what resolution screen you are used to using and what you will be using the computer for. 1280x800 is great for most people, but obviously not great for people who have to edit loads of photos or videos. I'll be getting a MacBook soon, and I know the screen won't be too small for me, because I'm used to 1024x768. But even if you do find it as bit small, you can always get an external monitor to go with it.

The MacBook is great as a main computer, unless you like to play a lot of games, or you do anything GPU intensive, or other pro stuff. For the last 3 years I've survived with only a PowerBook 12" 867MHz as my main computer. 😱
 
iarejedi said:
Im just looking for a general opinion here. It has nothing to do with "what you do" with your computer.
Click to expand...

IMO, it has everything to do with "what you do" with your computer. My sister who mainly uses her computer for surfing the web has a 12" iBook that she loves, so she would probably think a MacBook screen is perfect. But I edit photos in Aperture most of the time, I think my 15" is a bit too small, so I'm moving up to a 17" hi-res. 🙂
 
iarejedi said:
Im just looking for a general opinion here. It has nothing to do with "what you do" with your computer.
Click to expand...

What are you talking about. It has a lot to do with what you do on your computer. If you a using pro apps and doing a lot of editing I could not imagine using a small screen. However, if you are just doing small tasks (word, itunes, web, little photoshop, ext.) I think the macbook is the best bang for your buck and the screen is perfect for that type of use.
 
i really feel the macbook is a great computer, but i think the screen is a bit small regardless of what you do. it's a bit small for me, even for web browsing. when i owned my macbook, a white 2.0 ghz c2d, i connected it to a 20" external acd whenever i was home. the screen is fine for on the go, but i need my screen real estate. if i were to go at it without an external, i'd try for a macbook pro.
 
It only feels small to me when I compare it to a larger screen, like my 17" iMac.

Then again, I've never owned a computer display larger than 19".
 
For me is perfect, I'm going to use for college so I wanted a very portable mac and the macbook is perfect for me, it has the ideal screen size / resolution
 
The only programs that really hurt with the resolution on the Macbook that I use is Aperture, sometimes Photoshop, and FCP. Everything else is just peachy. 🙂
 
I love the little beauty, its small yet the res is great and it looks fantastic. The size is perfect for going to bed and watching movies on and its extremely portable.
 
iarejedi said:
I made this thread to basically discuss the Macbook screen size and resolution. Do any people who use the Macbook have any problems with those two things? Do you ever feel you don't have enough desktop space, that the screen is too small? Or do you not even notice how small the screen really is? I just wanna make sure that if I get a Macbook I don't feel I am squashed and regret not getting a MBP with a bigger screen. Thanks!

One last question, Do you think using a Macbook as someone main computer is feasible?
Click to expand...

I don't use the MacBook as a desktop machine, ever. The screen is a good compromise, making it easy to carry around, using it in the living room or in the garden. It would be nice if it was bigger, on the other hand it would be a pain to carry a bigger machine around. If I were to use it as a desktop machine, I would just buy a nice big monitor, probably 22 inch (you might prefer 20 or 24 inch), they are cheap enough.
 
At first it was a bit strange getting used to the smaller resolution (Not smaller screen, just lower pixel count) because I was so used to a 20" ACD. But now I'm used to it. I don't do anything needing a lot of space, and if I did I still have my 20" ACD to plug into.

I actually like the small size of the 13" MacBook and hope that by the time I need to replace it, they've put out a 13" Pro. I just like the small size. I'd even take a higher resolution if they put it on there. (i.e. 1440x900 as opposed to the 1280x800.)
 
This might not really help but I adapt to the screen I'm given. I've just gone from a dual screen setup (12" + 19") to a 17" PB and now to a 13". Had no problems.
 
not big enough for me. I run full Adobe suite and i used to have a macbook - it drove me nuts. So I eventually ditched the macbook and got a SR macbook pro. Loving it. I know that it is heavier, but it's a small price to pay for that extra screen space. Oh yeah, the lcd panel is also of a higher quality(even lit!), and no annoying glossy finish. Of course, it cost me an arm and a leg.
 
the 13.3" screen was one of the main reasons I bought a macbook in the first place.

I had a 17" toshiba laptop which was like carrying around a bag of house-bricks.


I also had a 12" p3 dell which wasn't in a very good state it was falling to bits (it wasn't very well looked after by its previous owner) so I decided to treat myself to a new notebook and wanted a nice small one to travel with, I also wanted something with a bit of CPU power behind it.

Looking around it was either the macbook or a philips notebook that fitted my size requirements and more importantly my budget constraints.

The pc notebook had a dvd-rw drive but only had a 1.6ghz core duo and cost roughly the the macbook had simular specs with regards to graphics, Ram.etc

the deciding factors were mainly

1.) The macbook had a faster cpu

2.) The macbook could run OSX and windows, which eliminated my reason for not getting a Mac laptop back when i bought the toshiba
(i knew from playing with an old g3 imac and then owning mac mini that i liked OSX but I didn't want to be stuck with just OSX on a laptop since i was primarily a pc user)

3) They cost pretty much the same I got my macbook via apples EPP store and used the saving to have the ram upgraded to 1gb (recently replaced that with 2gb 😛)

The only downside to the macbook is it would have cost quite a bit extra to have a superdrive (so i just have a combi-drive) but TBH its not a big problem since i hardly use the optical drive at all let alone want to burn a dvd on my laptop. (and i do have an old desktop burner in a usb caddy if i was that desperate to burn a dvd from the macbook)


Great laptops and the small screensize makes them easy to travel with. 😀
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back