MBP 13'' Screen - One of many topics

[Blues003]

Hey everyone.

As some of you know, I'm considering buying a MBP 13''. It'd be my very first Mac!

Today I want to FNAC (no Apple Stores in my country) and see the three MBP models. I was considering the 13'' mainly because of price and portability. However, my current laptop is a 15'' one. (Sony Vaio VGN-FZ21M). It has served me well for the past 2 and a half years, but is now slowly showing deterioation problems such as yellow lines randomly showing up in the screen, or shocking my rists and legs. Time to switch.

When checking the MBPs, I couldn't lift them nor sit, so aknowledge I saw them for an above-perspective (they were +- around my waist level). I did find the 13'' a lil' bit too small though. Not small enough to make me feel uncomfortable. But certainly small enough to make me feel weird about it. This could have to do with the 15'' size I'm used to.

Considering I do some reading on my laptop, I'd like to know you guys' opinions on the matter. Do you find your 13''s too small? Or is it just at first, and then you eventually get used to it?

Most of the feedback I see on the forums are "pro-13''" on this matter, but I'd surely like to here more, fundamented opinions!

Thanks for your time.

 

[discofuel]

I made the switch from a 15 Vaio to 13 MBP two weeks ago and the size is perfect - the screen resolution will be the same, just more compact and portable.

My old 15 looks big and ugly in comparison. 13 all the way!

 

[wordoflife]

I don't know about your Sony, but my old Dell laptop has a 15 inch screen with a res of 1280x800 which is the same as the new Macbook Pro

 

[Kahalu'u Bob]

I went from a 15" MBP to a 13" MBP and am quite happy. For me, the increase in portability is worth the smaller screen size. After a week, I didn't even notice the smaller screen size. But it is a very personal decision, and no discussion on this forum can substitute for trying out the 13". It would be best if you could find another store that would let you do that in more comfort. Good luck!

 

[Corndog5595]

I have a 15” and I love it, but this is so personal to the user.
If you are used to your 15, you should go with the 15.

and it literally shocks you? thats actually pretty epic.

 

[erasr]

I went from 24" iMac to a 13" MBP. Love it, never looked back, it's my main computer now.

 

[Blues003]

I actually used a 13'' comfortably, of a friend of mine. It wasn't too bad, which was exactly why the discomfort of yesterday's 13'' struck me aback! Keep the opinions coming, I guess.

 

[RedReplicant]

Went from 13" MBP to 27" iMac and back to 13" MBP. Buy the MBP and buy a cheap-ish 24" LCD from samsung/visio/whomever for $250 + miniDP to DVI adapter for when you are at home.

 

[Maximized]

The 13" screen is quite good, especially the newest generation of MBP's which have slightly better panels. Myself, I have the first-generation Macbook 13" Unibody which was shipped with a mediocre panel.

Anyway, I always found that 13" is just the perfect size for a laptop. It displays everything crisply and brightly. The 15" is quite a leap forward (both in performance and price), but really not necessary if you're just reading. Remember, the resolution is an important factor here.

 

[ramzhh]

I'm assuming you're in Portugal... Anyways, when I checked out the 13'' it too seemed very small, but after you have it for one day it just looks and feels normal.

 

[Blues003]

The resolution doesn't bother me. It looks perfect for the screen size it has, I can see stuff clearly enough.

@ last user: Yeah, I am in Portugal Do you say that from your own experience?