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Persuade me to get the 13" MacBook Pro!

H

hasty1991

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 5, 2011
28
0
Hi!

I'm looking to buy my first Apple computer in the next few weeks but I am unable to settle on a particular product. I am considering, and constantly switching between settling on a;

-MacBook Pro 13" - £894.00 (Base i5, 500GB HDD chosen)
-MacBook Pro 13" - £1030.80 (Base i5, 128 GB SSD)
-MacBook Pro 15" - £1468.80 (Base 2.0, 500GB 7200RPM HDD, Hi-Res Screen)
-MacBook Pro 15" - £1503.60 (Base 2.0, 500GB 7200RPM HDD, Hi-Res, Anti-glare)
-MacBook Air 13" - waiting for refresh.

Now I've been following these boards for a few weeks, but every thread just adds to my indecisiveness! Pros and cons galore.

A little about me... I'm not a video editor, I don't work a lot with photos but I do use my computer a LOT! Word processing, streaming video, have an iPhone, large(ish) music collection. That said, the last laptop I owned was a Toshiba Satellite from about 10 years ago! I don't want to be regretting a decision afterwards, but I am very concerned about buying something that is complete overkill. I like the idea of a 15" screen - but the internals are (from what I understand) completely over the top for my requirements.

But then again, I don't want to find the 13" is inadequate for general use a few years down the line, but a lot earlier than the 15" would have been.

Although my budget isn't incredibly tight, I won't be going beyond the £1500 under any circumstance. I understand the 2.2 15" model has a fair few advantages over it's baby brother, but, it's a hell of a price jump.

Talk me into the sensible option!

Thanks! :)
 
hasty1991 said:
Hi!

I'm looking to buy my first Apple computer in the next few weeks but I am unable to settle on a particular product. I am considering, and constantly switching between settling on a;

-MacBook Pro 13" - £894.00 (Base i5, 500GB HDD chosen)
-MacBook Pro 13" - £1030.80 (Base i5, 128 GB SSD)
-MacBook Pro 15" - £1468.80 (Base 2.0, 500GB 7200RPM HDD, Hi-Res Screen)
-MacBook Pro 15" - £1503.60 (Base 2.0, 500GB 7200RPM HDD, Hi-Res, Anti-glare)
-MacBook Air 13" - waiting for refresh.

Now I've been following these boards for a few weeks, but every thread just adds to my indecisiveness! Pros and cons galore.

A little about me... I'm not a video editor, I don't work a lot with photos but I do use my computer a LOT! Word processing, streaming video, have an iPhone, large(ish) music collection. That said, the last laptop I owned was a Toshiba Satellite from about 10 years ago! I don't want to be regretting a decision afterwards, but I am very concerned about buying something that is complete overkill. I like the idea of a 15" screen - but the internals are (from what I understand) completely over the top for my requirements.

But then again, I don't want to find the 13" is inadequate for general use a few years down the line, but a lot earlier than the 15" would have been.

Although my budget isn't incredibly tight, I won't be going beyond the £1500 under any circumstance. I understand the 2.2 15" model has a fair few advantages over it's baby brother, but, it's a hell of a price jump.

Talk me into the sensible option!

Thanks! :)
Click to expand...

Base 13" then tweak as desired.. I wouldn't go any higher.
 
Last edited:
Get the best you can afford. Simple as that. For what you said you are going to do on a notebook, every one of them is "overboard" for you. If you want to save money and have your heart set on a mac, get the base 13" or 15" if you need a bigger sized screen. Personally I'd get the 13" for the portability and get a larger sized monitor.
 
The way you're describing your usage indicates that any machine on the list would be adequate.

I recently made the same decision, with the same dilemmas. In the end I went with the base 13" MBP, upgraded to 8GB of RAM myself and am very happy.

The 15" screen would be nice, but it wasn't worth the price jump for me. You're not just paying for a screen bump, you're buying a bunch of internals you don't necessarily need or want.

The 13" gives me adequate portability with significantly more power than the MBA (though the refresh may change that). The MBA is actually also fully capable of meeting my needs (which are similar to yours) but I didn't like not having upgradable RAM. I don't need it often but on occasion it's a nice thing to have, and you never know how needs might change over the course of ownership.
 
Here´s something for your budget.

Get the base 13" MBP, add 8Gb of Ram and upgrade it for a newer model in 3 years. Would cost the same as the base 15" and in 3 yeas from now, you´ll have a much faster computer, much better battery life, etc. And for the time being you´ll have a really fast computer for your needs.
 
Any of those machines would be good. I would just decide which screen size you like the best, go into a store and look at them if you have to. Then you can buy the base model of whichever screen size you choose.
 
mrkramer said:
Any of those machines would be good. I would just decide which screen size you like the best, go into a store and look at them if you have to. Then you can buy the base model of whichever screen size you choose.
Click to expand...

+1

I would add that you shouldn't worry too much about the 13" becoming outdated earlier than the 15". The i5 is pretty speedy and can easily prove usable for a good number of years to come.
 
I've actually been in a very similar situation as you and ordered a base 15 about an hour ago (Amazon was cheapest for me, might be worth a look).

Considering you had your last laptop for 10 years I imagine you are looking for something that is going to last and would be upgradable as your needs change. This for me rules out the MacBook Air. Would the SSD drive on the MBP be user upgradable? If it is would be cheaper to do it yourself when you need it and they are cheaper a few years down the line which would leave you with

-MacBook Pro 13" - £894.00 (Base i5, 500GB HDD chosen)
-MacBook Pro 15" - £1468.80 (Base 2.0, 500GB 7200RPM HDD, Hi-Res Screen)
-MacBook Pro 15" - £1503.60 (Base 2.0, 500GB 7200RPM HDD, Hi-Res, Anti-glare)

I would go to a store and get them to show you the differences in screens and see if that's a priority for you, the 15'' has a higher resolution than the 13'' so if screen quality is a concern that may influence your decision. Just remember that the Ram and HDD upgrades are very easy on these machines and it's always cheaper to do it yourself. If you were planning to keep this laptop for as long as possible I would go with the 15 as the internals may be overkill now but in 5 years who knows
 
In case your choice comes down to the 13" MBP vs 13" MBA, do take the screen resolution difference into account (1280x800 vs 1440x900, same area). On paper, the difference in pixel density might not seem that significant, but in real life, I find the difference to be huge.

From the distance I usually am from the screen, I can't distinguish individual pixels on the MBA, while I can clearly see them and their separation on the MBP, to the point it almost becomes distracting.

Do go into an Apple Store to compare them first, if image quality is as important to you as it is for me.
 
Last edited:
Hi again!

Have been following macrumors closely over the last week or so since the MBA launch and finally got down to the Apple store today.

Spent a good hour in the store looking at the 13MBA/13MBP and a quick glance at the 15MBP - I'm no closer to deciding - except perhaps ruling the 15MBP out.

I found it very difficult to notice the Air's higher resolution screen but mymy - it certainly is small. Had been a few months since I'd seen any Apple products in person and I'd forgotten how small the MBP is even!

Am simply unable to decide now between MBP and MBA - :eek:
 
hasty1991 said:
Hi again!

Have been following macrumors closely over the last week or so since the MBA launch and finally got down to the Apple store today.

Spent a good hour in the store looking at the 13MBA/13MBP and a quick glance at the 15MBP - I'm no closer to deciding - except perhaps ruling the 15MBP out.

I found it very difficult to notice the Air's higher resolution screen but mymy - it certainly is small. Had been a few months since I'd seen any Apple products in person and I'd forgotten how small the MBP is even!

Am simply unable to decide now between MBP and MBA - :eek:
Click to expand...

I'd go for the baseline MBP. I am in the same situation and I'm getting the 13 inch MBP. Here's why.
More ports. You get the ethernet port and the firewire port. I know that doesn't really mean anything to most people but next semester I'm going to be moving into an apartment and I might have to use an ethernet port instead of wifi. It also helps if you're at that random place without wifi and you have to use a cable. I can't go around unplugging my phone or whatever so I can print a paper.

Upgradable internals: As time goes on, you might start using the computer differently. Getting a lot of video files, high resolution pictures, anything. If that happens and you get the 13 inch Air, you're going to have to lug around an external hard drive. That isn't "that" bad but I would hate to be in that situation itself.

With the MBP, you can upgrade the RAM to 8 gigs (which a lot of people state is an improvement across the board), you can upgrade the HD to a larger size OR just put a SSD in place of it OR as a second drive in the optibay. As a sole computer, the MBP offers so much more.

And yea, concerning the size, it's easy to forget how thin the MBP actually is with all the size hype around the MBA. I have a black MB from 06 and you can fit the 13 inch PRO inside the MB. That says a lot seeing as it's better in each and every way.
 
The 13" has more than enough power for you. If you said you were a video editor or gamer, I'd suggest the 15" because of its dedicated graphics card.

The base 13" Macbook Pro I think will be perfect for you, especially since you said your music collection is relatively large. The Macbook Air has less hard drive space for you.
 
This is like deja-vu.

I had the same dilemma when I was researching which MBP to get. The resolution was the biggest problem with the 13" for me as I couldn't quite understand why the MBA had a higher res. Seriously consider the price difference though, as its pretty significant being circa £500.

Scarrus said:
Here´s something for your budget.

Get the base 13" MBP, add 8Gb of Ram and upgrade it for a newer model in 3 years. Would cost the same as the base 15" and in 3 yeas from now, you´ll have a much faster computer, much better battery life, etc. And for the time being you´ll have a really fast computer for your needs.
Click to expand...

+1 I agree.
 
If you need persuasion to go for the 13'' then you probably shouldn't go for it.
 
pazz said:
I would disagree. The price of the 15" makes it difficult to justify.

Come's down to the point - why spend more than you need to?
Click to expand...

I am not saying anything about the price of the 15'' and whether or not it is justifiable. I am saying that if you need to be persuaded to buy something, in this case a 13'' MacBook Pro, then you shouldn't be buying it as it is not what you want.
 
pazz said:
This is like deja-vu.

I had the same dilemma when I was researching which MBP to get. The resolution was the biggest problem with the 13" for me as I couldn't quite understand why the MBA had a higher res.
Click to expand...

me three. i ended up getting the base mbp 13 with 8gb ram+120ssd in optibay. i needed a good screen for graphic design and even though the air has a higher res i read that the color's are not as accurate. this machine is gonna be a giant leap from my early 2008 mbp i just sold.
 
It may not exist much longer, if the rumors are true, then the new MBP's, coming out before the holidays will only be 15 and 17 inches, the existing macbook airs will replace the 13 inch pro,
 
Archlord said:
I am not saying anything about the price of the 15'' and whether or not it is justifiable. I am saying that if you need to be persuaded to buy something, in this case a 13'' MacBook Pro, then you shouldn't be buying it as it is not what you want.
Click to expand...

He can't decide between two computers and is probably searching for relevant motivations to get one over the other. He probably is heading to the MBP, but wants to listen to others' responses, this is how "persuasion" should be meant in this case I think.
 
Go to the store and play around for an hour.


That's what I did. I actually went for the 15, even though I started with the, now outdated, 13 air, moved to the 13 pro, and jumped to the 15!
 
The 13" pro is a lot more than "a few ounces" more than the air. Or at least to me it is, a few oz != more than a pound.

I'm still a fan of the pro for other reasons, but to say the weight difference is a few ounces isn't remotely true.
 
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