We have one designer in our firm who is a staunch PC person, but being that everyone has switched to a Mac at this point we've convinced her to try a Mac. I'm going to get her a 17" MacBook Pro, but my question is whether I should get her the higher resolution screen that is available for a few hundred dollars more. The money isn't an issue, I'm just wondering it that is cramming too many pixels in too small of a space to be usable over a regular pair of eyeballs.
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Should I Get the High Resolution 17" MBP Screen
- Thread starter zacware
- Start date
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Hey, I actually checked out the high res laptop at the Apple Store today. I didn't really care for it for one major reason - everything appears too small. Buttons, text, everything is really tiny and really hard to see, at least for me. Going back and forth between the 17" high res and the 15" MBP at the table, I realized the 15" was much easier on the eyes. So I personally would not recommend the high resolution screen.
In Leopard you can adjust the resolution to your own liking. I forget what its called exactly. I would totally get the Hi-Res if I had the money, so I say go for it. Also, remember to save some money for HD and RAM.
i think the screen is only $100 more, so thats not very much
i too looked at the hi- res screen at the apple store and its beautiful! i would 100% suggest geting the upgrade for her!
@noodle, i heard that that feature got posponed, i dont know...
i too looked at the hi- res screen at the apple store and its beautiful! i would 100% suggest geting the upgrade for her!
@noodle, i heard that that feature got posponed, i dont know...
I believe you're referring to "resolution independence", which allows the interface elements to be sized independently of the screen resolution. It was originally a planned feature for Leopard but hasn't yet been released.
Yup thats it. Damn it really got postponed?? Dont remember hearing about that. When will it come out?
OP: You can also adjust the screen resolution under Display tab in System Preferences. I am not sure how it would look though.
Then looks like waiting on resolution independence will be the thing. Will she be hooking it up to an External Monitor?
oh baby! I say go for it. I just got a hi-res 17" recently and I LOVE it! (actually, this is my first post with it). The screen is fantabulous! You can adjust the font/settings if it looks small, but everything is crystal clear, sharp, and precise. It may take a little to get used to, but I do think it's worth it - especially if you will be using your laptop for photo, video, graphics, or even documents (the resolution actually helps my eyes).
I suggest you go and see it for yourself just to make sure. After all, this is a personal preference decision.
I suggest you go and see it for yourself just to make sure. After all, this is a personal preference decision.
Oh man, i whish i could afford the 17 pro, i had the 15 and it is not so great. ANd the better the res the higher quality editing she would be able to do, so it will get her to be slightly more productive.
I just got a MBP with the hires 17" screen and it's awesome (yeah, I know, I should have waited... but I waited for a year and I was fed up with waiting). The screen is way better than anything I've had before. In fact, I connected the MBP to my Mitsubishi Diamond 20" CRT and was appalled at how bad that screen is. I'm used to using it with Vista and never thought that it was that bad. So blurry next to the sharpness of the MBP LCD. Looks like a good excuse to get a Cinema Display... 
I don't think anyone knows when it'll be coming out.... It could be in a point update at some point (not 10.5.2, though, I don't think, or someone would have mentioned it by now), or it could end up being delayed to 10.6 or beyond....
Here's coverage from TUAW about it not having been in the final Leopard release: http://www.tuaw.com/2007/11/01/the-case-of-the-missing-resolution-independence/
There are also a couple of keyboard shortcuts that allow you to zoom up. It's cool. I can't think of the shortcuts now, i don't have my MBP here.
The screen is beautiful and wouldn't have the 17" without it.
Resolution Independence is not available at this time.
I have the 17" 1650x1050, even that the text is a little bit small for me.
However I use the CTRL-double finger (forward / backward) to zoom in and out when I lean back.
The high res would be good for those working / or like to watch 1080p material.
LCD displays only look good at their native resolution (1920x1200 in this case), anything else will just result in a blurry experience. I tried a lower res on my MBP out of curiosity a few times and it's just not worth using especially for reading text. The only exception is for gaming where getting a decent frame rate is more important.
To the OP, if you're even CONTEMPLATING using a lower resolution in case you feel the text will be too small then go for the STANDARD resolution and forget about the high resolution option entirely.
Couldn't have said it better myself. For months I was extremely happy with my MBP's high resolution and completely used to it. However when I want with a friend last week to an Apple store and showed him the Hi-Res MBP on display he was taken aback at the resolution. He said his eyes wouldn't be able to handle it that high and with everything so small. You really need to see it for yourself!
There's no question about it, if you have a lot of windows open at once, then productivity will be GREATLY increased and that's not even taking into account Spaces. It's so liberating for even the littlest of things such as being able to view two web pages side by side in ALL their glory.
It's not strictly true about it "coming out". I doubt Apple are simply gonna say one day that "Resolution Indepence has now been released!". It's not as simple as that; there will always be work to be done by the DEVELOPERS as well to ensure their program actually implements / benefits from it.
It's also available in stores.
[I got mine with the high rez and 7200 rpm drive at an Apple store, and they had 3 others in stock]
Oh and the high resolution screen is wonderful. I do not regret it for one second. And I too use the ctl-middle-mouse [ctl-two fingers] to zoom the screen when I need to.