Should I keep the 15 inch or exchange it for the 17 inch?

[Myiphone7]

why not go w/ either imac($1600) and mba for ($1100 for 13 inch)

why not?

17 is too big to carry around. But so is 15 for lot of people.

If you were already gonna shell out good over 2k .. why not?

the specs for mba are not that great IMO. But ya that's something to think about regarding price.

I didn't realize I could get two computers for the price of ONE! dang!

 

[Myiphone7]

The weight differences are interesting, because even though the numbers aren't large, they are significant.

I used to carry around a lot in my backpack on campus. I'd have my 13" Toshiba, a couple of books, and maybe a thermos in the side pocket. My back started hurting, though. When I asked around, it turns out that lots of fellow students and professors have back problems. Some of them are pretty debilitating. That's when I got a netbook and stopped carrying books. I can't say for sure that backpacks are to blame, but it surely doesn't help to carry all of that around on your back every day.

Of course, everyone is different, but one thing I would recommend is to get the smallest computer and the smallest backpack you can get away with. In my case, I was sorely tempted by the mba, but ended up with the mbp because it had been refreshed. I'm pleased with it, but it also means I have worked even harder to empty out my backpack and make it as light as possible. Now, I just have my mbp and ipad with some pencils and pens. In a few years I imagine I'll migrate down to an mba.

I should add that I am in extremely good shape. I work out every morning in the gym, swim a couple of kilometers, and do yoga at night. The back is a tricky thing, though, and I recommend you take good care of it.

This is off topic, but for your back you can try taking very hot baths.

I put only hot water in the bath with just a little cold water to the point where I can't hop in right away because it's too hot. I have to slowly get use to the heat by splashing the water on my skin before slowly easing into the tub.

It worked for me.

But ya, regarding computers, I feel like I have an iPad and an iPhone for travel and worse case my hp.

and iMac isn't portable at all and a mba isn't very powerful.

I feel like the 17 is at least portable to a point where I can put it in a case and go somewhere.

I don't know what I'm going to do. I guess I need to make a trip to the apple store tomorrow.

 

[palpatine]

AHHHHH now I'm just more confused!
I have an iPad, iPhone 4, and a 14 inch HP computer.

Sounds like you have everything you need

I think for class either of the above would be fine.

I'd say paper and pen in class. Scan those in when you get home. Type them up later, but only if necessary. For work on campus (assuming you want to do work at the library or something), a light computer ought to be fine (assuming you are not doing heavy lifting--video editing, etc.).

I kind of need a big screen desktop type device.

Get the smallest thing you can get away with for campus (an mba 11?), and get a massive monitor/tv for your room. As long as the mba has enough power for you, then you'll be set. I would call this an ideal setup. Why carry around that big screen all day, every day, just to take notes and write reports?

 

[palpatine]

This is off topic, but for your back you can try taking very hot baths.I put only hot water in the bath with just a little cold water to the point where I can't hop in right away because it's too hot. I have to slowly get use to the heat by splashing the water on my skin before slowly easing into the tub.

Thanks! I love hot baths. I've pretty much eliminated my back problems by carrying around as little as possible.

If the MBA is underpowered for you, then why not get the 13" MBP (that's what I did). Hook it up to a tv/monitor at home, and you have a desktop.

 

[entatlrg]

iMac and MacBook Air imo is a MUCH better choice than a 17" MBP.

I've owned 15 and 17" MBP's, they're portable but not encouraging or that much of pleasure to use and haul around.

On the other hand and iMac and Air is a dream set up - best of both worlds ... a 'real' large 27" screen when you need it and a truly mobile notebook you'll want to take everywhere... That's $2,700 well spent.

(The MacBook Air may have C2D but it handles everything I throw and it, excellent computer, fast and capable).

 

[shoppy]

Honestly I would go for the 17"in my 10 years of buying macs I have always come back to the 17". I recently sold my 17" macbook pro and brought a 13" sandy bridge i5 and thought I could be happy with it. I have a separate monitor save some cash and I travel quite a bit by helicopter and planes. So I thought a win win situation.

The performance was extremely poor it kept on beach balling on me and I do nothing heavy. Browse web, watch movies itunes and view my iphoto's. But in reality my eyes hurt form using the 13 and I had a headache from using it. To be honest it felt no different form carrying my 17" except for I missed the screen and was irritated form the constant beach balls when loading up my iphoto collection.

Bottom line returned the 13" and found a store which had a older 17" and brought another one and am very happy with it. 11" macbook air, I hate the things it stays in my bottom draw as I can not seem to sell it.

I have enclosed some photos of when I brought my youngest daughter my wife and my laptops Older models, but gives you an idea about screen size. I upgrade every year as I get bored and have never owned a machine yet for a year. Wife calls me weird, but I get to have a new machine

 

[jvmxtra]

I just want to add(and I wish i had $2700 so I would have gotten imac and mba instead of 15 mbp) that even though mba is under powered, you really don't want to do anything super heavy anyway on mbp. MBP gets so freaking hot if you are doing super heavy stuff that it forces me to use keyboard and separate monitor(I just don't like the heat). If I am doing work at home, I am force to sit on my desk and hook up to external monitor anyway.

If you are mobile, 13 mba is super perfect to get by and when you are home, and you need to really hit it, you can go to your imac.
And when you are relaxing on couch, you can browse and do light stuff on your mba.(not to mention, pretty much anywhere)

Man, wishful thinking for me.. if I just had little more extra..

 

[aramosc]

I insist. An 11" MBA with 64 gb and 4 gb of ram should run you 900 or 1000 tops and you can get the cheapest imac and it would be much better than the 17" MBP and then with the 11 " MBa you don't need the iPad so sell that and there you go you should have to spend about $1800