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The 17" is a monster! It dwarfs the 13"! (pics)

AlphaDogg

AlphaDogg

macrumors 68040
Original poster
May 20, 2010
3,417
7
Ypsilanti, MI
I was at a friend's house, and they have a 17" MacBook Pro. I had my 13" MBP with me, and I compared. The 17 inchers are insane! They have a great screen res, but have an immense lack of portability... This is helpful info for people who are considering getting a 17".

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Sorry for the quality! I had to put my iPhone above my head to take the pic (the 17" is that big or I'm just short) and I didn't allow it to autofocus...
 
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I've always thought of a 17" laptop as more of a desktop replacement myself. Heck I remember when the most common desktop monitor size was 15".
 
Interesting photos. I'm deciding between a 13" and 15". These pictures really show the size of the 17". Not knocking on anyone who purchased one, but why get a laptop of that size? To each his own, I guess.
 
aCondor said:
Interesting photos. I'm deciding between a 13" and 15". These pictures really show the size of the 17". Not knocking on anyone who purchased one, but why get a laptop of that size? To each his own, I guess.
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It's not actually my friend's laptop... It's my friend's dad's laptop... He is a "day trader" and likes to trade stock everywhere around their house (their house is ****ing awesome! They have their house wired. You can control the lights from any of the TV's, or a control panel located in every room of the house. You can also play music/radio/whatever on their speakers that are in every room of the house. They have an airport extreme for wifi, and a home theater system. I need to move in there) I guess he likes (partial-)portability and a lot of screen real-estate...
 
luckily i went with the 13", 17" would be fine but a hassle to carry around campus
 
Meh. 2 or so pounds heavier and a couple of inches larger for several times the power and desktop-esque expandability. If that makes it immobile than...no it doesn't actually.

I mean if all you do is listen to itunes and update your Facebook status (and need to do it on a plane?) than the 13" is unbeatable :D.
 
The 17" isn't just 4 inches larger than the 13", it is also longer and wider. It is larger than the size of my chest (14 year old guy). My 13" is about 2/3 the size of my chest..
 
i wanted one. I just fel like the 15in is the perfect size. We sat a 11 in air next to one and that was crazy.
 
thats nothing. I have to take my 17" Dell in sig to school everyday. Probably about just as wide, but easily 2-3 as thick when closed. The power brick is also about 4 times as large as the apple one.

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Those pictures make me want a 17" all the much more! I'm currently using a 15" and it's just too small for me. Of course, I don't take it with me anywhere and use it as a desktop replacement. I am very much looking forward to the increase in screen size when I get my new 17" beast at the next refresh. This mid-2006 first-gen macbook pro is certainly getting long in tooth! I've got a 9" netbook running OSX with a 14 hr battery for portability.
 
Vurius said:
Those pictures make me want a 17" all the much more! I'm currently using a 15" and it's just too small for me. Of course, I don't take it with me anywhere and use it as a desktop replacement. I am very much looking forward to the increase in screen size when I get my new 17" beast at the next refresh. This mid-2006 first-gen macbook pro is certainly getting long in tooth! I've got a 9" netbook running OSX with a 14 hr battery for portability.
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Same here, it almost makes me want to go out and pick up the 17" (matte) mbp!
 
My last 2 laptops were 17" and never really left the house for that reason.
My 15" MBP goes everywhere with me now, like a giant iPod :)

That thing is a beast but it`s still more portable than my old Toshiba 17" was. (Sack barrow required).
 
Here is a pic I took when I received my 17" MBP at Christmas. Along with my old 867 12" PB and my brothers 15" 1.5. EDIT: yeah, Christmas...2006 :)

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i know quite a few people who carry around the 17inch machines - provided they are in a backpack they really arent THAT much larger. thought the 13" are great for portability :) some people just really need the extra screen realestate.
 
aCondor said:
Interesting photos. I'm deciding between a 13" and 15". These pictures really show the size of the 17". Not knocking on anyone who purchased one, but why get a laptop of that size? To each his own, I guess.
Click to expand...

I traveled for 2 years with a 17" laptop everyday, it really was no problem. And my old laptop is heavier then a 17" MBP.
 
eddyisgreat said:
meh. 2 or so pounds heavier and a couple of inches larger for several times the power and desktop-esque expandability. If that makes it immobile than...no it doesn't actually.

I mean if all you do is listen to itunes and update your facebook status (and need to do it on a plane?) than the 13" is unbeatable :d.
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mba or iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad? :p
 
I still think the 13" is a too small and the 17" is too big, I think the 15" is the perfect size
 
Ah, 14 years old. There will come a time when you will realize that you cannot freaking see anything on a 13" screen, and then the rationale for a 15" screen or a 17" screen will become clear.

<--- 46, and by the time I am 60, my eyes will be so bad I will need a wall-sized screen.
 
greytmom said:
Ah, 14 years old. There will come a time when you will realize that you cannot freaking see anything on a 13" screen, and then the rationale for a 15" screen or a 17" screen will become clear.

<--- 46, and by the time I am 60, my eyes will be so bad I will need a wall-sized screen.
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So true... I remember when I was 18 working my first job... a 62 year old said, "Wait until you're 42, and your eyes change." Of course I didn't believe him... of course he was right.
 
That is exactly when I woke up and couldn't read up close anymore... 42 years old.
 
greytmom said:
That is exactly when I woke up and couldn't read up close anymore... 42 years old.
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Well, I'm 57 and I still don't need glasses... but my near vision is gone and I have trouble reading the fine print. Using a cellphone or iPod Touch to read the news at a website isn't fun at all. I didn't have a cellphone until I was about 40 years old and don't feel the pressing need to have or use one.

It will be interesting to see what happens when the 20 somethings who grew up with a cellphone stuck to their ear get into their 40s and 50s and have trouble with the fine print of their cellphone.

Greytmom... what a well thought out screen name you've come up with.
 
AlphaDogg said:
I was at a friend's house, and they have a 17" MacBook Pro. I had my 13" MBP with me, and I compared. The 17 inchers are insane! They have a great screen res, but have an immense lack of portability
Click to expand...

Captain Obvious is on deck. *facepalm
 
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