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The great 13" vs 15" debate

Queen6 said:
15" the two sizes are worlds apart in performance, the 13" inch is the entry level model, if portability is the issue the 13" Air is a better solution
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13 is apples most popular size. many on here will argue 17 is too big and 15 is borderline too big. in the powerbook days i thought the 17 was hands down the premium notebook, some may have felt it was too big but it was top of the line. part of the problem with 13 mbp is the lower screen res and mechanical hard drive, that makes it entry level.

between 13 and 15 mbp, i will take 15.
 
tim100 said:
13 is apples most popular size. many on here will argue 17 is too big and 15 is borderline too big. in the powerbook days i thought the 17 was hands down the premium notebook, some may have felt it was too big but it was top of the line. part of the problem with 13 mbp is the lower screen res and mechanical hard drive, that makes it entry level.

between 13 and 15 MBP, I will take 15.
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Agreed the 13" resolution is a huge factor, or more to the point lack of it, for me the 13" MBP is in reality the basic MacBook. Adding it into the pro line is simply clever salesman`s "smoke & Mirrors" the performance differential alone makes this clear.
 
In your situation, I'd buy a refurb 15" or base 15", I highly recommend the HR AG screen if you buy one though. Being a teacher, I think you get an education discount also.

Pretty good deal here if you're fine with the low res glossy and weaker GPU.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC721LL/A
 
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oxfordguy said:
The main thing that would stop me getting a 13" is the poor integrated GPU, but for your needs, it doesn't sounds like that should be an issue.
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Unless you are a gamer, or a photographer, or a movie maker, that integrated GPU is more than enough for the other needs.
 
I think the 13" MBA would be a better choice than the 13" MBP unless you really need the large hard drive space or connection ports. For a lot of uses the Macbook Air will feel faster because of the SSD. The Air also has a higher resolution screen than the 13" MBP.

Definitely check them out in person at a store.
 
Stetrain said:
I think the 13" MBA would be a better choice than the 13" MBP unless you really need the large hard drive space or connection ports. For a lot of uses the Macbook Air will feel faster because of the SSD. The Air also has a higher resolution screen than the 13" MBP.

Definitely check them out in person at a store.
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And costs more.
 
Queen6 said:
15" the two sizes are worlds apart in performance, the 13" inch is the entry level model, if portability is the issue the 13" Air is a better solution
Click to expand...

HUH? The 13" Air is MORE of an entry level model. The 13" MBP on the other hand is very upgradeable and expandable.
 
Titanium81 said:
HUH? The 13" Air is MORE of an entry level model. The 13" MBP on the other hand is very upgradeable and expandable.
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13" is the entry level model of the MacBook Pro line, the MacBook Air is far more mobile, faster for average day to day task`s for the vast majority of users thanks to the SSD, nor does everyone needs the ability to upgrade. If you need a Mac portable for heavy lifting, multitasking the Quad Cores are the way to go...

42433.png
 
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Air vs. Pro Comparison...

KohPhiPhi said:
One thing is for sure: the MBP 13" needs to lose the optical drive and the hard-drive, so it can pack up enough muscle to differentiate itself away from the MBA 13". As it stands, there's hardly any reason to go for the MBP 13" instead of the MBA 13" considering it has worse resolution, worse GPU, it's less portable and it runs hotter, and it doesn't really have a meaningful performance edge.

I'd love to see the MBP 13" becoming "Pro" for real in terms of performance. There's nothing "Pro" about 1280x800 and integrated GPU.
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surjavarman said:
Wrong. Even though the MBA has a higher resolution you are barely able to tell the difference in OS X between the two. I can adjust google chrome so that just as much text is displayed as on the MBA and you would only be able to tell the difference if you hold a magnifying glass against the screen. You also need to consider the color gamut of the two. They are not the same either. Most consider the colors on the MBP13 to be better than on the MBA13

I don't see how the MBA13 has the better GPU. They are exactly the same. EXACTLY. But the MBP13 has a substantially faster CPU. It was already substantially faster early 2011 and it has only become faster late 2011.

The third point is that the mbp13 still has an ethernet port. The mba does not.

And last you can fit a 2nd harddrive in the MBP13 which you can not in the MBA13. That was the dealbreaker for me. I am running a 256gb ssd with a 750gb hdd. And I have all my movies and music with me whenever I go. I recently did some traveling in asia and I can say that it would be very hard for me to give up that hdd space. People say the MBA13 is better for traveling. I say the MBP13 is better because you'll be bored to hell sitting in your hotel room, waiting for busses and trains unless you have every season of dexter in HD with you. No it can not be remedied with an external hdd
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I'd go with the 13 inch and get a 22 inch display for those times you need more real estate. The speed of the of new Mac will amaze you. Upgrade the RAM when you can, and in a year or so add a SSD. The thing will fly.
 
Debate solved!

I just returned from Best Buy because they have the entry level 13" for only $1038 right now! It seems as though opinions on here vary widely, and actually using the Macs side by side surprised me after reading everything.

The 13" Pro didn't seem too small at all. I compared the screen of that to the 13" Air--I am nearsighted and wear contacts, and I actually thought the resolution on the Air was a little small and hard for my eyes to focus on. If I find a good deal on a monitor, I may get one if I ever feel like using a bigger screen.

Using the 13" then 15" didn't seem like there was even that big of a difference for some reason, and the 13 will be a little more portable. The 13 seems like the best bang for the buck and for my needs! I will be buying it later this week and am super excited!! :D
 
hollyhotsauce said:
I just returned from Best Buy because they have the entry level 13" for only $1038 right now! It seems as though opinions on here vary widely, and actually using the Macs side by side surprised me after reading everything.

The 13" Pro didn't seem too small at all. I compared the screen of that to the 13" Air--I am nearsighted and wear contacts, and I actually thought the resolution on the Air was a little small and hard for my eyes to focus on. If I find a good deal on a monitor, I may get one if I ever feel like using a bigger screen.

Using the 13" then 15" didn't seem like there was even that big of a difference for some reason, and the 13 will be a little more portable. The 13 seems like the best bang for the buck and for my needs! I will be buying it later this week and am super excited!! :D
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more with your comparison between the 13" and the 15". The 13" is perfect for my needs and the added portability over the 15" is great. I can carry around my 13" MBP, all my school books/papers, and my iPad all in the same bag. Though I could do the same with the 15", it would be more of a hassle. Enjoy your new 13", btw, as I've had mine for a little less than a week and am so far loving it :)
 
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