According to Apple's spec sheet the battery in both the 15 and 17 inch MBP provides "up to 8-9 hours [of] wireless productivity." I think that you should take the claim of 8 to 9 hours with a grain of salt but that you could reasonably assume the battery life would be about the same in the 15 inch MBP as it was in the 17 inch model.
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Which MBP screen for these circumstances?
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Beautiful set up. Which notebook do you find yourself using the most? I'm going to guess it's the 13" since from reading your previous posts you don't like working from a desk anymore that I do. Then you have your 17" for anything you'd like more screen real estate for, for example photo/video work?
i do use the 17 on the couch. its about 50-50. i hate working form a desk. most of my work is on the couch, at the kitchen table, or outside.
All I know is what the MBP spec sheet said. Take a look at it and decide for yourself.
I think the higher resolution screens do draw more on the battery, how much it decreases the battery life I'm not sure.
Also, i7 would draw more than the i5 unless they were the same wattage, right?
Also, i7 would draw more than the i5 unless they were the same wattage, right?
You may well be right about this. Based on Apple's own published specs, though, the entire 15 and 17 inch MBP lineup can be expected to have roughly comparable battery longevity. Now, what that longevity would be is a another story.
its not that much different than 15. i can see portability argument for the 13 or mba but not 15.
its not that much different than 15. i can see portability argument for the 13 or mba but not 15.
15'' is 2'' larger than 13'' and half a kilo heavier.
17'' is 2'' larger than 15'' and half a kilo heavier.
So the difference in portability between 13'' and 15'' is just the same as between 15'' and 17''.
Unfortunately, still haven't decided. I'm leaning to the 13'' but I NEED to know it's suitable for studying/creating PDFs, PPTs and Word files for hours and hours straight. If enough people guarantee me that, my choice is pretty much done.
In terms of processing power, the 13"s are going to be more than capable of doing those tasks. If your concern is screen size, thats a purely personal choice.
I made the jump from a 13" MacBook to a 15" MBP, and although it does weigh a bit more, I'm happy with my choice. I got the 2.4GHz i5 with the HR AG display.
If you go for a 15" model, I reckon you'd be best buying the 2.4GHz model. According to Geekbench results on MacTracker, the 2.53 is only about 4% better overall (4806 for the 2.4 vs 4994 for the 2.53), and the 2.66 only 13% better (4806 for the 2.4 vs 5422 for the 2.66). They do come with GPU and HDD bumps, but the differences in processor speed is tiny.
It's not about the specs. Specs are more than enough for anything I want. It really is about the screen. I'm currently used to my 15'' Sony Vaio... :\ The reason I don't go directly for the MBP 15'' is money. It's not that I wouldn't be able to get it (just save up for a few more months), it's that I'd feel bad to pay 1650 for a laptop. It's way too much for my comfort zone.
It's fine for that. You can hide the dock, work in full screen. Many people spend long hours with 13" notebooks dong those tasks.
that shows us there is not much difference between the chips. its easy to fall into the trap in over buying specs and wasting money. my first mac was an imac g4, i got it home and read rumors that apple was redesigning it and making it the new imac g5. so i returned it for a powermac. at the time it was too much of a computer for me. i kept it a year and traded it in for a 15 inch powerbook, with a g4 similar to the imac i returned. the point is its easy to over buy.
the 15 next to 17 does not look that different to me. the 13 appears much smaller than both.
It is because the 13" does not have the speakers to the left & right of the keyboard. Optical illusion y'see
yes
when the 15 and 17 are side by side there is little difference. when they are alone i sometimes mistake a 15 for a 17. the 13 mb,mbp, and mba just "look" alot than they are smaller.
when the 15 and 17 are side by side there is little difference. when they are alone i sometimes mistake a 15 for a 17. the 13 mb,mbp, and mba just "look" alot than they are smaller.
wants versus needs
Certainly understandable why the 15" is the most popular choice.
If size and weight is most important the 13" is good.
If screen real estate and reasonable size and weight is key then the 15" make sense.
Finally if screen real estate is far more important than anything then the 17" MBP is the one to get.
I "want" the small size and weight, aka 13", but I "need" the screen real estate (for productivity) so then maybe the 15" should be the one. The 17" to too far from the small size / light weight side for me, even though its screen is beautiful.
That's why it's a tough decision for me and many, and why there's no man threads on the topic all over the 'net.
Certainly understandable why the 15" is the most popular choice.
If size and weight is most important the 13" is good.
If screen real estate and reasonable size and weight is key then the 15" make sense.
Finally if screen real estate is far more important than anything then the 17" MBP is the one to get.
I "want" the small size and weight, aka 13", but I "need" the screen real estate (for productivity) so then maybe the 15" should be the one. The 17" to too far from the small size / light weight side for me, even though its screen is beautiful.
That's why it's a tough decision for me and many, and why there's no man threads on the topic all over the 'net.
what we need is a premium 13. the last gen 13 was in line with the 15 this gen 13 is stuck with c2d. the 13 started out as a mb then became a pro when the specs became so similar to the 15/17.
Yea, the 13" department needs some attention, sooner rather than later too. I was hoping for MacBook Air news at the Sept 1 event but most doubt it and expect only music / entertainment stuff.
The 13" is the preferred screen size by a lot of people, especially if you have an external monitor for more detailed work when you need it. But there seems to be a void in the market, very few well spec'd high quality 13"ers to choose from.
Waiting sucks.
The 13" is the preferred screen size by a lot of people, especially if you have an external monitor for more detailed work when you need it. But there seems to be a void in the market, very few well spec'd high quality 13"ers to choose from.
Waiting sucks.