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Why did you choose to get a 17 inch MBP?

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May 2, 2009
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My boyfriend is considering getting a 17' MBP. But why would he want a 17" screen? Laptops are meant for portability, so why would he want to haul around a giant 17" laptop? And I'm sure someone is going to say it is not all that heavy, but still ... won't the 15' screen do fine? Don't get me wrong - it's neat, but way too big. I don't really see the appeal in a 17 inch screen ... plus the non-replaceable battery worries me a bit.

So basically I am wondering the reason why some of you chose to get the 17'. Do you do video/photo editing? The matte screen? Just wondering.

- m

PS: Just curious - are you guys all with 17 inch MBPs designers as well? What are your occupations?
 
marinella said:
My boyfriend is considering getting a 17' MBP. But why would he want a 17" screen? Laptops are meant for portability, so why would he want to haul around a giant 17" laptop? And I'm sure someone is going to say it is not all that heavy, but still ... won't the 15' screen do fine? Don't get me wrong - it's neat, but way too big. I don't really see the appeal in a 17 inch screen ...

So basically I am wondering the reason why some of you chose to get the 17'. Do you do video/photo editing? The matte screen? Just wondering.

- m

PS: This is NOT an attempt to bash it!
Click to expand...

The 17" offers the matte screen, 1920x1200 resolution. Honestly, I've had both, either one works for me. I like 17 better b/c its bigger and its not that big/bulky/heavy. Its big for 5 minutes, then its like the 15 would be too small.
 
I got the 17" because of the new 8 hour capacity battery. The screen size can be critical when you work with Final Cut and Adobe Flash. Both of those programs need a lot of screen space. Also if he is a web developer, it helps to see your code on one side and the actual page on the other, on a 15" its not very possible. If you work with pictures, you can see more thumbnails at one time when scanning thru iphoto/aperture.

There is never enough screen space. I have a 30" ACD, and I'd totally buy another one for dual 30". And i'm just a normal graphic/web designer.
 
Battery life, more screen real estate, full HD resolution (and then some), 8GB RAM capability.
 
Im still awaiting for mines to be shipped but I was also in the situation between the 15" and the 17" mbp

the reasons I chose the 17" were already mentioned; the bigger screen and higher resolution, the matte screen option, and the longer battery life.

Im also in the design business so that is another factor, the bigger screen does help, and the glossy/glassy screen that the 15" seems to be stuck with was distracting when I previewed them in the :apple:store.

I dont think that carrying a 17" laptop around is such a big deal, your boyfriend should be able to cope with it just fine. The 17" in overall dimensions wasnt too much bigger when it sat next to the 15" at the :apple:store
 
Hi Marinella,

I'm currently using a 15" MBP. Before this one I had the 15" G4 PowerBook. However for my next upgrade I'm considering the 17" Unibody MBP. One of my reasons is the increased resolution to 1920x1200. I use a lot of 3D content creation software and they tend to have complex GUI's (Graphical User Interfaces) with lots of buttons and menus as well as the need for the workspace itself. Then I often have reference photographs open alongside as well. On the 15" it's cramped to say the least. I get by using a streamlined combination of exposé, spaces, and custom made GUI's. And while it works, the extra screen space the 17" offers will help a fair bit.

The 15" sure is a perfect size with regards to footprint, but comparing the various MBP models online and in the shop I found the increased footprint of the 17" not as off-putting as I feared. I suspect the new UniBody design has in part to do with this.

Other reasons are that the 17" offers a matte option (I hate reflections on the screen). To ease eyestrain (and to aid colour accuracy) I prefer to have my GUI's set to a neutral mid to dark grey rather than white. This causes the reflections to play up a lot more. A matte screen will help negate this to a large degree.

Then there's the increase RAM capability and battery life that others have mentioned...

Just some thoughts...
 
bbadalucco said:
The 17" offers the matte screen, 1920x1200 resolution. Honestly, I've had both, either one works for me. I like 17 better b/c its bigger and its not that big/bulky/heavy. Its big for 5 minutes, then its like the 15 would be too small.
Click to expand...

+1 minus the matte. GLOSSYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!
 
Hi,
once you have the big screen, you won't trade it in for anything else.
It is fantastic to have the workspace, no need to scroll around so much, and, for me: no need to plug in an external monitor.

I don't take my computer (the pre-unibody penryn model) out every day, but I carry it around in the house a lot: desk, sofa, living room, bed. it's perfect for that.
with a nice bag (axxio), it is also very well for taking it outside:
It still is a portable computer, and the difference to the 15 inch is really not very much, although it APPEARS bigger. But it's not really.

you friend does right in wanting one of them.
and surely you will like it, too.
;)
 
The LCD panel in the 17" MBP makes the ones in the MacBooks look like utter s**t. :eek: It has very high, excellent resolution. Before I got a chance to compare them all side-by-side, I was sure I'd be fine with a baseline MacBook, but after visiting the Apple store and seeing it in real life, I'm definitely sold on the 17" MacBook Pro. Not only is the screen much higher quality, it's also big enough to work on without going blind, and there's actually enough room for lots of open windows at once. ;)
 
I have a MBP15 inch with matte screen (older model).

If I had to get a new laptop today, I would probably go for the 17 inch because it has a matte screen option.

I also like the longer battery life. The non-removable battery does not bother me.
 
Once you go 17", you can't go back. This is my 3rd 17" (PB 1.67, MBP 2.33, UB MBP 2.66). I'm already getting too used to the 1920 x 1200. Large desktop + spaces = :D
 
I can see it if he plans on continuing editing photos and videos, but a 17' doesn't sound too good for personal use. I know he'll be carrying it around everywhere and it seems a bit too heavy and cumbersome to carry around. Is it really worth the price though?
 
Just curious - are you guys all designers as well? What are your occupations?

I'll be checking out the 17 inch MBP with him this weekend. Thanks for the help guys! :)
 
I'm not a designer. I work as a Visual Effects Artist in the film industry. Although my day to day equipment consists of high spec workstations and large panel LCD's, I prefer to use the convenience of a laptop outside of working hours to do my own personal work. It means I'm not tied to a desk at home as well as at the office. :D

marinella said:
Just curious - are you guys all designers as well? What are your occupations?

I'll be checking out the 17 inch MBP with him this weekend. Thanks for the help guys! :)
Click to expand...
 
first, i aimed for the desktop, but i think it's better to have a little portability for a desktop, so i bought a 17".

second, this screen's res is so amazing, after using this, once you take a look MBP15" res, it's pretty awful, let alone macbook and macbook air..
 
I have a 15" MBP and my next machine will be a 17" MBP.

Heres why:

I dont take my MBP out very often. So why dont I have a desktop? Space. Even getting an iMac would mean having to get a table to put it on, and then having a chair etc so it ends up taking up lots of space. Also its pretty anti-social to sit away at the computer.
With a laptop I can hide it away when not in use, and i can move around from the sofa to the bed to outside etc. I can be sociable when people are around - use it quickly when i need to look something up, and then close it and put it away.

Why a 17"? Well If i only have the one laptop, I want the best I can get. I miss my 24" screen I used to have - so with the 17" I get that resolution in the laptop (I dont need a big screen, I have a TV for that).

Am I worried about the size/weight? not really, the 17" MBP is around the same size as a lot of normal 15" PC laptops.
 
Like everyone has said, the matte screen, larger screen and battery life. I thought why get the smaller 15" when I would only end up buying a monitor with a matte screen for more than the extra money for the 17". I love the 17"
 
I'm not a designer, but screen real estate and battery life is important to me. I like to use a computer outside, so 17" was the best and only option.

Also, I read and write Japanese text. Asian languages like Japanese and Chinese use extremely complicate alphabets, so sometimes I have to enlarge materials just to recognize characters. If I worked on a 15" or smaller laptop for more than an hour, it would strain my eyes and give me a headache.
 
Ultimately to replace my previous Mac desktop. And so far its been phenomenal.

Other key points were:
-Screen real estate
-battery Life
-Easibility to change/upgrade memory & hdd
-Memory capacity size
-Size
-Graphics

Ultimately I became more mobile while doing more professional work...and while a MacPro would have cut it....just not on the go anywhere at anytime.
While the 17" may not be the model desktop replacement for me its wonders ahead of most and at this point I'd probably not go back to a desktop (unless it was my business or) absolutely had to.

To me the display is really sharp and nice, using the 9c99 panel and comparing it to a 30" I havent had too much of a difference in overall color accuracy ...i kind of like the appearance of it over the 30 :p (but the 30 is the best monitor ive owned ever fwiw ;) )
 
Most people will tell you they buy the 17" for the screen, either because of matte, or the resolution. The screen was my choice for going with a 17" and also because the laptop stays in my office most of the time.
 
marinella said:
I can see it if he plans on continuing editing photos and videos, but a 17' doesn't sound too good for personal use. I know he'll be carrying it around everywhere and it seems a bit too heavy and cumbersome to carry around. Is it really worth the price though?
Click to expand...

For what you get i think its more portable than the 15". Its basically the same size as the 15", the 2" extra screen size comes from the 15" useless bezel around the screen, its got full HD resolution, its got an extra USB port, its matte, and i dont think i could do graphic design on a smaller screen, often i need two programs open side by side and its not properly possible with the 15" resolution.
 
I'm a biochemical lab tech. Don't really use it for anything other than surfing email, downloading, watching/burning/converting videos and some very light gaming. I bought the 17 because I could afford to.

Heavy? It's only 6.6 pounds. Most people carry 15.6 Windows laptops to work.school already that weight this much. If you seriously think the 17 MBP is heavy, try a week or so with a PC.

Nah, havving all that screen is nice.

Tom
 
I bought it for being the most portable laptop at 17 inch. I haven't found any other laptop out there that is as light and as thin. It really makes working productively and gaming much more enjoyable:)
 
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