Why did you choose to get a 17 inch MBP?

[dlhuss]

i'm just a casual user - no profession attached to my MBP use.

I bought a 17" for the simple reason that it's the only acceptable resolution vs. size that Apple makes.

You could turn the bulk argument around and say, why is the 15" so big for only 1440x900?

 

[segfault66]

Screen Real Estate

I received my 17" MBP Unibody glossy yesterday. I'm coming from a 15" MBP (Merom 2006).

I used the 15" around the house... e-mail, web, photos, video, personal finance, VPN to work (programmer).

I had the itch to upgrade. With the 17", I won't have to use my external monitors as much (20" Cinema Display, 23" HP LP2335). It's truly a desktop replacement.

 

[Pagga]

I chose a Macbook Pro 17" because it offers the best screen and the best battery life. CPU is secondary and not really that important to me. I do love a fast computer though - and can´t wait to get solid state and 8 GB of RAM when the price is right.
Finally, this is the first 17" I´ve seen where size and weight no longer holds it back compared to tha 15" or even 13". I have previously only had 15"es.


P

 

[MMPascal]

Screen Resolution (I am a photographer / Designer and always on the move so no external screen can do it & I use Final Cut a lot). Matte Screen

why are u worring about what your boyfriend get anyway?

 

[hartattack]

My reason is well.. my boyfriend (ex now) just asked one day "hey do you want a 17 inch macbook pro?"

and the rest is history.

 

[scotty6766]

My reason is well.. my boyfriend (ex now) just asked one day "hey do you want a 17 inch macbook pro?"

and the rest is history.

EX boyfriend? I'm assuming you still have the macbook pro after the split.

I bought it for the same reasons as everyone else has stated...screen, battery, portability. It is the lighted and smallest 17" laptop on the market today. The screen is absolutely beautiful! My partner has the macbook and loves it, but even he has noticed how beautiful my screen is compared to his. It's just a joy to work with and honestly, it is very light comparatively and very compact.

 

[glhiii]

Not easily portable

I had a 17" MBP a year ago but sold it and got a 15". I found the bigger machine was difficult to carry around and awkward. For me, the 15" is the right size -- and it will easily drive a larger monitor if you need higher res at home. Still, the new 17" machines are quite impressive. But instead of the 17", I'd consider getting a MB for carrying around and an iMac for working on at home -- for about the same price.

 

[Freewayjim]

I currently have a 15" UMBP and my next purchase will be a 17".

The battery is not a big issue for me but the screen (Matte & Resolution) is, even with an ext. monitor.

When I go to the Apple Store I will admit, it's hard to tell the 15's from the 17's at a quick glance, the 17's are not THAT much bigger, 6.6 lbs for a 17" laptop with the features and power the 17" UMBP has is quite remarkable.

To marinella; If your BF has the funds to comfortably make the purchase and still spend money on you then he should go for it

BTW, he should really appreciate you going with him, asking the question on here and trying to help with this purchase. My wife of nearly 20 years could give a rat's a$$ what kind of computer I want or eventually buy.

 

[jb1280]

I am in the process of going from an iMac and macbook air down to one machine.

Sometimes it is just a hassle having to keep files together on two machines.

Raw processing power is not a huge issue, but resolution is. As a researcher and writer, when doing work I have grown accustomed to being able to view multiple word documents and iphoto open to transcribe document images without having to switch back and forth.

At the moment I am splitting time between North America and Europe, and in the next couple of years will most likely be ending up on one side of the Atlantic.

I love the idea of the macbook and 24" display, but I am also intrigued about the idea of having the 24" display resolution everywhere, and not having to worry about either having to sell or move such a large item across an ocean.

I've never had a 17" notebook, but the battery, weight, and resolution seem really compelling.

I have buyers for both of my machines lined up, so the decision will happen soon, and am still torn 50/50, or 60/40 depending on the day.

 

[gianspi]

I bought the 17 because I could afford to.

Great reason!

 

[DooDaaDame]

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?

I am a Graphic Designer/Videot. I chose the MBP 17" Antiglare for several reasons, lots of screen space for the myriad of pallets that go along with design software, the max sized processor you can get in a MacBook, 8Gig of RAM capability, and tha Antiglare option, so vital for my aging eyesite. I also love the huge new battery...lots of time. and...being the vain artistic type, there is something to be said about having THE best MacBook available in the world today.
BTY: it's not that big or heavy, not like I have to rent a truck to haul it....

 

[Mr.Bullitt]

I think people whining about the 17" being to big or heavy seriously need to hit the gym or just get out and get a little exercise.

My Firefox backpack is designed for "..laptops up to 15.4.." - the 17" MBP fits in there easily - not even a tight fit - there is even room to spare. Barely feel it when the backpack is on my back....

 

[Sesshi]

Because it is 17 inches, because I need to run OS X, and I was kind of hoping that I'd have less problems - or at least different problems - in comparison to the previous generation 17MBPs.

I think that's worked out, as I am indeed having different problems to the previous machines.

I also wanted to see if the 8 hour battery life was real (it isn't) and also confirm my thoughts regarding the weakness of the unibody construction method as extended to the 17", and the consequent reasons behind why the battery is built in (confirmed).

3Kg is heavy for an all-day carry, no matter how you look at it, in conjunction with other daily items. I still put the MBP17 in the lightweight transportable bracket, not a portable.

 

[Mr.Bullitt]

anyone know the weight difference between the anti-glare and the glossy? Glass is not exactly the lightest material in the world...

 

[magamo]

anyone know the weight difference between the anti-glare and the glossy? Glass is not exactly the lightest material in the world...

I read the glossy MBP was a little more than 150g (or 0.33lbs) heavier.

 

[Bill Gates]

I honestly would have gone for the 17" had I been willing to spend the extra few dollars. As it is now, I got my current MacBook Pro from Apple without cost since I was having issues with my old one. The cost to upgrade would have been around $500, since given the choice, I would take a Matte screen over a glossy one any day of the week. I thus decided to take the 15" since I didn't have to pay a dime for it. With the high-resolution screen in the 17" model, it's really a nice piece of kit to be working with.

 

[3rdLittlePiggie]

Well, I personally went with the 15" because of the permanent battery in the 17", as for the matte screen, I have to say that as a Graphic Designer, I'm really not that upset that in certain situations I'll have to turn to get rid of a reflection. I'm not that lazy! haha j/k Anyways, in the end that battery won out...especially after my 14" G4 iBook battery last 20 mins now, and luckily Im upgrading, but its nice to be able to replace it myself without having to pay Apple to do it 4 years from now or whenever. Although I will say that 1000 cycles on a battery is a TON! So that might be a moot point, guess we'll find out in 4-5 years. Besides does anyone work that long without being in a place with access to an electrical outlet?

 

[Mr.Bullitt]

I read the glossy MBP was a little more than 150g (or 0.33lbs) heavier.

hmm... I was expecting that big glassplate to be heavier than 150g, maybe 300g.

The iPhone is heavy for its size....

 

[magamo]

hmm... I was expecting that big glassplate to be heavier than 150g, maybe 300g.

The iPhone is heavy for its size....

You know, the glass panel can be heavier than 150g because the silver bezel and/or some hidden parts might be adding some weight. You take off a glass panel that weighs, say, 300g and put a 50g bezel and a 100g part. Then lo and behold, the weight difference is merely 150g!

 

[whateverandever]

I bought mine purely for the 1920x1200 resolution. Now that I have it, I'm simply amazed at the battery life. I can easily get 7 hours of work at low brightness over WiFi.

At full brightness playing World of Warcraft I can even squeak out 2.5 hours, which is awesome.

I had the 15" unibody before (and 3 other 15"s before that) as well as a MacBook. I honestly don't notice the 17" being that much larger or heavier. However, if you went to a non-apple 17" it's quite a different story

 

[sputacus]

This is my first Mac. Carried around a Dell Inspiron 9300 for 4 years - MBP 17" is much lighter, even with hard shell attached. Like others have already stated, once you have a 17"... The 8 Gb memory is just icing on the cake!!!

I'm a broadcast engineer. My MBP is used primarily for my photography hobby.

 

[Sam21]

I just got carried away in the Apple Store which is how I ended up with mine!

Have thought about buying a Mac for years but never bothered but recently decided to take up iPhone development and discovered I needed a Mac so I went straight down to the Apple store the same day and fell in love with the 17"!

Oh and I really don't think it's as heavy/bulky/big as some people make out..

 

[rgarjr]

I think of all comes down to money. If u have it, then u buy the 17 if not u have to settle for the 15.

 

[killianb]

I think of all comes down to money. If u have it, then u buy the 17 if not u have to settle for the 15.

Completely agree. I have recently bought the 15", however, had I of had a little more cash in the bank, I'd have definitely gone for the 17". Don't get me wrong, the 15" is more than capable of doing what I require, however it would have been nicer to have the extra screen space and high def.

 

[galstaph]

I bought mine for the screen res, high res is awesome. My old 17 (2.4 SR) was great and handled everything I threw at it. My new unibody is even nicer, crisp screen, LED backlight rocks, even the new keyboard is nice to use. And the battery life is amazing, my santa rosa would maybe get 3-4 hours, maybe... this new one, I've already done more than 5 hours unplugged, and it still said it had ~3 hours left! amazing.

I use mine for architecture and 3d design