13 inch vs 15 inch

[Will.]

Help.End of the month / beginning of next month, I shall be upgrading from my 3 year old MacBook to a MacBook pro. I will be using it to do my uni work (assignments on word etc) , android programming using eclipse, watching videos, surfing the net and other everyday laptop uses (p**n).I will be carrying it to and from uni most days involving aa bike ride to the train station.My problem is deciding which size screen to go for? I've heard the 13s have a less better looking screen, but will I notice it doing what I'm doing?

 

[CountryBumpkin.]

Get a new Air.

 

[Revels]

15" has the better res screen (as an option) but I think the 13" is better for transporting.

MBP > Air.

 

[Harpham]

I have a 13" MBP. Does the job nicely. I couldn't live without it now. Im glad I went for that size too, as its easy to move around etc and wasn't too big to fit in my Uni bag.

 

[Krispwee]

If you go for the 13" I would seriously consider getting an Air over an MBP

 

[Jay.]

I love my MBP 13", i think its a decent size. Plus I came from using a 20" iMac and find it fine.

 

[LowLife.]

I also came from a 21.5" iMac to a 13" MBP.

I love it, wouldn't go back any day.

 

[cava83]

The new air has a better resolution and is apparently faster than the 13" MBP, I would consider it as an option.

 

[Christopher]

13" has an iffy screen and terrible speakers. They're the only two downsides.

Unless you really need the extra portability of the 13", go for the 15" model.

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

If I was to only have one Apple, it'd be a 15" MBP.

The 13" feels much larger than it should though. Go play with them in the Apple store.

 

[Munson]

17"

 

[VeinAST]

I'll have your old MacBook for £100, Will

 

[Will.]

Don't like the air.

I keep trying to go in to play on them but everytime I do, there are a million Spanish kids f**king around with them.

This will be my only computer.

Oh and as of this evening, I found out I'm not a student. So taking it around isnt a problem.

 

[smittytom]

Don't like the air.

I keep trying to go in to play on them but everytime I do, there are a million Spanish kids f**king around with them.

This will be my only computer.

Oh and as of this evening, I found out I'm not a student. So taking it around isnt a problem.

No Spanish Kids any more.
TBH i think the 13" Air is amazing and they are so quick if you don't need pure processing power but if you can afford a 15" go for one!
The hi-res screens are really nice if you get that option too.
Applecare is cheaper for the 13" machines though.

 

[spirez]

Let's face it, any one of the above will be epic.

I think the screen on my 13" is bang on. Unless you're using it for something like photoshop or video editing but I use mine for daily tasks and also to run my DJ program, Serato Scratch Live.

It's epic

 

[jenic]

15" MBP or 13" Air

 

[DB.]

I have a 13, wish I went 15 as it can be slightly too small, supposed you get used to it.

Ordered a 27" iMac to compensate for size lol

 

[Mr Pants]

I'd be tempted to sell you my 13" MBP at a decent price as I want an iMac but I don't think I've got teh_funds right now for the extra it would cost.

My only gripe with the 13 would be the screen isn't fantastic. Other than that it's sublime.

 

[Christopher]

17"

LOL. I used one of those for the first time the other week.

It's basically a desktop. I think my 27" iMac is lighter.

 

[cava83]

LOL. I used one of those for the first time the other week.

It's basically a desktop. I think my 27" iMac is lighter.

A guy on the train next to me had one, I had to tell him it was massive. I think he thought I was trying to chat him up.

The screen was amazing.

 

[Y7 ADW]

I have a 13" MBP and I love it, I thought It would be difficult for editing images to begin with but its perfectly fine. Couldn't live without it now.

 

[wozzaa]

Hate my 13", it's just too small. Guess it depends what you are used to, but I find even using it to do a spreadsheet annoying.

 

[Will.]

I have decided I'm going with 13 inch.

IF I want a larger display, I can hook it up to my tv which is right in front of me (around a meter) due to the layout of my living room.

I used the 15 in the store and it just felt to large on my lap and it is the same size as my current windows laptop which annoys me at how big it is.

Few questions. What word processing software does it come with?

Is a small SSD internal hard drive and a large external HDD better than a larger internal HDD?

 

[Revels]

It doesn't come with any.

Office = Expensive. iWork = Cheaper. OpenOffice = Free.

SSD is good for the OS, but I still think it's hype at the moment. It isn't that much quicker.

 

[Will.]

iWork is pages and numbers yh?

If so, I already have that on my macbook. Can I copy and paste it onto new one?

 

[Riad]

I have both!

Nothing wrong with the 13" good for on the move etc 15" has a better screen quality and sound.

 

[Christopher]

Only if you spec the better screen. And you're right about the internal speakers on the 13" model, they're super-uber cack.

 

[glenn_adam_doble]

definatly get a macbook pro, airs are nearly the same price but they have nout in them really MBP is just more powerful for the money, they arent that much heavier and personally i think they look better.

 

[Christopher]

They are a fair bit more portable than the MacBook Pros, I've had both.

And now you can buy Airs in a decent spec.

It really just depends what you're using it for.

 

[BurnyC]

If you have a screen to hook it up to, 100 percent go for the 13". I bought the 13" MBP and have no problems at all editing images, using illustrator etc. on it every day. Naturally it can get a little cramped sometimes compared to a bigger screen, but then a 15 inch will sometimes feel a bit small, as will a 17, until eventually you're attempting to carry around a 27 inch iMac - just the nature of laptops generally. Most of the time though it's no problem at all, and I can always hook it up to my monitor and get the bonus of dual screen. Also, the 15 inch just seemed a bit of an awkward size, both for carrying around with loads of other stuff, and for using on my lap. Might think 2 inches of screen doesn't make much difference, but as you said, you weren't comfortable with the 15, so that kind of defeats the point of a laptop in my opinion.

EDIT: RE: MacBook Airs. I love them, but I was put off by the quality of its spec vs. its price. As has been said, the spec has been improved and they are incredibly light and portable, but to be honest the MacBook Pros (13 inch in particular) aren't exactly overweight, so not too sure if it's really worth the extra. (Still want one though...)

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

NeoOffice > OpenOffice.

 

[cava83]

It doesn't come with any.

Office = Expensive. iWork = Cheaper. OpenOffice = Free.

SSD is good for the OS, but I still think it's hype at the moment. It isn't that much quicker.

Nice summary there of the office suites.

I sort of agree that SSD's are a hype, but having one i'd say that it's incredibly increased the speed of my laptop and increased my battery life. Shame they are expensive and small sizes.

 

[sn00p]

I'd get the 13". I have both a 15" and 13" and find the 13" is still "too big" to cart about with me.....

When I was getting the 13" I was tempted by the air, but at the time I wasn't too hot about the processor specs and didn't like the fact that the illuminated keyboard had been removed. A couple of months later in the refresh they sorted both of these "issues".

If I were buying today, I'd get the Air with 4GB of RAM.

I was slightly worried about the resolution on the 13" MBP as I use Xcode a lot, but fullscreen and the way that "screens" work in Lion has basically meant that it's much more usable than it was in Snow Leopard.