View Full Version : Macbook Pro choices
pony_trekker
2006-12-23, 10:44
I have some untaxed 1099 income this year. I was planning on buying a new macbook pro as an offsetting business expensee.
I am undecided between the 15" and 17".
Any suggestions?
Ideally, I would like the 15" with the 160GB hard drive but that can only be ordered online and I can't buy that before the end of the year and have it delivered at a time where I will be home to get it as we have Xmas and beginning of January trips.
The 17" I can grab at any apple store, but I think it might be too unweildy.
Or, does anyone have any experience calling Apple with specific delivery instructions, e.g., buy now but wait until January to ship?
Do you have any trustworthy friends who are not traveling over Christmas break? You could give Apple a different delivery address.
intlplby
2006-12-23, 13:57
buy the 17" and i'll trade you my 15" for the 17"
You could get the 17" and if you find it too large take the hit of the restocking fee and get the 15" later.
I seriously doubt you'll notice the extra two inches, and as PB PM says you can downsize if you do. I have the 15" MBP and although my work is remote based and therefore commute-less, I do take it to lectures and seminars and it's no weight at all. If the weather is clear I just carry it under my arm, although that's mainly for the chicks.
I dunno, I think this is a very difficult decision. I'm a student, with a 15" PB, but I constantly regret not buying the 17". I take my PB to the library, but never to lecture, its simply too big for those little tiny desks the university has in most lecture halls. My opinion is that the two larger PB sizes really aren't ideally portable - so go with the more impressive one; for me that would be 17". The 15" isn't really any more "wieldy" than the 17".
intlplby
2006-12-24, 03:18
i think there is a muge bigger difference in unwieldy factor from 15 to 17" than from 12" to 15" (using PB form factor for comparison, i know there is no 12" now)
two more inches is a lot more mass relatively speaking, it get's tiring to carry a 17" with a shoulder strap, if you get the 17", i'd get a packpack or a messenger bag...
personally i wish i had a 17" myself... screen real estate is really valuable to me
I couldn't disagree more - the weight increase is really insignificant, and its not that much wider. I don't follow your logic, how the diff. in 2 inches is bigger than the difference between 3 inches.
I have a "shoulder strap" which doubles as a "messanger bag" (I'm not sure what the diff. is between these two) and both carry the 15" vs. 17" identically. Only with the 12" can I really tell a difference, and I'd take the straight to the Pepsi challenge buddy.
Fahrenheit
2006-12-24, 14:07
The 17" I can grab
You could get the 17" and if you find it too large...
I seriously doubt you'll notice the extra two inches
two more inches is a lot more mass relatively speaking, it get's tiring to carry a 17"
Only with the 12" can I really tell a difference, and I'd take the straight to the Pepsi challenge buddy.
Too...much....
http://www.dreamedia.co.nz/blog/uploaded_images/quagmire-729569.JPG
Brave Ulysses
2006-12-24, 14:10
I couldn't disagree more - the weight increase is really insignificant, and its not that much wider. I don't follow your logic, how the diff. in 2 inches is bigger than the difference between 3 inches.
I have a "shoulder strap" which doubles as a "messanger bag" (I'm not sure what the diff. is between these two) and both carry the 15" vs. 17" identically. Only with the 12" can I really tell a difference, and I'd take the straight to the Pepsi challenge buddy.
That's a pretty uninformed opinion, especially considering you don't own a 17".
It's only 2" but for a laptop it is a significant difference in size and weight that is very noticeable and can be a major influence of whether you can use your laptop somewhere or not and whether you bring your laptop or not.
The 17" simply is not a laptop to use on the go in the manner other smaller portables are used in. 15" seems to be the max for that type of usage. If you are gonna go place to place and set up on a table then sure, the 17" may be for you. But in my opinion if you want portability, the ability to open the laptop on your lap quickly in an airport, on a plane, at a cafe, in a classroom, outside, etc then the 15" is the way to go because doing any of those with a 17" is just impractical and akward at times.
intlplby
2006-12-24, 16:02
Size and weight
Size and weight (12-inch model)
Height: 1.18 inches (3.0 cm)
Width: 10.9 inches (27.7 cm)
Depth: 8.6 inches (21.9 cm)
Weight: 4.6 pounds (2.1 kg) with battery and optical drive installed
15-inch MacBook Pro
Height: 1.0 inch (2.59 cm)
Width: 14.1 inches (35.7 cm)
Depth: 9.6 inches (24.3 cm)
Weight: 5.6 pounds (2.54 kg) with battery and optical drive installed(4)
17-inch MacBook Pro
Height: 1.0 inch (2.59 cm)
Width: 15.4 inches (39.2 cm)
Depth: 10.4 inches (26.5 cm)
Weight: 6.8 pounds (3.1 kg) with battery and optical drive installed(4)
12" -> 15" ---- 3" increase - 1.0 lb
15" -> 17" ---- 2" increase - 1.2 lb
so..... a smaller increase in dimensions yields a greater increase in weight when you go from 15" to 17"
because there is a greater increase in area
if you are going to be using it in cramped places (trains, planes and automobiles) the 17" becomes unweildy
pony_trekker
2006-12-30, 22:17
I have some untaxed 1099 income this year. I was planning on buying a new macbook pro as an offsetting business expensee.
I am undecided between the 15" and 17".
Any suggestions?
Ideally, I would like the 15" with the 160GB hard drive but that can only be ordered online and I can't buy that before the end of the year and have it delivered at a time where I will be home to get it as we have Xmas and beginning of January trips.
The 17" I can grab at any apple store, but I think it might be too unweildy.
Or, does anyone have any experience calling Apple with specific delivery instructions, e.g., buy now but wait until January to ship?
Simple solution: found a reseller that had a 15 " 2.33 w a 160 HD in stock. Very nice.
I moved from a 12" PB to a 17" MBP and I am regretting it. I wish that I had gone for the 15" MBP. The 17" is very nice, but it is rather large and difficult to travel with.
I also find it not the most comfortable to work with in my lap.
If I had it to do all over again I would go for the 15". I'm just glad that this is my company's laptop and I did not have to use my money on it.
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