12" displays vs. 14", 15", and 17" displays

[chosenwolf]

What are some good reasons for choosing the 12" display over bigger displays offered by Apple.

Sometimes I wish I had a bigger display, but I bought the 12" version of the iBook for a reason; The obvious one being that it is a bit more portable and smaller.

2) The 12" display consumes less power, giving you more battery life.

What else, if anything?

 

[matticus008]

You've pretty much exhausted the list. It's smaller, which makes the computer more portable (and can contribute to weight savings since a larger computer would have a larger case even if all other components were equal). It draws less power, but then the computer is smaller so they often have batteries with slightly lower ratings anyway.

Other than that, it's pretty much all negatives--low resolution which means a small workspace, no support for HD content, a less refined image, in the current iBooks the aspect ratio means DVDs have bigger black bars, and for many people the low resolution means interface elements feel "oversized." On the other hand, there is no tangible benefit to the 14" iBook display over the 12" except that everything is physically larger (there is no difference in usable area because they are the same resolution).

 

[Vlade]

I have no problem using my 15" powerbook without another screen but I HATED using my 12" ibook as a primary screen, had to get a CRT monitor and use the screen spanning hack on the iBook so I wouldn't go insane.

 

[jihad the movie]

Going from the 20" Cinema Display on my G5 to anything less is a pain for me when I am at a desk, however, in class, and on the go, I'd only want my 12" Powerbook. For me, when I am mobile, I don't want anything larger than 12". I know it sounds strange, but I really like the size of the 12" of all the powerbooks... it could be made better with a higher resolution, but I think it is the most ideal for me when I am on the move. I can always plug it into something larger if I need to, and chances are, if I need to do something that needs more screen space, I probably will need to use a more powerful machine.

 

[plinkoman]

when i first started shopping for a laptop, i originally wanted the 12"pb, but one thing led to another and i ended up buying the 17". that said, i couldn't be happier. i couldn't imagine working on a smaller screen, nor does the hassle of a second display sound appealing.

but to each their own. i personally find the 17" plenty portable, but i can see how someone could think otherwise.

 

[zapp]

What are some good reasons for choosing the 12" display over bigger displays offered by Apple.

Sometimes I wish I had a bigger display, but I bought the 12" version of the iBook for a reason; The obvious one being that it is a bit more portable and smaller.

2) The 12" display consumes less power, giving you more battery life.

What else, if anything?

I haved owned 1 12" iBook, 1 12" Powerbook. 2 15" Powerbooks and a 17" Powerbook, and a Macbook Pro on order. I like the 15" the most It is big enough not to really miss a big screen, yet not so big that you don't want to take it with you. The 17" is just a little big to drag around the country, the 12" is really portable and a delight to tote, but if you want to have two window open and viewable at the same time you run out of screen area fast. If/When they release a 13" with higher resolution it would be perfect, of course this is all relative to my needs and your needs will be different.