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Do you find the 15" MacBook Pro too much to carry everyday?

U

urbanskywalker

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 30, 2007
255
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I use my current 13" macBook unibody everyday. I'm a teacher and I take it with me to school everyday. I'm planning to give the current one to my wife and then buy one of the new models. I should add that I have the 24" LCD display for working at home. For those of you that have one do you think the 15" MacBook Pro is too cumbersome to carry everyday? I'm turn between buying a second 13" model or the 15" model.
Thanks for any input
 
A couple of my friends have them and didn't really have a problem this past school year. I lugged around my 17'' and it was pretty bulky at times.
 
Nope, no trouble at all.

I have the 15" early '08 version and carry it with me to school every single day. I park about a 10 minute walk away from campus, and have no problem taking it with me back and forth. It's a pretty big campus, but the 15" MBP is a very manageable laptop.
 
I'm about to buy a 15", currently have a 13" Blackbook, and one thing I find with this one is that, paired to my 22" monitor, it's great. Take it away and I feel like I lose so much screen space. Thus I tend not to leave my room as much as I would like because I miss the extra space. Hence this time round I'm picking the 15".

That may not apply directly to you, but thought I'd point it out.
 
I'm not going for a 15" MBP. Period. It's too big for me to carry around. Unless you really need the extra power, especially the increased video capability, I'd stay with the new 13" MBP. More than enough for everyday use.
 
Im actually in the same dilemna as you are. I wouldnt want to think that it's a hassle to carry around the 15" mbp due to its weight. I'm somewhat leaning to the 13" since theres always going to be something better and i have a great desktop that can handle i can throw at it. But then again, this is my first mac, so what if i start liking the programs in it more than the PC, i might stick to it and regret not having extra real estate space and dedicated graphics just in case i might get into video editing and all. I really need to go the mac store so i can decide if weight and size is going to be a factor at all..
 
I think the 15" is just great in terms of portability. At least for me.
I previously had the 13" but i really like the 15" real estate.

13" is a bit too small for me.
 
I never had a problem carrying a 15" PowerBook every day. The difference between the current 13" and 15" is only one pound.
 
The thing is that 15" = always have a desktop replacement with you. The 13" is smaller in terms of footprint, and that's what I notice. But the weight is a different story. For some reason the 13" doesn't feel much lighter at all to me.
 
I carry my 17'' MBP everyday to work and barely notice the weight. I think the weight difference between the 15'' uMBP and MacBook is rather trivial. Finding a backpack with good shoulder support is key.
 
No. I think 15 is the perfect balance between weight and screen size. It's lighter than most of the textbooks I carry. And it's a very light 15 inch notebook, most 15 inch notebooks are like 6.5lbs, I've had 2 before the mbp.
 
I personally prefer a smaller notebook. I have had two iBook g4s and I loved the small footprint, but the screens were to small for practical uses. I was using the 12" as my primary computer for over 2 years. So I became really sick of such a small screen. I also had a 15" TiBook and that computer was amazing. The screen was awesome and a great size. However, that computer had a much smaller footprint than the current MBP, because the TiBook screen came all the way to the edge of the screen bezel. This made it so you could accommodate a bigger screen without a bigger footprint.

The 13" MBP is a very similar footprint to my old TiBook but the screen is obviously smaller. I think it's perfect. Well, the footprint is perfect, but if they pulled the screen all the way to the edges, you would be very close to a 15 inch screen, basically what you would have is a new TiBook.

Go with the 13", thats my humble opinion. :D :apple:
 
I would think that for a teacher the 15" would be ideal.

Personally I am in and out of a vehicle many times during the course of a day lugging the notebook as I go. I own a 15" and I am fine with it, though for me I am thinking a 13" may make life a bit easier.

We will be buying a 13" MBP, and I will try it out for a month or two. At the end of that month, whichever one works best for me I will keep, the other goes to my daughter.
 
If this question of 'cumbersome' starts to get into you, i think you should go for a 13" one. I personally find it too heavy to carry around. After all it's a portable computer. you want it to be nice and easy to carry around. for some 15" or 17" might not be cumbersome and for some even a 13" mbp are bulky. So it's individual preference.
 
harcosparky said:
I would think that for a teacher the 15" would be ideal.

Personally I am in and out of a vehicle many times during the course of a day lugging the notebook as I go. I own a 15" and I am fine with it, though for me I am thinking a 13" may make life a bit easier.

We will be buying a 13" MBP, and I will try it out for a month or two. At the end of that month, whichever one works best for me I will keep, the other goes to my daughter.
Click to expand...

I think its the footprint not the weight that makes a difference

eV
 
Not at all...the 15" is very easy to carry. Its light and doesnt take up a lot of space. No problem with it ever, perfect size. Now the 17", thats a different story.
 
I ended up going for the 15" for the extra screen space. I don't think it will be too much of a challenge to carry around uni. What does concern me is the fact that we have very small desks in certain classrooms - my 13" uMB was just small enough to fit.
 
I've been carrying a 2006 15" MBP around campus in my backpack. I wouldn't really say it's a challenge carrying it as I'm usually not carrying any textbooks, but there have definitely been times that I left it behind because of the weight / size and I'm debating buying a MBA or 13" MBP + 24" ACD sometime this summer.

Since you already have the external, I would go with the 13, but that's just me.
 
I had a 17" Dell and it was too much. It wasnt even a wide screen like the macs. Then i got a 15" MBP. Its just the right size, i even have an incase on mine and its still nothing. I have long walks from the parking lot and classes. I have a decent size university its around the area of 30,000 people or something like a year ago i think. But its not bad, i usually walk up 5 flights of stairs everyday in the library. Honestly, is a 15" computer "weighs you down" its time to work out.
 
eVolcre said:
I think its the footprint not the weight that makes a difference

eV
Click to expand...

Oh I agree, I used to carry a 15" Powerbook and it fit easily into my camera carry backpack. The MBP seems to be just a tad bigger, making it too big to fit into the backpack. Now I carry two cases, one for the cameras and one for the notebook.

I guess I should have been more clear, obviously the 13" would fit into the backpack.

Of course I could use the size as an excuse to buy a new backpack camera case. ;)
 
My main issue is I don't use it enough outside my home and I've got so much crap to unplug from it. If Apple were to make a docking station with video, USB, audio, etc. ports, it would be kinda nice. I can't use my mini external HDD on my cooling fan's ports because it needs more power. I also have to put the DVI cable on, which isn't the easiest cable to plug in.

As far as the weight, it's weighty, but not too much for me. I would rather carry around a MacBook Air if I had to do that every day, but then I'd need all that software. I want ONE configuration, so unless there's some way to literally sync everything between two Macs, I probably won't use a second one and just deal with all the unplugging.
 
If it's in a backpack, no. In a canvas work bag, the weight gets noticeable. From the looks of it the 15" doesn't look heavy but it really is compared to past MacBook Pro models (if not, definitely feels like it.)
 
I do find it cumbersome. I had a 12" PB ages ago, then got a 15" MBP when they came out. I ordered a 13" MBP on Monday and will be using that now. I use an external monitor when working on the laptop for a long period of time, as the ergonomics of laptops in general are pretty terrible (so bad on the neck and shoulders!), so having extra screen real estate on the mobile itself is a low priority for me.
 
I carry my 15" MBP with me everyday to work and around town as needed and I haven't found it to be to much of a bear. One thing I would recommend though is the Brenthaven Create Your Own Case - which is what I'm using - and it is a trooper for everyday use. It has a separate compartment for the MBP which is padded all around and another compartment for files, pencils, etc. I believe they retail for around $130 which is a minimal investment if you plan on toting your MBP around constantly.
 
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