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Finally got to see a Macbook in the "flesh"

Stetwin

Stetwin

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 8, 2007
273
0
England - Co-Durham
Well so to speak,

Yesterday I was in a John Lewis store in Newcastle and got the chance to get my hands on macbook and actually feel and see what it was like, I loved the sleek black casing and the brightness of the display, It seemed to launch applications fast and the keyboard and mouse pad felt nice to use the only down side was the size of the screen, I just hadn’t realised how small a 13.3” widescreen would actually be….. the macbook looked almost like a toy sat between the other laptops. What I want to know is what’s the screen like after prolonged use, will it strain my eyes while using PS and make me wish I had bought a laptop with a bigger display?
 
Stetwin said:
Well so to speak,

Yesterday I was in a John Lewis store in Newcastle and got the chance to get my hands on macbook and actually feel and see what it was like, I loved the sleek black casing and the brightness of the display, It seemed to launch applications fast and the keyboard and mouse pad felt nice to use the only down side was the size of the screen, I just hadn’t realised how small a 13.3” widescreen would actually be….. the macbook looked almost like a toy sat between the other laptops. What I want to know is what’s the screen like after prolonged use, will it strain my eyes while using PS and make me wish I had bought a laptop with a bigger display?
Click to expand...

I've been using my macbook now for a year and the screen feels great to me! But this may be skewed by the fact that I use to have a 12 inch ibook. However, I personally believe that you will be able to adjust easily.

Edit: Hmmm didn't see that bit about PS there...I use photoshop sparingly and it seems fine to me, but if you use t for a prolonged time I dunno...You could always just lug it into an external if you need more viewing space.
 
Stetwin said:
I will be moving down from a 26" display so i think I’m going to notice the difference dramatically
Click to expand...

You have a laptop with a 26" display?? :p Seriously, just hook your external monitor up if you want more screen real esate.
 
My MB screen is fine for most activities, but I also have an external 20" LCD monitor I plug into whenever the mood strikes me. I would definitely use an external monitor for PS.
 
If you're going to be working in PS for a prolonged amount of time, get an external if you can. I wanted to go with a MB, but my job is going to require me to work off my laptop screen most of the time, and although I've tried to like the MB's screen size, it gets annoying after a while. Power-wise, it's great (which is why if you're going to be working at a desk most of the time, a MB + external is perfect), but 13-inches just isn't enough real estate on its own.
 
Sorry about that, I don’t think I’ve explained things properly.

I’m going to be moving house in the next few weeks but my new home doesn’t have enough space to accommodate the PC and 26” display I have, so the laptop will be to replacing the home PC and be used in place of my old laptop (Cheap £400 one from a few years ago), But I also need the compatibility so I can tke it with me when I travel, so I thought the Macbook would be for me

So putting the idea of a second monitor aside, do any of you use it for 4-8 hours a day and find that the 13.3” widescreen is a problem?
 
Stetwin said:
Sorry about that, I don’t think I’ve explained things properly.

I’m going to be moving house in the next few weeks but my new home doesn’t have enough space to accommodate the PC and 26” display I have, so the laptop will be to replacing the home PC and be used in place of my old laptop (Cheap £400 one from a few years ago), But I also need the compatibility so I can tke it with me when I travel, so I thought the Macbook would be for me

So putting the idea of a second monitor aside, do any of you use it for 4-8 hours a day and find that the 13.3” widescreen is a problem?
Click to expand...
4-8 hours working in PS solely on the laptop? go with the pro. you could get by on the MB, but I really do think you'll get frustrated by the of lack real estate.
 
xfiftyfour said:
4-8 hours working in PS solely on the laptop? go with the pro. you could get by on the MB, but I really do think you'll get frustrated by the of lack real estate.
Click to expand...

Well about 4-5 hours of PS and then an additional 2-3 or so checking mail, browsing and uploading photos and a few other things but mainly PS
And then you bring me back to the dilemma from my first thread on here "Torn" i want the specs of the Macbook Pro but don’t like the housing on it

SMM said:
An LCD display does not take up any noticeable room. So, you should zero issues with having the best of both worlds.
Click to expand...

There is no problem finding space for the 26" TV/PC display but the problem would be sitting at it (I was wanting to wall mount it), the only things i will have that i can sit at aside from the dining room table is on the bedside cabinet and possibly the coffee table but having to put it all away after each time would be too much work.

By the time I make my mind up it will be OS X Cougar or something :rolleyes:
 
I agree. If you absolutely CAN'T set up a second display, then definitely go with a bigger screened notebook.

However, you can get a macbook and a 2nd monitor for the same price as the pro. Then you'll have the best portability and still have a home work station. And a TV. Just something to think about.
 
Stetwin said:
Yeah, thats what i was thinking i would have to do, so what other manufactures out there make decent laptops for the £800-£900 price mark?
Click to expand...

Fraid I can't help ya much there. I haven't researched prices on PC's in years. :D
 
Stetwin said:
Well about 4-5 hours of PS and then an additional 2-3 or so checking mail, browsing and uploading photos and a few other things but mainly PS
And then you bring me back to the dilemma from my first thread on here "Torn" i want the specs of the Macbook Pro but don’t like the housing on it



There is no problem finding space for the 26" TV/PC display but the problem would be sitting at it (I was wanting to wall mount it), the only things i will have that i can sit at aside from the dining room table is on the bedside cabinet and possibly the coffee table but having to put it all away after each time would be too much work.

By the time I make my mind up it will be OS X Cougar or something :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
I am in a similar dilemna. I love the Macbook casing and dislike the MBP casing. I could use the faster components but likewise its not crucial or really neccessary and I would find the extra boost in batter life a major boon for the Macbook. But the thing for me is my brother got a Macbook and after using it for a couple times (I used to have a 12" so I am used to small screens. But a widescreen 13.3" is just way to small to put a wide aspect on. I mean its the same height but much wider which takes advantage of basically nothing except maybe movies.) I could not stand the screen size with that aspect even though I never noticed a problem with my old pb. Odd.

So I after the update to SR and the LED backlighting I figured now there is enough component difference over the MB to justify the case. And I like the screen size a lot better. So I have resolved to get the MBP. But I just wish they had changed the case. Cause from my PB I am worried about denting especially as the computer gets bigger it can only become more prone. :(

But if you do want to get a Macbook. There is one solution. You could just mount a tiny little shelf under the 26" screen. And basically just have the macbook set up right under the screen and by using Bluetooth keyboard and mouse basically sit comfortably anywhere in the room be it on a couch, table, or in the kitchen. I guess this allows you the flexibility of the laptop without the restraints of the screen. You can even get bluetooth Wacom tablets if you use those in Photoshop.

But if I were you I would just bit the bullet and get the MBP. I know its a bit pricey especially for a case, with obvious flaws, that is so old. But really its a nice machine and at something like only $400 more than the Black Macbook you do get a lot of stuff such as a dedicated GPU (for PS thats really helpful!), 15" screen, real keyboard, backlit keys, LED backlight (if you atleast support the environment), and a faster processor. Oh and I think the wireless gets better range too if I'm not mistaken.

So if you can figure out a way to have the Macbook work out with your external monitor, cheers. But if not I would not feel so bad getting an MBP.
 
Stetwin said:
Yeah, thats what i was thinking i would have to do, so what other manufactures out there make decent laptops for the £800-£900 price mark?
Click to expand...

there is no decent laptop out there excepts Macs, you should know that! :p maybe you should checked for a refurbished mbpro, it'll be a bit cheaper.
 
I guess the best way for me to decide will be after i have set everything up in the new house and can actually see the space i have to play with, I'm in no rush to buy at the moment anyway because i want to take advantage of the HE Discount but my brother (I'm getting him to buy me it) doesn't return to university until September 29th so i have to wait until then anyway,

Thanks for the help and advise guys :D

/Ste
 
Stetwin said:
Yeah, thats what i was thinking i would have to do, so what other manufactures out there make decent laptops for the £800-£900 price mark?
Click to expand...


I guess if you want help choosing a notebook, notebookreview.com is a very useful forum, they have a section for about every single notebook manufacturer (including apple)
 
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