does your high resolution dell display have LED backlighting?
No.
didnt think so, so in about 3 years that display will be half as bright as when you bought it and my lovely 1440x900 mbp display will be just as bright as the day it was made
The Dell is noticeably dimmer than the MBP. The MBP is BRIGHT! Super bright! Too bright. I run it at 25% in Windows and somewhere between 35-50 in OS X. I have no idea why Windows is brighter than OS X. The wife says the MBP looks washed out. I agree.
But, I'm not here to argue about the brightness. The Dell was always perfectly bright to me and as I've said, I run the MBP at a fraction of the full brightness all the time.
I'm here to talk about resolution. Often I'll need two browser windows open to type data back and forth. This is extremely difficult on the MBP. I'll need to either squeeze windows really tight and align the text I want in a readable position. Well, heres a good example of what I'm talking about:
This is the MBP. 15" 1440x900. Can't put up two IE windows side-by-side and see the whole page. So here's an Inspiron 6000 15" 1680x1050 thats about two and a half years old:
Slightly out of focus but you should get the point. Two IE windows open side-by-side with the full width of the web page open plus a gap between the windows. This becomes even more useful for working with multiple web pages and such.
Here's a side-by-side shot just for those interested:
if you want a hi resolution display BUY THE FREAKING 17" MODEL
You know what, this isn't a solution. PC manufacturers have offered 1680x1050 and 1920x1280 screen on 15" laptops for three years. I nearly bought the 1920x1280 on my Dell, but decided the $175 price delta between it and the 1680x1050 wasn't worth it. An external monitor is also not a solution for me. I solely use laptops. My desk is 1ft wider than the laptop. The 17" isn't a solution because I carry it everywhere I go. I would prefer a 12" or 13" but refuse to accept a 1280x800 screen. I would take a 1440x900 in that size though.
All I'm saying is that it's shameful that Apple hasn't given it's 15" laptop users the flexibility and choice that other laptop manufacturers have had for years, but then again, I wouldn't expect anything less from the fruit company.
In the end, I like the MBP because it's insanely fast, a pound and a half lighter than my Dell, has a backlit keyboard, the awesome MagSafe power connector, the great video card (coming from the X300 in the I6000), the fact I can run Windows and OS X and that it only cost me about $120 bucks. In the end, I only wish I could have exchanged it for one with a 1680x1050 screen and 2 more USB ports and throw in a SD card reader for crying out loud Apple!
EDIT: And a hard drive activity light. I swear, I'm, looking at this thing and I don't even know if it's doing anything sometimes. At least if it had a HD activity light I would know it's reading the HD and not just plain locked up not doing anything.
