OT-ish: macbook pro 15" or 17"???

my needs are becoming more and more mobile so im about to grab a new (last years pre-hardwired battery) macbook pro.

anyone know, is there anything that the 17" can do that the 15" can not? aside of course from displaying two more inches of content...?

OH, and does anyone have real world experience as to whether the solid state hard drive is of any major day-to-day value?

The 17" can take eight gigs of RAM, if you're willing to pay for it.

There are comparison charts on the Apple web site. [www.apple.com]

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There are comparison charts on the Apple web site

right. i've been there. and comitted most of it to memory... though that info isnt accurate. you can put more than 4 gigs into them...

what im asking is has anyone encountered anything from a workflow perspective where the 15 wasnt adequate.

It's not strictly workflow but I have come across situations where the 15" laptops got taken more places because the 17's were just that little bit too big to lug around. The difference in the weight and $$ for a Pelican case needed for a 17 was enough to make me glad I had chosen the 15.

The only workflow difference I can think of is the monitor size. Can't the 17 do pixel for pixel HD or something like that?

ak
Sleeplings, AWAKE!

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The only workflow difference I can think of is the monitor size. Can't the 17 do pixel for pixel HD or something like that?

yeah, thats about all id ever heard. and pixel for pixel playback isnt something i can forsee needing... not ON the laptop anyway...

and im guessing that since the 15" doesnt have a firewire400 port, i can just get a 400 to 800 cable to connect to my hpx170...?

Yeah, as long as your framestore is eSATA or something else Express Card based.

i wonder if that solid state hard drive is going to make anyones day a better place...?

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i wonder if that solid state hard drive is going to make anyones day a better place...?

Barefeats has some comparisons on that. Solid state is wave of future but big bucks as of today. I do got to say the new 17inch is MUCH lighter than the old. Amazing. So weight is not so much an issue but size still is if you travel a lot.

Michael Horton
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i consider that new 17 with the built in battery an extortionate move by apple. so there is now way im going with the new model. but i am just intrigued as hell by solid state ANYTHING! except for guitar amps of course - VIVA LE VACUUM TUBES!

17" all the way. I had a 15" powerbook for 5 years. I switched to a 17" macbook pro a couple months back, and I will never go back to a 15". I was hard core when using my 15" that the 17" is just too big. Too bulky. Too overkill.

However, I was dead wrong for my own personal needs. I realized I was just giving away too much screen real estate with the 15". Granted I have only worked on features, so my timelines can tend to have up to 50 audio tracks as I get near the end of projects thanks to various stems from previews and such.

I personally don't find the 17" that big to lug around. I will never pack it into a case, and will always hand carry on planes, and when traveling. The weight is a non issue. Bigger issue is lugging hard drives around for me.

What do you carry it onto a plane in, a case, a sleeve, something else? If a case, what case are you using?

I have my 17" PB in a neoprene sleeve from BodyGlove that slides into a wheeled pilot's case for carry-on.

My pilot's case was made by U.S. Luggage (now sold under the brand name SOLO). It also fits a DSR-45, and several pocket drives, if packed right. It was sold as a 15" case, but back in the day (c. 2004), PC laptops were so much bulkier than Macs, it fit perfectly. I brought the whole kit-n-kaboodle to the store to see if everything would fit.

I also have a shoulder bag from Briggs & Riley that fits the 17" nicely, plus a few accessories. That slides over the handle of a rolling bag, so I can still have wheels if I need them. I love the strap that comes with that, and I use it on other carry-on bags when I'm not packing a laptop.

debe

I'm with you Tim. The 15" is too small. The 17" with the 1920 x 1200 screen real estate...there is no (portable) substitute - it is the shizzle. I carry my entire portable suite around (MBP / full size aluminum keyboard / Griffin Elevator / wireless mouse / cables / batteries / paperwork / DVD case / and more) in a Wenger Pegasus:




Inside the backpack, the MBP lives in an anti-shock zipper sleeve that can be pulled out and carried by itself:




When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

i just went and played with the new top end 15" at the apple store. it feels flimsy as hell!

last years 17 looked better, felt better, had more ports - game, set, match!

Cool. I have last year's 17" MBP. It's pretty cool next to a standard editing workdesk, and I can also use it as a mobile kit. On the other hand, the new ones should be faster, especially with the 1Ghz front side bus.



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