Will I miss my 15" MBP?

I have a 2006 15" MBP with the antiglare screen that has been slowly dying over the last few months and as of this morning won't power up. Anyways, my question is would I regret it if I replaced it with a 13"? Would I miss the extra screen space and the antiglare screen? When I was in school, I always wished I had the 13" because mine was a pain to carry around (I'm a girl, ok). Now that I graduated I don't really carry it away from home all that often, but I think that is why I still have in the back of my mind that I want a 13" (oh, that and its $600 cheaper). Has anyone gone from a 15" to a 13"? Did it take getting used to? Do you wish you hadn't? And how is the glossy screen?

Sorry for any typing errors, I typed this on my phone. Poor MBP.

If you don't need the portability of a notebook computer any longer, you can always switch to a nice new iMac with a 21.5" or 27" screen. You can buy the 21.5" iMac which is much more powerful than the 13" MBP for around the same price or a bit more.

However, if you like having a portable computer, the 13" at its lower cost is a good choice. For the $600 savings you can always buy a nice external monitor for using it at home. External monitors are inexpensive and easy to hook up. You can probably get a nice one at Best Buy or some other store for around $200.

Glossy versus anti-glare: I like glossy but some folks prefer the anti-glare. The new glossy screens on the iMac are spectacular.

Thanks for the suggestions. I know how nice the iMac is, but I'd still prefer the portability of a laptop (or at the very least, the room to room to bed portability of a laptop).

I'll try to get to the apple store either tonight or tomorrow so I can compare the glossy vs anti-glare for myself.

To add to the good advice already given it really comes down to your personal preference. I personally didn't like the 13". It was too small for me while the 17" was too big. The 15" was a good compromise between the two but that's my preference. Since you no longer use your MBP that much as a portable then the issue isn't as important unless you just like the smaller size or you still find the larger size annoying for the few times you do carry it around.

As for the glossy opinion that's also a personal preference. I personally won't buy another glossy screen for a laptop. It's not that bad if you only use it at your desk where you can control your lighting situation but I also use my MBP outdoors and other places besides my desk (house with big windows). The glossy wasn't bad when I first tested it out because it was in a control lighting area but when I finally took my MBP outside of my house it was pass the return period before I realized my mistake. I just use my PowerBook laptop with matte screen for those times so I'm not in a hurry to either sell or upgrade my current MBP but I would be if it was my only laptop.

This is also another reason why you should see it in person if you have not yet done so. If the store allows, you should pick up the MBP and move it around to see how bad the glare and reflection is when the lighting changes directions. It's most noticeable when you are watching a movie with dark backgrounds or a website with black or other dark colors. That's something I didn't do when testing it out. I admit the glossy is pretty to look at which is one of the reasons why I was tempted by glossy but I now realized that functionality is more important to me. Your preference could be different though...

I think you shouldnt have a problem with it go to the apple store and play around with it see if you'll miss it or not for sure....

veryape said:

I have a 2006 15" MBP with the antiglare screen that has been slowly dying over the last few months and as of this morning won't power up. Anyways, my question is would I regret it if I replaced it with a 13"? Would I miss the extra screen space and the antiglare screen? When I was in school, I always wished I had the 13" because mine was a pain to carry around (I'm a girl, ok). Now that I graduated I don't really carry it away from home all that often, but I think that is why I still have in the back of my mind that I want a 13" (oh, that and its $600 cheaper). Has anyone gone from a 15" to a 13"? Did it take getting used to? Do you wish you hadn't? And how is the glossy screen?

Sorry for any typing errors, I typed this on my phone. Poor MBP.

Click to expand...

I go back and forth between 15" and 13" laptops, and I don't really miss the real estate unless I'm doing engineering work or something that absolutely benefits from a super high res screen.

I'm on a 15" MBP now, and now that I'm no longer in school, I'd probably go with something more portable - even though it doesn't leave the house much.