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Clarkey · Sep 8, 2003, 05:43 PM

Hi everyone, I'm a frequent reader of these great forums, and I'd really appreciate getting some feedback from those of you who are "in the know" if you will, on the subject of screen size for portables.

Some time over the next few months, I plan on buying an Apple laptop, more than likely something from the PowerBook series. I had always thought that a 15" model was an absolute minimum in terms of screen size (I've been using a 15" CRT monitor at home for 6 years) but after trying a friend's 12" iBook one weekend, I was very surprised with how small it wasn't, if you get my drift. I'm now a little torn on whether or not I should go with a 12" screen vs a 15" screen. For the record, the 17" PowerBook is not currently in the running. LOL!

My workload is primarily web surfing, emailing, and some small to moderate graphic design (web sites, brochures, logos, etc.) where I'm not placing any huge demands on the processor or the amount of memory, etc. I'd like also play the odd game as well as all the other great stuff OS X can do.

The cost between 12" and 15" isn't huge, so that's not a concern... Hmm, I've never bought a laptop, so what are my concerns? Hehe!

Thanks, Macnn peeps!

CobraNT · Sep 8, 2003, 06:53 PM

I was originally looking at the 17" Powerbook. I thought the 15" would not be much bigger than the 14" Thinkpad I was trying to ditch due to the usual issues with Windows. I ended up buying a 15" G4 800Mhz. When I picked it up I was shocked. The 15" seemed like a big screen TV compared to my 14" IBM. I would go with the 15" if the 17" is outta your price range. Just my 2 cents.

Mithras · Sep 8, 2003, 06:57 PM

The only answer is to try out some different machines and see how it feels.

Do you like the high pixel density on the 12"? Conversely, do you find yourself squinting at small type?

Go to an Apple Store and play around. Open some web browsers; open two Appleworks (is Word on the demo machines?) documents side-by-side, and see how that feels on each.

Finally, go to the ATM and withdraw $400. Rub it with your fingers -- how does it feel?

Clarkey · Sep 8, 2003, 07:26 PM

CobraNT - Thanks for your input. Yeah, the 17" PowerBook isn't really what I have in mind. Or in my bank account.

Mithras - I'd love to try out the subtle differences between the 12" and 15" PowerBooks, but I can't -- I live in an area where there aren't any authorized Apple dealers.

You raise an interesting point regarding small type though. When I was sampling my friend's 12" iBook, I do remember bumping up the font size within Safari to make reading easier on the eyes. I don't recall having any problems outside of Safari -- perhaps my weekend iBook exposure wasn't long enough to benchmark any kind of "real world" results.

NYCFarmboy · Sep 8, 2003, 07:45 PM

Depends on how much you are going to travel with it.

If you travel a lot, get the 12". You'll never regret its portability. I have a 12" ibook and its just about perfect for traveling, taking to meetings, presentations etc.

If it primarily will be at one location, then get the 15". I really like the 15" models, however the size is just a bit much for carrying around with you all day.

Whatever you do wait until after next week and the Paris Mac show. There is broad speculation that major upgrades are in the works for the entire Powerbook lineup soon.

El Diablo · Sep 8, 2003, 08:31 PM

I've been using a white 500mhz iBook with a 12" for over 2 years. I love the portablitiy of my machine which is not all that different that the Powerbook 12".

I enjoy the size of the 12" when wireless surfing on the couch. But becasue I use my iBook at a desk for most of the day I am considering upgrading to a 15" Powerbook. I'm especially interested in the rumors of a new design.

Oh, and if you fly a lot, you'll notice the difference between the two machines.

Clarkey · Sep 8, 2003, 09:19 PM

NYCFarmboy & El Diablo - I don't "travel for living" but I do plan on taking my laptop to meetings with clients, around town, etc. A smaller 12" PowerBook would make perfect sense for airplanes, etc, but I don't think that should be my primary concern.

Hmm... You know, the more I think about it, there are costs that come with owning a laptop that I hadn't really taken into consideration. There's the Apple Care support (which is a no-brainer), a good quality case, more RAM, Airport Extreme, an external mouse, and perhaps even an additional monitor for stationary work. Am I missing anything?

Ah, the decisions to be made after Paris...

aapljack · Sep 9, 2003, 12:21 AM

I am looking at getting a PB and at first, I wanted to get a 12" PB. The price was right, it's small and feature-rich. I, too, would probably be using it for web surfing, e-mail and occasional graphic design work. And, of course, taking it along on trips. Once I found out the cap on the screen rez on the 12", I had to go with a 15". Whenever I work on a computer, I need a good amount of screen real estate. If I am even gonna think about using Photoshop or Dreamweaver, I need room for palettes and multiple windows.

So I am opting (and waiting) for the 15". You have to sacrifice a few features on the 12" such as not being able to add 1G ram, small screen rez, no pc card slot, no L3 cache on the processor, no backlit keyboard (rumored to be on the new 15).

Both are great machines, you just need to take into account how you will use it.

Hope this helps..

-brian

Clarkey · Sep 9, 2003, 08:33 AM

aapljack - "Real estate" is an important consideration for sure. By the way, you can now get a 1GB stick of RAM for the 12" PowerBook. But it will all play out over the next few months (weeks, hopefully).

aapljack · Sep 9, 2003, 10:31 AM

Yeah, you can get a 1G stick of memory for the 12", but I think that would cease to make the 12" a good deal. Aren't those sticks like $500 or more?

-b