[pigbite]

Hi,

I am almost certainly going to switch from a Fujitsu Lifebook laptop (running xp pro) to either a new 12" or 15" PB - the only question is which one...

Having checked out a number of the very useful threads on the board I am coming to a conclusion so I thought I'd note my musings for others to get a feel for my thinking and perhaps comment.

By way of a bit of background I am a software developer/technology consultant specialising in e-learning. I mostly use Java (Eclipse IDE) and open source technologies like Ant, Cocoon, Tomcat, JBoss etc. No problem with Panther there! I do a little .NET development so would probably need to use the OS Wintel product or Virtual PC for that (or my desktop windoze machine). Office app wise I use Office but also use OpenOffice so could use that or get MS Office on the PB. I also dabble in Flash but can use that on the PB np.

Portability is important as I travel to clients daily however screen size is also a factor as I wear glasses and tend to have loadsa apps open.

So here are some specific thoughts...

Portability
No problems with the 15" - after all I already carry a bigger laptop weight wise BUT the 12" is SO much more portable just through lack of bulk. Just being able to fit it on a coffee shop/pub table, plane tray, lap etc means it is more useable...

Screen
I suspect I can handle the 1024x768 res cos most of the time I have the option of hooking up to another display. My impression is that the 12" screen is not a good as the 15". Sure I could live with it though!

Processor
Not sure what difference a 1.33 v 1.5 makes in real life for my type of work. I suspect a bigger influence to productivity is memory and window swapping...

Memory
I would immediately add 512mb (768 total) but that would mean losing a 256mb chip from the 15" - that is a bit sharp from Apple IMHO. Really I want to go to at least 1gb but price prevents! I like the fact that the 15" can ultimately go to 2Gb and not sure if the 1gb limit for the 12" make be limiting in the long term - esp as memory gets cheaper.

Question is for apps like VPC and having lots of stuff open can the 12" really hack it? (this is my switching ignorance here)

Graphics
I like the idea of a the faster and expandable card in the 15" but not really sure how much value this adds. Sure it would be great for 3d games but I am not a big gamer right now so does it make much difference?

Connectivity
Not worried about not having FW800 and gigabit ethernet - but would be nice :-)

Keyboard
I like the sound of the backlit keyboard, not least because I tend to work alot at night and like dim lighting. Truth is though that I am not a music producer/troll/vampire etc and although heart says "HEY!", head says "not important".

Conclusion
At the moment I am 60/40 for the 12" but there is still something in my head that says I may want to sacrifice some portability for the greater expandability and useability of the 15". I know it's an impossible answer really and the only person who can convince me is myself but any comments would be appreciated!

Regards and TIA

jez

[biposto]

I have the 12" and the 15".
You will like the screen of the 15, its way better, besides higher resolution.
The compact 12 is nice if you have to move around a lot.

[pigbite]

Interestingly I am now shifting to the 15". Yesterday I was using my current 1024x768 15" Fujitsu laptop with the latest Oxygen XML editor. It has an XSLT debug mode that shows source XML, XSLT file, watches, trace and the output. To much info for compfortable use at 1024x768 so I had to plug in an external monitor. The extra res on the 15" PB would have made a difference to me had I been forced to use the laptop without an option to go to another monitor.

Also, much more is included in the base spec in terms of disk, processor and memory. A 12" would be have to be a BTO for the 80gb hard drive but the bits I would have BTO on the 15" (5400 rpm drive & 128mb gfx card) are not critical, especially when my local dealer has 15" superdrives in stock and I need a laptop sharpish :-)

I have also spoken to some PB owners I know. One has the 12", the others 15" and the 15"s have never presented these people with portability problems so it's not such an issue I believe, expecailly as the 15" is alot les bulky than my current machine.

With the little extras like backlit screen etc I am now 80/20 for the 15"...

[Ken6800]

If I was you it would be the 15" all the way. If you really need the screen space, speaking as someone using a 15" Tibook at the moment, then there isn't any comparison really.

I am getting a 12" but that is because portability is my main concern.

The only thing is that the footprint of the 15" can take up space, although the weight has never been a problem, but if you're willing to sacrifice for screen size then get the 15".

Myself, I do most of my video editing at the moment at home on two displays, so I don't mind- and portability trumps everything for me.

My advice, get the 15" inch for the extra space.

And the backlit keyboard.

[MilkmanDan]

I have a 12in, and my roomie has a 15in. IF you don't care about ultra portability and have the $, get the 15in. I love my 12in because its super small and fast enough to run anything I throw at it (Its a 1.33 model). I can't say that the 1.5 ghz chip will make that much of a difference, you'd have to find benchmarks.

Oh, be sure to find a cheap second monitor around (or scrounge one up). I really enjoy hooking up another monitor when at my desk, it freaks people out. Oh, and its handy for doing lots of work and super easy to get working (just plug it in). But then again, both the 12in and the 15in can do this.

[ginalee]

A week ago, I was also in-between 15" or 12".

What swayed towards my final choice was: seeing both in action side by side. Since it's a big investment for me, I wanted to make sure I wouldn't regret the purchase.

Screen real estate wasn't too much of a deal for me, neither is the 1.5 GHz compared to the 1.33. In the end the 15" was too wide for my tastes. The 12" simply looks cute and exquisite at the same, while being affordable.

[amazing]

One thing that stood out in your requirements was that you need a good LCD for your eyes' sake. So, if the vast, vast majority of your time is going to be spent tethered to an external monitor, you can consider the 12". However, if any significant portion of time is going to spent on the 12" screen, then your eyes will thank you major big time for choosing the 15". The 15" simply has the better LCD, so eye fatigue will be greatly dimished.

[pigbite]

Thanks for the replies - it's been great reading all the views. I went back to the Apple shop today and got a 15" 1.5 Superdrive. It is portable enough for me and everytime I see the 12" and 15" next to each other the 15" definately has a better screen both in terms of res but also basic contrast, sharpness etc. Put the same background and brightness on, put em next to each other and see if you agree... I don't know why cos I would have thought they would have the same construction and display properties but my eyes see it that way!

Having sat down with the 15" at home now I am really really pleased with my choice. The machine is fantastic and the display is superb. It's plenty good enough for even my mole eyes, the only reason to use a 2nd monitor is simply for masses of screen area. As a switcher from Windows I am soooooo impressed!

But.... the machine has to go back and be replaced first thing in the morning. The trackpad button is all but completely unusable. When I first switched the machine on the setup s/w came up with a menu asking me to choose my language. The pointer moved fine but clicking on the button had NO effect. I tried pressing keys. No effect. In the end in found that slamming my thumb on the button pretty hard worked.

I thought I'd go through the setup so I could see if any system preferences would affect the button. I got through to a configured machine (eventually!) but the keyboard options had no impact.

I have looked on the web and through these forums and there was a thread which mentioned a problem similar to mine. Instead of being hardware it suggested it was related to software and that zapping the PRAM (!) might solve it. As a newbie having to do a major reset seemed fun so I found out how to do that as well as a power management reset. Having taken these steps there seemed to be a very minor improvement but in fact I had stumbled across a tiny area of the button in the centre nearest the pad that works reasonably realiably when single clicking but is still 95% useless for double clicking and click/dragging.

My current workarounds are (1) slamming my thumb on the button like that mad version of that bloke out of Level 42 or (2) sticking to dbl-click on the pad. Neither are acceptable for a brand new out of the box machine. So back it goes...

Anyways I am sure I will get working machine tomorrow and then it is play play play over the weekend!

jez

[pigbite]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the button is sticking up above the level of the surround a millimetre or so - is this normal or should it be flush?

jez

[JCT]

Congrats on your new PB!

The Apple store will make it right. The track button sticks up just like yours on my 12" PB (soon to be swapped for a 17").

Enjoy and soon you will discover (in retrospect) just how annoying Windows really is (I'm a new switcher as well).

JT

[pigbite]

I went to my Apple store this morning (solutions-inc in Hove (thats the UK btw)) and they just swapped the laptop straight away. Excellent customer service. I know have a perfect 15" PB and LOVE IT. This is my first post done using it and I do not know why I did not get an Apple before.

The screen is excellent and just right. Time will tell as to if I would have prefered the 12" portability but this machine is so good I don't think I will ever care! :-)

Here's to many years of Mac usage!

jez

[gsxrboy]

Congrats

Mine is here hopefully soon !

[Phil the Fish]

Originally posted by pigbite:
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the button is sticking up above the level of the surround a millimetre or so - is this normal or should it be flush?

jez

Normal I hope as mine is about that level above the surround as well..... with a half mm depression before it clicks....

Phil

[pigbite]

yup, my new PB has the raised button so I think we are OK.... :-)