Mac Laptop decision

[yesthattom]

Ping, one of my SOs is going to buy the new tiny 12" mac laptop.
Work looks like they are going to buy me a mac laptop.

The big question is...

Do I get the 17" mac laptop and risk "one upping" my SO? She'll have just bought all the Mac she can afford, and I'll have gotten a more impressive one for "free"-ish.

Your thoughts?

(Alternatively: Should I get the 15" and forego the Firewire800 and other spiffy things that the 17" has?)

Comments

It's a size thing

[geminigirl]

I've known you a long time and I think only once have I seen you choose smaller over larger.

You're a size queen, and it's just the way things are.

Get the big one.

[mangosteen]

The 17" is a curiosity, IMO. It's too damn big. Spiffy features, sure, but would you actually consider carrying it anywhere?

The 12", OTOH, is just the right size, and it's not too uncomfortable to deal with when one is flying coach, which was a key criterion for me.

The 15" has its merits, but just seems too fragile for my liking.

[entirelysonja.livejournal.com]

I think it really depends on what you plan to use it for.

I carry mine around between home and work daily, and I think the 15" model is just right -- I wouldn't want to carry anything larger, but since the laptop is my primary computer, I do need a decent amount of screen real estate.

[whitebird.livejournal.com]

I have a 12" iBook at the moment, and plan on purchasing the 12" PowerBook sometime in the near future.

The 17" really is very very big. I played with one at MacWorld. It's gorgeous and the 800MBps FireWire is nice, if you actually need that amount of speed in a portable. If you're not doing video editing, you don't. No, really, you don't.

The current 15" models lack Airport Extreme, and their wireless reception is notoriously short-ranged.

The 12" has Airport Extreme, and with the inclusion of proper video out which does more than video mirroring, it's a very serious little machine. It's the lightest and smallest full-feature laptop computer around, and when push comes to shove, if you do actually use your laptop in more than one location, or on your actual lap, you're going to want the smaller one.

Just use it to connect to a big server and you can satisfy your size-queen tendancies.

[kimuchi.livejournal.com]

I *heart* my 15" PowerBook. It's been an excellent primary computer for me for over a year now. I don't think I'd be content with the 12" and I don't need the spiffiness or want the extra-largeness of the 17".

That said, if you want some of the spiff features, go for it. I don't see why Ping should feel any discomfort if work buys you a pricey laptop. That's just the way it goes.

[solipsistnation.livejournal.com]

Give it another month or two until the 15" AlBook is released-- they only didn't upgrade the 15" TiBook to match the 12 and 17-inch laptops because they have a ton of inventory. We can expect 15" Aluminum Powerbooks pretty soon, I'm guessing, and then you'll be able to get Airport Extreme, better video hardware (potentially... I'm not sure if the NVidia GeForce laptop chipsets are really better than the Radeon 9000 Mobility-- that's pretty sweet video on its own, and has some features that NVidia's laptop chipsets lack), and DDR RAM.

Anyway, I'd personally hold off on buying the first generation of any new Apple product, but perhaps that's just because I've been paying a lot of attention for a long time. 8)

If you can get away with waiting a few months, hold off for the 15-inch AlBook, though... I think the features are worth it. A larger cache, for example...

Personally, I think the 17-inch laptop is neat, but too big to really carry around. The 12-inch is too small for much more than super-portable use, and I think that leaving off the cache could cause problems. The 15-inch is a really great size, and then you aren't rubbing it in her face as much that you got The Big One.

YM, of course, MV.

[lovingboth]

Make something the same size and weight as the 17" and see if you want to carry it around all day.

Personally, I can't see what the fuss is about with the 12". I mean PC subnotebooks have been around for ages

[xeger.livejournal.com]

Having had a chance to play with the 12" version at the local store, it just doesn't have enough real estate for me. Weight-wise it's very close to what my current 15" weighs, so no savings there. I've yet to see the 17" in person, but I've never found the supersized laptops appealing - the 15" is already excessive enough!

...which I guess jives with what a few other folks are saying. Wait for the AlBook ;>