Looking at MacBook Pros

I like my high res screens (used to have a 1400x1050 14" Dell years ago), however I find 1440x900 is just fine for a 15.4" laptop, and I've been using an MBP since they were launched. A 1680x1050 option would be nice for some higher end customers who don't want a 17".

I've been using a Thinkpad at work recently with a 15.4" 1920x1200 screen and that does run too high a resolution for normal use. For the target market of AutoCAD etc it serves a purpose, but even with large fonts in XP everything else is unreadable at a normal viewing distance.
 
wush said:
It's supposed to be a high end laptop already. I'm not saying it's unusable, just weak sauce.
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Because everybody would moan about it. Personally I'd like the higher res option to be there but I wouldn't want it as standard I don't think.

I'm also not sure I'd go for it myself, I'm fairly happy with my current 15" and I'm not sure OSX demands high resolution in the same way which windows does - I've used 20" 1600x1200 screens for years on my windows desktops at work but I've never felt the need on OSX...
 
bigredshark said:
Because everybody would moan about it. Personally I'd like the higher res option to be there but I wouldn't want it as standard I don't think.

I'm also not sure I'd go for it myself, I'm fairly happy with my current 15" and I'm not sure OSX demands high resolution in the same way which windows does - I've used 20" 1600x1200 screens for years on my windows desktops at work but I've never felt the need on OSX...
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I was thinking pretty much exactly the same.

I've just sideways/downgraded (depending on your view) my MBP for an 13" MacBook Unibody. I've been using the MBu for a few days and I'm not missing the extra pixels as much as I though I would. The lower weight and fabulous LED screen are more appealing than the extra couple of inches and 200 pixels.

If I want the extra pixels then I'll connect it up to my 20" monitor (or more likely use the Mac mini attached to it already).
 
I'd hate a 1680x1050 resolution on my MBP, everything would be far too small. It works well as it is.
 
Surprisingly the 1900x1200 resolution on the HD 17" MBP isn't bad.

Neither is the 1680x1050 come to think of it. Perhaps on the 15" it would be too much.
 
Feek said:
I'd hate a 1680x1050 resolution on my MBP, everything would be far too small. It works well as it is.
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So you'd find the MBP17 completely unusable? As said, even if the MBP15.4 had 1680x1050, it'd still be lower density than the MBP17.

Apple must find such density acceptable from a usability standpoint, since they sell the MBP17.
 
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Just been looking at them in store today, and the 13" looks nicer than the 15" but I cant decide if its worth getting the 15" for the extra GFX card?

As the 9400M should be fine for some Eve, Defcon etc

Kimbie
 
Went for the MBP 13" from Dixons in the end at £810 (+3.2% quidco!)

Now I just need keyboard, monitor and mouse - unsure of what to go for though.
 
mosfet said:
Bear in mind that new MBPs will almost certainly be out in January with the new i5 and i7 mobile CPUs, so that should drive down the price of the current ones, or speed up any new one you decide to go for.
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...or not...

AppleInsider claims that Apple will forgo the use of Intel's Montevina chipset in their next generation laptops. Instead, Apple will either design their own chipsets or could adopt 3rd part chipsets from AMD or Via.

It should be said however, this does not mean that Apple will be moving away from Intel's processors. The chipsets are simply the support chips required to interconnect the processor and the rest of the computer. Intel's Montevina platform (now known as Centrino 2) consists of a Penryn processor, the Montevina chipset and wireless networking interface. Future laptops will continue to use Intel's most recent Penryn processors which provide improved bus-speeds (1066MHz).

To the customer, Apple's decision to use 3rd party or custom chipsets is not of great significance, as all the chipsets should be functionally identical. However, AppleInsider speculates that Apple must believe there is some competitive advantage in pursuing alternative chipsets, such as improved power consumption.
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Ordered my Aluminium keyboard today (wired), but I'm still undecided on a screen.

The main contenders being:

Apple Cinema 24" (Apple refurb: £500)- but no money spare for anything else :(
Dell U2410 (refurb £370)
Dell G2410 (£230) - Lower quality screen, but LED backlit and much cheaper.
Samsung T240 (£200) - Like above, but more favourable 1920x1200 resolution.

I'm not sure how much benefit an IPS screen would give me, seeing as I don't want any movies or do any important colour work on my PC. If I went for the G2410, it would leave me money to either upgrade ram or go SSD - its such a tough call :(
 
To the original post. Just thought I would mention that the refurb models are in great condition. I had a unibody macbook in January this year from the refurb store and it was like new. The only difference that I know of is it comes in a different box from the new retail ones. Mine came in a plain white box. Its also covered by a 1 year warranty.
 
Yeah, I had no doubts about that, but by the time we had made a decision and were ready to purchase, it had disappeared from the refurb store.
 
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