MacBook Pro 13" - suitable for processing?

[JulianHJ]

I've always been a PC user, and have previously swayed away from Macs due to the cost and the fact my software was mainly Windows-based. My Dell Studio 15 is getting a bit old and I was speccing up a replacement. The prices were not far off a MBP 13". The key factor is the screen, I'm sure anything I do will not tax any reasonable new machine's CPU, but the screen is a different matter.

I have a lovely 1440x900 matte screen on the Dell, but the MBP 13" only comes with a glossy screen. The Apple Store employee I spoke to said that the glossy screen could make images look better/more vibrant than they would appear on other screens. I currently use an X-Rite i1 Display 2 calibrator on all my screens. My two questions are:

1) Will 13" be big enough for Lightroom etc?

2) Will I get a decent representation on a glossy screen?

[markmullen]

There are rumours of a 13 inch retina display MBP coming soon, I'd be tempted to hold on for that.

[JulianHJ]

Hi Mark, I was hoping you might comment. Are you a Mac user?

I heard the rumour, but I need to make the purchase soon, as I'm going on a photo holiday round the USA shortly. My current laptop display went a bit wibble earlier this week, and I don't want to risk it packing up whilst I'm travelling. Also, the portability of the 13" would be very handy. Trying to work out how/what to put in my carry-on with so much camera gear is a headache.

[x5x3]

have you looked at a refurbished MBP?

if you get one, take it with you, but later decide to change it then the loss in £ will be a lot less.

[markmullen]

JulianHJ said:

Hi Mark, I was hoping you might comment. Are you a Mac user?

Yes, I do all my editing on a 15" MBP (a few years old now, thinking about a 15" retina display MBP shortly).

TBH I've not tried the glossy screen. I'd be tempted to go for a 15" for editing, a bit more resolution is always handy.

[MartinP]

I guess it's a personal thing but the glossy screen would be a deal breaker for me. I use a 15" MacBook Pro and before buying it I tried using my wife's glossy screened laptop and hated it, no matter where you are there's always a distracting reflection. So I had to buy the Mac from the online store and pay the extra for the matt display.

[K12beano]

I used a 17" Dell when I toured US about five years ago.

Since then have moved to the higher resolution MBP 15". Personally, this is as small as I'd want to go with LR, even toggling closing the various panels.

[Jetl3on]

15" MBPro is the way to go. Good graphics, decent processor, impressive multi mouse, heavy, reliable, SD slot. Grab a good 2yo model to keep the price down.

[38911]

x5x3 said:

have you looked at a refurbished MBP?

if you get one, take it with you, but later decide to change it then the loss in £ will be a lot less.

Or you can use the Education Discount URL and it's even cheaper, for a brand new machine that you can spec to your needs, not someone else's. The icing on the cake is that EDU machines come with 3 year Hardware warranty (negating the need for expensive Applecare cover) and if you order at the moment they include a £70 App store/itunes gift card!

Google is your friend ;-)

[anonymous-user]

An alternative to a 15" or 17" MacBook Pro:

Buy a 13" MacBook pro and spend £100-ish on a 22" LED HD monitor like a Samsung or similar.

This is my setup and I'm very pleased with it. 13" MacBook pro gives me maximum portability and it's also the cheapest, but if I'm at home and want to edit photos or need a big screen, I just plug it into my 22" Samsung and enjoy a 'desktop' type large monitor experience.

[Ammo 7]

I have 13" Mac Book Pro. Great for when I am away for viewing photos and backing up the CF cards daily. I wait to get home and use the iMac for editing.

Before going over to Macs I used a 15" Dell for everything. It was OK and served me well for about three years although the colours were out and no amount of calibration helped. Mac displays are pretty much spot on out of the box. The prints back from the lab are as close as I need to what I see on the screen.

I got the 13" Mac Book as it is lighter. In retrospect I wonder if I would have been better off with a Mac Book Air but the Pro does have a DVD reader / burner which can come in handy when on the road.

I agree with the others that if I was to have just one computer it would be a 15" MacBook Pro as the 13" is a bit too small for me to do processing on. I have been used to a 27" screen so anything else seems small.

The shiny Apple screens don't bother me. I think they make them that way to make the blacks darker. I use the computers in subdued ambient lighting during the day or in the evenings so I don't notice the shiny screens. If you are focused on the screen the reflections will be out of focus anyway.

Hope this helps.

[JulianHJ]

Cheers for all the replies. I went for it in the end after having another look. I did consider the edu discount, however I don't qualify, and don't know anyone that does.

I have a fairly new desktop with a good 24" monitor for detailed editing.

Thanks again!

[x5x3]

38911 said:

x5x3 said:

have you looked at a refurbished MBP?

if you get one, take it with you, but later decide to change it then the loss in £ will be a lot less.

Or you can use the Education Discount URL and it's even cheaper, for a brand new machine that you can spec to your needs, not someone else's. The icing on the cake is that EDU machines come with 3 year Hardware warranty (negating the need for expensive Applecare cover) and if you order at the moment they include a £70 App store/itunes gift card!

Google is your friend ;-)

That is not quite true - the education discount is about 8%, the discount on the refurb machines can be much higher than that (e.g. 31% on a 2011 2.2Ghz 15" MBP at the moment).

The main issue with the refurb option is that the 13" MBP does not appear very often on there!

Interestingly I have seen a few 2012 15" MBPs on there recently - but no Retina ones yet...

[rottie102]

I'm using 13" MBP with 256 SSD and 16GB ram upgrade (which unfortunately takes the 1/3 off battery life). I don't see a point in getting bigger version, it's much easier and cheaper to just buy an external monitor as big as you wish without having to always carry it around.

[curtisl]

I have a 13" mpb and that is what I use with LR3 for all my editing. I've always used a 13"mac so I can't give you alternatives but I can say that I haven't wished for anything else, it suits my needs.

ETA.

On the latest version of OSX you can mirror you mac via apple tv so effectively you can use you tv as a monitor but I'm yet to upgrade so I can't comment on how much that helps.

Edited by curtisl on Sunday 16th September 22:05

[JulianHJ]

rottie102 said:

I'm using 13" MBP with 256 SSD and 16GB ram upgrade (which unfortunately takes the 1/3 off battery life).

16GB drastically reduces battery life? Why is that? I was planning on that upgrade at some point, as it's only £61 from Crucial.

[x5x3]

JulianHJ said:

rottie102 said:

I'm using 13" MBP with 256 SSD and 16GB ram upgrade (which unfortunately takes the 1/3 off battery life).

16GB drastically reduces battery life? Why is that? I was planning on that upgrade at some point, as it's only £61 from Crucial.

I dont think it would be the memory itself, but having more RAM means you run more apps at the same time and hence use the processor more - and that will drain the battery

[38911]

x5x3 said:

38911 said:

x5x3 said:

have you looked at a refurbished MBP?

if you get one, take it with you, but later decide to change it then the loss in £ will be a lot less.

Or you can use the Education Discount URL and it's even cheaper, for a brand new machine that you can spec to your needs, not someone else's. The icing on the cake is that EDU machines come with 3 year Hardware warranty (negating the need for expensive Applecare cover) and if you order at the moment they include a £70 App store/itunes gift card!

Google is your friend ;-)

That is not quite true - the education discount is about 8%, the discount on the refurb machines can be much higher than that (e.g. 31% on a 2011 2.2Ghz 15" MBP at the moment).

I can't remember the exact numbers off the top of my head but 4 months ago I bought a brand new 2012 spec (latest spec that had just been released) Macbook Air 13" on the EDU scheme with 3 years Hardware cover and a free £70 gift card, for around £80 less (£150 less if you include the value of the gift card) than they were asking for a refurb 2011 spec machine with 12 months warranty.