MBP Return Policy..and a rant about MBP resolution

I am looking into getting a new notebook and I think it may be a tossup between the MBP and the Lenovo T61. The one thing that the T61 has over the MBP is the higher resolution 4:3 screen. Why does Apple make the resolution so ridiculously low on their displays? I mean the new Thinkpad T61P is going to have a 1920x1200 display on the 15.4inch model..

And yes I know the diff between the resolution on the 2 I am condisering is only 150 vertical pixels but its the size of the machines as well. The MBP is just plain a large machine that I dont know I would be comfortable carrying to class.

I am just sort of in love with the Macs...I am using my roomies Macbook right now, I just cant live with the even lower resolution and glossy screen...

So back to my main question....

Does the Apple store have a return policy on notebooks? Like 30 days or something? I wan't to try out a MBP for a little bit, especially since the ThinkPads are taking so long to ship. Anyone know about this?

Thanks!

 

Its 14 days

http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/salespolicies.html

 

Some people who get 1920x1200 on a 15.4 inch display are disappointed - it actually gives very small text. 1440x900 is, in my opinion, a great resolution for the MacBook Pro. If the higher res is important, you've no choice to go with something besides the MacBook Pro in a 15" model. The MBP does come with the higher resolution in the 17" version.

Have you used a 15.4" notebook with 1920x1200 before? If not, it would be a good idea to check one out before purchasing.

 

yup, it's definitely personal preference. i went and played with a mbp and i wouldn't want a screen that size to have higher resolution. 1280x1024 on my 19" monitor is just fine.

as far as the size of the machine goes, i think don't get what you are talking about. the mbp is the exact same thickness as the thinnest part of the 14.1" T61 (thinner once you actually include the feet on the T61), it has a larger footprint than the 14.1", but i don't see how any other 15" laptop is going to provide any smaller of a footprint, and everyone I've seen so far is thicker (that doesn't include the T61p - where are you getting your specs for that unit from? it's not on the lenovo website). the mbp weighs pretty much exactly the same as the 14.1" T61, so I don't see how a 15.4" T61 is going to be any lighter. especially when you consider that the weight of the T61 is given with the stock 4 cell which blows goats for battery life so by the time you put in an extended battery, you are heavier than the mbp for roughly the same battery life but with a crappier gpu.

i was seriously considering the t61. mbp is better in terms of physical size, weight, hardware, and os compatibility as far as i am concerned.

 

I would recommend finding an Apple store and checking out the resolution of the MBP there. You can also try both the matte and glossy screens. Otherwise, you have 14 days to return it and there is a 10% restocking fee - at least that's what the guys at the Apple store told me.

For me, the resolution on the MBP is great - I'm still playing around with the different options. My husband just got a Thinkpad with the resolution you're talking about and the type is way small. He's upped it twice so it's readable. Thinkpads are great though - I love mine. But now I also love my MBP.

 

Agreed. I found the 1920x1200 made the text on my 17" Dell laptop too small for comfortable reading. I couldn't imagine it on this 15.4" screen.

 

I've got a 1920x1200 15.4" I use hours a day. I don't really like it. Clarity is fine because I'm 21 and have good eyes. But I still get eyestrain really easy if I'm not careful to focus on other things a lot, and find myself tending to hunch over the laptop, so have to force myself to lean back often. It wouldn't be nearly the same issue if I were using a 1680x1050 display instead.

 

I actually would've preferred WSXGA+, but oh well can't have it all. 1440x900 is bearable.

 

Looks like you have already closed yourself. The MBP is too big, you can't live with the lower res, you have already tried it out on your friends machine and you still don't like the resolution. Get the Lenovo.

 

What is with all the complaining about text size? In internet explorer, to get bigger text, just go to View --> Text Size. You can pick several different sizes without effecting monitor resolution. In word processing, just pick a bigger zoom. I love the high-res screen on my Dell e1505, and have no problems with text size.

 

Not everything scales well, and not even text does it perfectly, especially pre-Vista if you're using Windows. Also, proportions may be off and misleading.

BTW, off-topic, but @dam, might I suggest firefox or opera instead of MSIE?

 

It's not just about web browsing. When the resolution is high on a smaller screen everything looks smaller. Word docs, PDF's, emails, iTunes library list, gaming menus. Now personally I saw the new 17" MBP and I thought it was great that Apple have the 1920X1200 option but I hated it. The resolution is too high and the everything looked too small. Sony does that on their Vaio 17" machines and it just looks wrong.
My 23" cinema display on the other hand works great as 1920x1200 but I think that's where this resolution belongs.

 

How do you know that the T61P will have a 1920x1200 display...

 

The T61p specs have been released from various sources and known for quite a while now. From those released specs, from competing machines by other vendors, and from previous T notebooks, it's pretty clear that it'll offer a WUXGA resolution.

 

Well I for one had the 1440x900 resolution as one of the main reasons for choosing the MBP. Many laptops have 1280x800, which is a little space constraining, while 1680x1050 on a 15.4" I already find too small. I can't imagine 1920x1200. I doubt there are very many manufacturers of those in a 15.4" size so that'll probably add to the price.

Whatever happened to resolution independence? Has it been quietly cancelled from Leopard?

 

Type WUXGA MBP in google, and you'll find a thread on another forum where people have changed the screen on their MBP to WUXGA.

This is actually why I bought my machine. I need the Res, and this is the smallest machine on which I can get it.

Currently there are no LED backlit 15.4" WUXGA displays, so you'd have to get the C2D (non SR) machine. Which will probably save you some money. Or you can buy the current one and wait.

 

No excuse for not having a 1680x1050 res on the MBP as an extra cost option...

The people want choice! They want to be free!

 

i agree, no reason not to have wsxga as an option.