On Monitor Size

December 20th, 2010

Settled on the 13 inch MacBook Air after checking out the 11 inch model at the store, and finding its screen too small, both its height and the squint-inducing type. The smallish screen didn’t seem worth the increased portability.

So the 13 inch MacBook Air it is. 13 to 15 monitor size has long felt comfortable, but I naturally took a gander at a nearby 17 inch MacBook Pro — and my initial thought: now this screen seems uncomfortably large. At that point, the “laptop” seems to heavy to rest on one’s thighs, nor does it seem all that portable. It might make sense if a MacBook Pro were my only computer, spending most of its time on a desk, but I’m still doing the multiple computer thing.

Then there’s the iMac with a 27 inch screen, whose use I would imagine to be like staring into a television about a foot away from one’s face (this review concurs).

Perhaps if I spent time with a gigantic-screened Mac, it would become a comfortable luxury, then a necessity, and a smaller screen would therefore feel uncomfortably small — as I presently view the 11 inch Air’s. I know that’s been the case with our televisions. But I don’t know — I’m also perfectly fine watching shows and playing games on the iPad and iPhone which have considerably smaller screens. I certainly wouldn’t want a 15 inch iPad.

But until things get further confused, I insist for now — 17 inches is a bit too large for a portable, and 27 inch desktop monitor is a little ridiculous.