You dream screen res for the new 15" PowerBook

Are you channeling Dr. Holistic? A poll and three active threads of a fairly similar topic?



Just checking...

You missed the most reasonable alternatives to the current 1280x854 and even threw in a couple of non wide ratios like 1280x1024 (5:4) and 1440x1050 (4:3 ??? ) -- this is wrong, by the way, it's either 1400x1050 or 1440x1080, both used in certain models by IBM.

I don't think Apple will move to a squarer screen on a notebook if only because it makes the relative area MUCH MUCH taller, that's bad for airline seats, crapped library carousels, etc etc. Look at those Sony 16" models, they're f-ing HUGE, easily bigger (and taller) than Apple's 17" Al.

My take is either to stay with the current 3:2 @ 1280x854 or to find a source for one of the following intermediate 16:10 resolutions:

1366x854 or 1400x875. 1440 is already a touch too high and it interferes with the 17" model, though that resolution repetition happens with the iBook 12 and 14 too.

It all depends on panel availability.

ALthough a 15" horizontal resolution of 1440 or 1600 is fine by me, I will say that the 12" really needs to get a better resolution than 1024x768. Using a 1024x768 screen with OS X seems like punishment. Whenever I try one out the whole UI seems a bit too cramped and "cozy" for my tastes. Then again, I run my 15" Dell in 1600x1200 mode.

Higher resolution is nice. But just because you have a high resolution doesn't mean you have to use it. But it is there if you want it. HD-DVD's for example 8)

What others said. I didn't find any I liked, so, I had to settle for and unsatisfactory vote of 1680x1040. You need to have added some "standard" resolutions that utilize a "typical" pixel dimension on one side. I would have preferred 1440x960 for a 15" or 1600x1067 or 1680x1120 for a 17".

Here's my dream pixel resolution: how about simply "here and available"?



They can make it 640x480 if they want...just release the damn thing already.

Grrrr!

Let's say you want Apple to release a new, all-widescreen laptop lineup (except for a 12" XGA or two). That includes pscate's little drool-worthy widescreen 14.1" , which Apple definitely SHOULD make and offer in a low- and high-power config. They could make a killing vs. the weak current 14" iBook offering.

You can either go for 100 ppi, give or take a little:

14.1" 1152x768 (98 ppi)
15.4" 1280x800 (98 ppi)
17" 1440x900 (100 ppi)

If this is what they decide to do (the most likely scenario until a resolution-independent OS becomes fully implemented), then they will probably end up sticking with a 1280x854 screen resolution. No point in REDUCING the resolution. The only catch is that 1280x800 is a standard resolution for 15.4" screens and 1280x854 isn't (although Apple is already using it so there shouldn't be a problem).

Or you can go for 110 ppi, give or take a little:

14.1" 1280x800 (107 ppi)
15.4" 1440x900 (110 ppi)
17" 1600x1000 (111 ppi)

These could get hard to read but on the other hand they'd be very sharp and I bet they'd be quite usable.

Or even higher but it would be probably way too hard to read at this point:

14.1" 1440x900 (120 ppi)
15.4" 1680x1050 (129 ppi)
17" 1920x1200 (133 ppi)

Those last three are certainly too high. This DEFINITELY won't come out of Apple until they've worked out an elegant solution for increasing sharpness without making text unreadably small.

By the way, the Sony Picturebook has a resolution of 1280x600 on an 8.95" screen. That's a little over 21:10 aspect ratio, and 158 pixels per inch. But that's a bit different because it's not a primary computer that you'll be using for hours like an iBook or PowerBook is.

I think these resolutions are good for new powerbook models but I seriously doubt Apple would introduce a 14.1" Powerbook. They should keep the difference between the screen sizes approximately 2", ie indroduce a 13" Powerbook to replace the 12" which I think is too small for most applications. This should be a standard 4:3 aspect with a resolution of about 1280 x 960. This would make a very tempting and affordable powerbook.