Usual 15 vs. 17 question

Question

I'm looking at getting a MBP, and I'm very torn between portability the 15-inch and 17-inch, cost isn't an issue at this point, and weight isn't an issue either. My five main questions are numbered and in bold for people who don't have time to read the rest. Thanks for any input people have.
I'm mostly curious about people's experience with the foot-print of the 17-inch. Again, I'm not at all worried about weight, but I do a fair number of presentations that use a cart and projector. (1) How big of a difference do the sizes make with a presentation situation that uses a cart like this?
I don't do that much traveling, but I occasionally travel on planes in coach (I can afford 3 grand for a laptop, not a first class ticket). (2) Is it basically impossible to use a 17 inch in a coach seat on an airplane, or is it "possible"?
I've also heard some people talk about it being somewhat hard to quickly pull the 17 inch out of a case compared to a 15 inch. I'm talking more about efficiency and speed with this, I do realize it is possible to get either one out of a case. (3) In somewhat cramped situations, is it possible to slip the 17 inch MBP out of a case one-handed without too much trouble?
I've already determined with fair certainty that either size would work with my home life. (You know, taking full advantage of that wireless network, lazing about in recliners with my shinny MBP, and what-not) However, a lot of my use will be in the more mobile scene. Moving the laptop around quite a lot, somewhat limited desk-space in various locations, and many situations that I'm not comfortable carrying the computer without a case (like outdoors). (4) What are people's general opinion on portability for the two laptops (with reasons why, not just which one they like)?
I think that I use my laptop in a manner consistent with college students, so some input from college students would be good. (5) What are some college student's opinions on portability, since the college use of a laptop is rather similar to my own?
Again, thank you for any input people have, I greatly appreciate it.
-Scott
700 MHz G3 iBook   Mac OS X (10.3.9)  

Answer 1

Opinions embedded below:
I'm looking at getting a MBP, and I'm very torn
between portability the 15-inch and 17-inch, cost
isn't an issue at this point, and weight isn't an
issue either. My five main questions are numbered and
in bold for people who don't have time to read the
rest. Thanks for any input people have.
I'm mostly curious about people's experience with the
foot-print of the 17-inch. Again, I'm not at all
worried about weight, but I do a fair number of
presentations that use a cart and projector. (1)
How big of a difference do the sizes make with a
presentation situation that uses a cart like
this?
The footprint is really not much bigger (objectively) than the 15". I have no problems setting my 17" on a cart or podium.
I don't do that much traveling, but I occasionally
travel on planes in coach (I can afford 3 grand for a
laptop, not a first class ticket). (2) Is it
basically impossible to use a 17 inch in a coach seat
on an airplane, or is it "possible"?
Possible. The screen height is the issue, not laptop width. The 17" fits on the tray, but if the person in front leans back, the display cannot be opened wide enough without transferring the Mac to your lap. But the woman next to me on my last transatlantic flight had a 15" MBP and had the same problem, so if it comes to a comparison, there's not a real difference (versus my wife's 12" G4 PB, for example, which fits very nicely on the tray table with the seat in front in full recline).
I've also heard some people talk about it being
somewhat hard to quickly pull the 17 inch out of a
case compared to a 15 inch. I'm talking more about
efficiency and speed with this, I do realize it is
possible to get either one out of a case. (3) In
somewhat cramped situations, is it possible to slip
the 17 inch MBP out of a case one-handed without too
much trouble?
Again, no problems here. I would think this would depend more on the bag than on the laptop. I have a Brenthaven case (the briefcase style) and the fit is perfect but the MBP pulls out easily with one hand, and I can get it in and out of the bag (with some difficulty, I admit) in an airplane. If you get a general bag (e.g. Targus) instead of a custom-fitted bag, it should slide out very easily since those bags are made to accomodate things like the Dell 17" which is ~2" thick.
I've already determined with fair certainty that
either size would work with my home life. (You know,
taking full advantage of that wireless network,
lazing about in recliners with my shinny MBP, and
what-not) However, a lot of my use will be in the
more mobile scene. Moving the laptop around quite a
lot, somewhat limited desk-space in various
locations, and many situations that I'm not
comfortable carrying the computer without a case
(like outdoors). (4) What are people's general
opinion on portability for the two laptops (with
reasons why, not just which one they like)?
Having used mine for some time and comparing it to my 15" work-provided PC laptop (similar dimensions to the 15" MPB, but not nearly as elegant!) I see little difference in portability. In other words, neither are truly easy to carry around (compared to a 12", or likely eevn the MB - I'll find out when my wife's new one arrives in a few days). But if you're already committed to an MBP I think the increased screen resolution is a big plus relative to the size increase. Also, if DL-DVD burning is needed, you will want the 17" (I work with image files in the ~6 GB range, and that way I don't have to split them).
I think that I use my laptop in a manner consistent
with college students, so some input from college
students would be good. (5) What are some college
student's opinions on portability, since the college
use of a laptop is rather similar to my own?
Well, let's just say it's been a few years, so no input here...
Again, thank you for any input people have, I greatly
appreciate it.
-Scott
700 MHz G3 iBook
  Mac OS X (10.3.9)