11" MBA has 4 pixels of unusable space?

[pixel888]

I've noticed something odd on my 11" MBA - when I open a window fullscreen there are 4 rows of pixels at the bottom of the screen that I can not use. The window simply wont expand any more.

Check out the screenshot here...
http://home.comcast.net/~pixel888/images/mba11-bottom-pixels.png

Notice the blue background showing below the Safari window.

 

[GeekLawyer]

Ohh. Not what I thought.

Let me see if I can replicate it on my Air.

 

[crisito]

It's not the status bar.

I know what you mean OP. Same on the 13".

 

[pixel888]

Yes, the status bar is showing in Safari but regular Finder windows behave the same.

 

[GeekLawyer]

Yeah, I just checked it out on my MBA. Never noticed it before on my MBP, but it's there, too.

 

[plinden]

It's the same with all MacBooks.

 

[pixel888]

I just checked on my old 13" MBA and my wife's 15" MBP and they also can't use those pixels! I never realized that. I guess it's more noticeable with having such limited resolution on the 11" MBA. I WANT those 4 pixels now!

 

[EspressoLove]

... Notice the blue background showing below the Safari window.

It's the gap for the Dock.
if you switch Dock to either side - this gap fill follow ...

Apple's logic I deduce was - to give some breathing room - between the bottom end of your maximized app and the Dock - to limit false activations (both with Dock hidden or not)

In reality it fails to be enough of a buffer - so I just use darker backgrounds to distract me less.
Though there is at least one exception - Apple's own iTunes - it doesn't give a damn about restrictions imposed by OSX on any third party soft - it sits there, shows it's skirt, laughing in your face ...
also any apps you moved lower, so their bottom is even deeper - they show up too ....

And yeah, absolutely every Mac out there is the same

 

[EspressoLove]

I just checked on my old 13" MBA and my wife's 15" MBP and they also can't use those pixels! I never realized that. I guess it's more noticeable with having such limited resolution on the 11" MBA. I WANT those 4 pixels now!

Switch Dock to the side - it'll give you your 4 (vertical) pix back (by taking 4 horizontally )

 

[pixel888]

Is it possible to completely disable the dock?

 

[Bluemeanie1976]

Why would you want to?

 

[pixel888]

To gain 4 pixels

I can use LaunchBar or DragThing to launch apps.

 

[EspressoLove]

Is it possible to completely disable the dock?

Yeah I was in that place you are in now ...
I disabled .... such thinking

But fret not - come next summer Lion will redeem you with some 40-60 extra pixels
(and a bonus 10 pix on far right )