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11 or 13-inch MacBook Air
- Thread starter shootingrubber
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hi there, i'm also thinking about getting a new mba, replacing my mbp 15" (late 08). the mbp has 2.4ghz and 4gigs of ram, so i think i'm gonna go for the 13", standard cpu with 4gb ram.
is this also what you guys would suggest? i think the 11" would be too small. i want to use it for office stuff, but also for remote connections via terminal, watching movies now and then, so the bigger resolution should really be a plus (the 13" mba actually has the same resolution is my 15" mbp). i'm also looking forward getting twice as battery power, since my mbp only lasts about 3 hours ...
is this also what you guys would suggest? i think the 11" would be too small. i want to use it for office stuff, but also for remote connections via terminal, watching movies now and then, so the bigger resolution should really be a plus (the 13" mba actually has the same resolution is my 15" mbp). i'm also looking forward getting twice as battery power, since my mbp only lasts about 3 hours ...
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13" 4GB.
I don't want a compromised screen size for my main laptop.
If would have been a secondary one, I might have been going with the 11".
I don't want a compromised screen size for my main laptop.
If would have been a secondary one, I might have been going with the 11".
I went from a MacBook Pro 15" i7 all the way to an 11.6 Air. The air is my only computer and doing fine with it so far. Sitting here at Panera Bread with it right now. What a pleasure
Great minds think alike.
One of the main reasons I bought the 13 inch MBA in favor of the 11 inch model was that I thought I needed its additional screen real estate if I was going to be comfortable using it as an all day every day machine. If I were rich and famous, I would buy the $999.00 base 11 inch MBA as a substitute for my iPad. The 11 inch MBA is not a lot bigger than the iPad but it's exponentially more powerful. As a resident in the Real World, however, I use my 13 inch MBA as an iPad substitute. It is not as perfect for the purpose as the 11 inch MBA would have been but it's not chopped liver, either.On the plus side, thanks to my 13 inch MBA's 256GB of flash storage, I have plenty of room for Windows 7 running in a 13GB VMware Fusion virtual machine plus a boat load of OS X apps. I migrated 125GB worth of programs and data from my MBP to the MBA. The 11 inch model's 128GB of storage would have been clearly inadequate for that. My 13 inch MBA has become the functional equivalent of my old MBP and has replaced it for all purposes, save copying CDs into iTunes, which I still do on the MBP.
I used to have a 15" MBP and loved everything about it but size and weight. I travel a lot, flying most weeks and working on planes, in airports, at hotels, and various offices always moving from place to place and meeting to meeting.
I went to a uMB and found it much to my liking. If I could only have one machine it would be a loaded 13" MBP as it has all the capability and capacity I need and mobility I can live with.
But when the MBA came out it was a whole other mobility experience that nothing else could touch. I used a revA 1.6/2/80 as my primary machine for about a year. Loved the mobility but was constantly chafing against the capacity. Similar experience with a revC 2.13/2/128.
Surprisingly an iPad purchase caused me to get rid of my MBA and use the combination of uMB (I'd travel with it but it would stay in it's case or sit on a desk for remote access or heavy duty production work) and the iPad (which would be used most of the time and go everywhere with me).
The new MBA still doesn't have the capacity to be my only machine so I'll likely retain my old uMB as a desktop (eventually replacing with an iMac I expect). And I know how great a 13" MBA can be so if the screen doesn't kill me I'm thinking the 11 will even be that much better. I'll be keeping the iPad for reading and surfing and some meetings or longer flights.
My only worry about the 11 is how my eyes will get along with that screen working on it every day. We'll see over the next couple weeks.
Hope these experiences help in your decision making.
I went to a uMB and found it much to my liking. If I could only have one machine it would be a loaded 13" MBP as it has all the capability and capacity I need and mobility I can live with.
But when the MBA came out it was a whole other mobility experience that nothing else could touch. I used a revA 1.6/2/80 as my primary machine for about a year. Loved the mobility but was constantly chafing against the capacity. Similar experience with a revC 2.13/2/128.
Surprisingly an iPad purchase caused me to get rid of my MBA and use the combination of uMB (I'd travel with it but it would stay in it's case or sit on a desk for remote access or heavy duty production work) and the iPad (which would be used most of the time and go everywhere with me).
The new MBA still doesn't have the capacity to be my only machine so I'll likely retain my old uMB as a desktop (eventually replacing with an iMac I expect). And I know how great a 13" MBA can be so if the screen doesn't kill me I'm thinking the 11 will even be that much better. I'll be keeping the iPad for reading and surfing and some meetings or longer flights.
My only worry about the 11 is how my eyes will get along with that screen working on it every day. We'll see over the next couple weeks.
Hope these experiences help in your decision making.
in fact, the mba will not be my only computer. i have a mac mini as a media center and a windows pc for gaming ... so i'm thinkin if i should maybe go for the 11"? but 3 years ago, i swapped my black 13" mb for the new unibody 15" mbp, because the 13" display was too small, in combination with the low resolution ... but now, even the 11" monitor has a higher resolution than the actual macbook pros with 13" ...
don't know what to do
don't know what to do
in fact, the mba will not be my only computer. i have a mac mini as a media center and a windows pc for gaming ... so i'm thinkin if i should maybe go for the 11"? but 3 years ago, i swapped my black 13" mb for the new unibody 15" mbp, because the 13" display was too small, in combination with the low resolution ... but now, even the 11" monitor has a higher resolution than the actual macbook pros with 13" ...
don't know what to do
You will think it is too small again then. Only, if you don't plan to use the 11" as much as you used your 13" will you not find it to be an issue.
Base 13-inch MBA with 4GB of RAM is prepared for shipment
That's the one I'm going to get most likely, as soon as I stop overthinking it.
At first, I thought the 13" was the perfect laptop, but after two weeks of thinking and playing with both at Apple Stores I've change my tune.
I now think that the MBA 11" is the perfect super-mobile laptop. It is much, much more functional than the iPad -- yet does not try to be a fully functional laptop like the MBA 13." It is what the iPad should have been (granted I am not a big fan of iOS, but anyway...) The MBA 11" is $300 more than the iPad for the same 64 GB storage -- but gives you MacOS, USB slots for storage expandability, SD card readers, ethernet and more.
The 13" MBP is really a "tweaner" with less portability than the 11" and many compromises compared to the MPB 13" -- you can now get a refurb for $1019 that gives you faster CPU, Gig-E, Firewire 800, integrated SuperDrive, more RAM and expandability for the future.
I now think that the MBA 11" is the perfect super-mobile laptop. It is much, much more functional than the iPad -- yet does not try to be a fully functional laptop like the MBA 13." It is what the iPad should have been (granted I am not a big fan of iOS, but anyway...) The MBA 11" is $300 more than the iPad for the same 64 GB storage -- but gives you MacOS, USB slots for storage expandability, SD card readers, ethernet and more.
The 13" MBP is really a "tweaner" with less portability than the 11" and many compromises compared to the MPB 13" -- you can now get a refurb for $1019 that gives you faster CPU, Gig-E, Firewire 800, integrated SuperDrive, more RAM and expandability for the future.
13-inch MacBook Air, 4 GB of RAM, 128 GB SSD just shipped! Can't wait to open this when it gets here... How long do you think it will take to get here if I am in Canada? Thursday maybe?
this is a pretty simple answer:
1) if you are going to use your computer all day long (no monitor) go with the 13in
2) if you are going to move alot with your computer and use it all day but in 1 -2 hour stretches go with the 11in
3) if you are gonna travel alot and need a smaller computer - go with the 11
4) if you are gonna use it for more higher intensive programs - go with the 13 but actually you should just go with a pro.
5) if you want the portability of 11 but you are gonna use it all day, then get a monitor and buy the 11.
you get the idea: people who buy the 13in, are using the screen more, they are gonna be using it for hours at a time etc etc
people who buy the 11in, need a small computer they can carry around to do quick productive work. this usually leads most people in buying the 11 as their secondary computer.
1) if you are going to use your computer all day long (no monitor) go with the 13in
2) if you are going to move alot with your computer and use it all day but in 1 -2 hour stretches go with the 11in
3) if you are gonna travel alot and need a smaller computer - go with the 11
4) if you are gonna use it for more higher intensive programs - go with the 13 but actually you should just go with a pro.
5) if you want the portability of 11 but you are gonna use it all day, then get a monitor and buy the 11.
you get the idea: people who buy the 13in, are using the screen more, they are gonna be using it for hours at a time etc etc
people who buy the 11in, need a small computer they can carry around to do quick productive work. this usually leads most people in buying the 11 as their secondary computer.
Damn. So many people favor the form factor of 11 and functionality of 13. Why can't SJ introduce a 12 inch model?
Cause then people would want an 11.5" and 12.5". After those two are released then people would want 11.25", 11.75", 12.25", and a 12.75". Then people would want...
If you buy the MBA 13", you probably can use it all the time. If you only have a 11", you may need another one for your work.
13" full load is fantastic but the 11" is really very sexy.
The best is the 13" for yourself and 11" for your wife who only use laptop once in a while.
13" full load is fantastic but the 11" is really very sexy.
The best is the 13" for yourself and 11" for your wife who only use laptop once in a while.
I have been trying to decide between an ultimate 13.3" and an ultimate 11.6" and gosh I want to tear my hair out. I bought the 13.3" first because that is what I am used to coming from a Rev C, but to be honest the Rev D ultimate is such a good computer that it almost duplicates everything I can do with my macbook pro. I decided to sell it and pick up the ultimate 11.6". I tried it out int he store and I believe I can do all my work on it...the portability will be great on rounds and during rotations!
Some people said sell the macbook pro, I don't think those specs are ones that I can let go!
Some people said sell the macbook pro, I don't think those specs are ones that I can let go!
I"m surprised I hear this so much. There really isn't much difference between the 13 and 11" MBA. Primarily a faster CPU that most folks will never notice in typical usage.
The biggest difference is size.
Its amazing the 11.6" is such a capable machine in such a minuscule machine.
The 11.6" works great BTW hooked up to one or more large external monitors. No need for a separate desktop or bigger heavier laptop.