a newbie for Macbook air 11" 2015 needs advices.

[Kris_A]

Hi guys,
I owned rMBP 15" and now I bought an air 11" 2015 as my secondary portable computer.
My first impression is it's super light and i don't have to adjust my hand memory to air 11" keyboard at all and as some people concern about the issue of palm rest. To me it's perfect! I have small hands though.
I like the screen aspect ratio and everything from the form factor.

There are few things that i would like to ask though...
The screen : videos and photos are better than I expected ( as someone who been using retina for sometime ) only concern issue is how to make the text shaper or improving the contrast! I need this little machine mostly for typing research and read.

The program or app : I would like to know some good tip or trick from someone who used air 11" in order to get the best out of this aspect ratio or anything that you may experience and would like to share are also more than appreciated here.

Thank you guys.. It's my first day of using this little Mac.. I can say so far I love it!
Now I'm downloading El Capitan.

Have a good holiday!
Kris

 

[Boyd01]

I went from a 15" 2008 MBP to a 13" 2011 MBA to an 11" MBA and am very happy. I don't do anything special to "get the best out of the aspect ratio". Not sure what you're looking for there. I put the dock on the side of the screen, but I have always done that with every type of screen.

I needed to make the text larger in Apple Mail, the default looked really tiny on the 11" screen. Aside from that, I think I use it just like any other computer.

I calibrated the display using the regular Apple control panel. There are some color profiles that you will find on the internet. I tried them and wasn't especially impressed, but some people seem to like them. Do a forum search to find threads on this.

 

[Kris_A]

I went from a 15" 2008 MBP to a 13" 2011 MBA to an 11" MBA and am very happy. I don't do anything special to "get the best out of the aspect ratio". Not sure what you're looking for there. I put the dock on the side of the screen, but I have always done that with every type of screen.

I needed to make the text larger in Apple Mail, the default looked really tiny on the 11" screen. Aside from that, I think I use it just like any other computer.

I calibrated the display using the regular Apple control panel. There are some color profiles that you will find on the internet. I tried them and wasn't especially impressed, but some people seem to like them. Do a forum search to find threads on this.

That's great advice Boyd. Thank you very much. I find it's pleasurable to use this computer. May be i really love it form factor and how all it could do.
i agree with you in the mail it's kinda small. I will find the calibrated things you suggested.
Thanks a lot!
K

 

[Erdbeertorte]

If you click on calibrate in the monitor's color preferences while holding the option key (alt) there is also an expert mode what gives you more options to create your own color profile:

 

[Boyd01]

I actually use mine connected to a big monitor, keyboard and mouse much of the time. The 11" MBA is my primary computer. But using the built-in screen/keyboard/trackpad, full screen mode works well and lets you devote the whole screen to the current program. Use the "three finger swipe" on the trackpad to quickly switch between open apps, I find it very handy.

 

[Kris_A]

If you click on calibrate in the monitor's color preferences while holding the option key (alt) there is also an expert mode what gives you more options to create your own color profile:

View attachment 606947 View attachment 606948

That's perfect!
Thanks a lot man! Now it's a lot better to my eyes.
Amazing

 

[Kris_A]

I actually use mine connected to a big monitor, keyboard and mouse much of the time. The 11" MBA is my primary computer. But using the built-in screen/keyboard/trackpad, full screen mode works well and lets you devote the whole screen to the current program. Use the "three finger swipe" on the trackpad to quickly switch between open apps, I find it very handy.

Yeh this gesture is perfect for this 11 inch model.
and one more question, have u upgraded to El Capitan? Do u find any issue? I read some said it ruin their air 11" battery life.

 

[Boyd01]

I rarely upgrade beyond the version that was pre-installed on my Macs. My 2013 MBA is still running 10.8.5. Can't see any reason to upgrade, it works fine for me.

 

[cincygolfgrrl]

I have El Cap on my 2011 11" MBA. Due to the age of the battery I can't tell if the OS contributes to battery life issues, but I'm still getting about five hours out of it (writing in Byword or BBEdit while doing Web research in Safari, and image import from Lightroom).

These days I do most computer stuff on an iMac because I like the screen real estate, but I look longingly at my MBA and look forward to trips to the coffee shop.

 

[Kris_A]

I have El Cap on my 2011 11" MBA. Due to the age of the battery I can't tell if the OS contributes to battery life issues, but I'm still getting about five hours out of it (writing in Byword or BBEdit while doing Web research in Safari, and image import from Lightroom).

These days I do most computer stuff on an iMac because I like the screen real estate, but I look longingly at my MBA and look forward to trips to the coffee shop.

Thank you for your comment. Now i have been installed and using this Air with El Capitan for fully 2 days.
So far I'm really impressed with the battery life and a very prompt respond from this little Mac.
I couldn't make a decision either i should go for 11"or 13" before. So I'm kinda experiment a little bit with this purchase and after these 2 days solely use, I'm very happy though the screen is not that good for sharpness of the text but besides that I love it. I can see myself travel with it (and treat it like a tablet actually) in library, coffee shop, on the train or in the class with no hesitation to bring it up as before.