Any 11.6 inch regrets?

[YMark]

I have a 13.3 MBA stock and my wife an 11.6 with upgraded SSD. She had people at Starbucks this morning all over her asking questions about the 11.6. I got no love at all. So, she has no regrets

What was she wearing? Plus, she is a whole lot cuter than you.

 

[teerexx52]

What was she wearing? Plus, she is a whole lot cuter than you.

Well cuter than me goes without saying. Her computer is a whole lot cuter too

 

[silverblack]

Bloke on another forums I'm on is ditching his.

Reason he's ditching it? It's a 2Gb/64Gb and he's gonna buy a 128Gb/4Gb unit .

Bloke (OP), if you read this message, I hope you can share with us your personal experience on the difference between the two models. What percentage of your usage benefited for the 4 GB RAM, and by how much of a difference?

 

[Dragynfyre]

Usability is great and at first I thought the 11.6" screen would be a bit small but after working on it for a couple days I'd say it's the perfect size.

 

[bossxii]

Tried the 11" out for two days, then swapped to the 13" 1.8/2/256.

I've been back to the local Apple store, even today and they have them side by side, it reaffirmed my choice to the 13". To each his own, hope everyone gets the one the want but for those deciding here's a few things i discussed with the Apple employee.

Specific to my work and VPN client I use the "F" keys alot, 11" are tough to deal with imo, 13" is much better and while not exactly full size, good enough to deal with.

As for the general items, side by side the 13" speakers sound more full and a fair bit louder than the 11".

The other obvious factor is screen size, while the 11" has a great looking screen I simply prefer a bit more real estate when working with things like Office, typing proposals, presentations etc..

Looking at a max'd out 11" I was already to 1400+ with tax so wasn't a tough leap to add $300 for the base 256ss sized 13".

Bottom line I don't think the 11" was a regret for me, as much as just not the right fit, if I did not need to use the F keys daily I may have stuck it out a while to see how things went.

They are both very capable work machines and even at the Apple store we loaded up basically every program on the machines, streamed a 1080p video from the Apple HD Gallery site and both performed flawless. I have to admit you simply don't expect a machine with the baseline 11" spec's to do so well.

Anyhow good luck to everyone trying to decide, it took me 6 days to figure it out but I know the 13" is the one for me, now it's a matter of do I go for the Max'd out or not haha...

 

[apple1990]

I used it in the store and could barely use Excel on it. I don't know how well you're going to do writing scripts on it (if you're doing it all the time).

Whats this got to do with the air? Did you try it on any other mac

 

[JPSensei]

i am also reselling my mba 11, too small i know resolution is similar to a MBP but still i find it too small to work, plus i used to own a MBP 10 hours battery -about 7 hours when using it- and the mba 11 really lasted only less than 4 hours when i was working on it -movies, websurfing.

I can't recommend the mba 11 anymore. Just get a computer with more battery life.

 

[h00ligan]

i am also reselling my mba 11, too small i know resolution is similar to a MBP but still i find it too small to work, plus i used to own a MBP 10 hours battery -about 7 hours when using it- and the mba 11 really lasted only less than 4 hours when i was working on it -movies, websurfing.

I can't recommend the mba 11 anymore. Just get a computer with more battery life.

my gut reaction of a few hours use is close to yours - as mentioned in my thread. So far, I would have to say yes to regrets, but it's VERY early for me and I want to give it a fair shake. For anyone who frequents photography forums, be warned the base 11 chokes hard on image intensive threads. IT's not RAM< before anyone goes there, it's processor.

as stated earlier, it's very early goings though, it deserves a fair shake.. aside from image intensive posts at photography forums, and shorter battery life (although typing in here shows I have 7 hrs remaining with a relatively dim screen since I don't like superbright) I'll really have to measure the battery, I'm not upset initially by anything else. The keyboard is fantastic. Touch types like a mofo.

 

[peapody]

I got what everyone is now referring to as the "ultimate" edition, with the faster processor and bigger drive.

Oh geez. Really?

 

[dcmonks]

Love it!

Definitely no regrets here, except that I wish Apple could pull some more engineering magic and fit 256GB in there. The resolution more than makes up for the decreased size (switched from a 13" MB) and I haven't noticed anything that makes the "old" processor stutter yet (including 1080p flash video on youtube). The speakers are also surprisingly loud (though many disagree with me on this, judging from the forums). Couldn't be happier!

 

[h00ligan]

interesting, mine chokes hard on 1080i video.

 

[Retops]

Quite happy with mine

My 11inch 2/128 machine is doing everything I need to do and I find the screen very fine. I am a senior citizen with eye problems so I was very worried that the screen might be too small. It is not. In fact, I find it much easier to read than the screen on my oldest Macs, no doubt due to the higher resolution.

I used migration assistant to copy everything over from my old MBA that has been my workhorse machine for quite some time. I have Office 2011 on this one and no problems using word, excel, or powerpoint. The solid state drive is fast and the machine works well with only 2GB of RAM.

I don't play games, edit movies, or other heavy duty stuff. Just lots of office documents, spreadsheets, and the usual internet activity.

This machine is a keeper and i am happy with it.

 

[h00ligan]

To be more specific, here's an example of a thread that owns the base model mba.

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/920070/65#lastmessage

just scroll like you were trying to go to the top.. it takes quite a few passes to level out and safari handles it better than the other browsers.

it could be that everyone just has different opinions about what 'handling' means.. but my old pre unibody 15" is smooth as butta on that page.. and what really shocks me is, the ipad (while loading the page more slowly) is actually great on it too.

 

[a2applegirl]

Oh geez. Really?

Not sure what in my post is making you roll your eyes, but for an 11" computer the "ultimate" edition is really quite good. I was very surprised by the speed. The resolution is about what i expected, but what really has me happy is how comfortable it is to type on the air. What I really disliked about my ipad is that typing was such a chore on it. I never realized how much I need and like to type until I was deprived of a native keyboard.

I carried it around all day and it was so light to carry around!

I don't think that anyone is trying to compare the air to a fully loaded macbook pro. I have one of those, and for my heavy lifting that is what I will use. The air is my secondary laptop and I will take it with me every day.

 

[h00ligan]

it's sad, the more I use the machine tonight, the more I regret buying it. A friend just sent a hulu link to an interview, I can't even hear what is being said in a quiet room with a fan on at full volume..

I'm quite sad, so far, fail.

typing on the 11, i have to agree, is great.

speaker fail, processor fail - nearly certain now

 

[ram8727]

I have a 13.3 MBA stock and my wife an 11.6 with upgraded SSD. She had people at Starbucks this morning all over her asking questions about the 11.6. I got no love at all. So, she has no regrets

I'm still on the fence about the 11.6" and 13". This weekend I'm going to make my final decision, but that's what I have been thinking about doing. Selling my iPad & MacBook for a 11.6" for my wife & 13" for me.

I've also thought about getting two 11.6", but I don't know that I could live with such a small screen as a primary computer. Hopefully in the future I will get a Mac Mini or iMac.

 

[schulzmc]

My 11" 2/128 has become my workhorse laptop. (Mac mini at home.) Today I spent about 2 hours at a coffee shop returning email and planning my tasks for the day (using Things for Mac). I then went to a meeting where I edited a Word file while our staff team suggested changes. Some light web surfing during lunch, and then an hour and a half class that I taught this evening with the MBA plugged into a projector running Keynote in presenter mode on my podium.

And the battery was still at 27% when I got home to plug her in. I no longer carry a power adapter in my messenger bag.

I LOVE this laptop. Finally I feel like I did when I had my old 12" Macbook. And did I mention my messenger bag is over 2 lbs. lighter?

 

[h00ligan]

see the 12" powerbook was my favourite machine ever.. and i really hoped to feel the same. but I don't.

 

[nicoritschel]

been using my for about a day.. 11/128/4 and absolutely LOVE IT..ITS FREAKIN AWESOME!

Same here! Oh my god it's amazing. And for those people who whine about the no backlit keyboard, learn to touch type. Do you guys seriously peck type?

 

[benjayman2]

Not sure what in my post is making you roll your eyes, but for an 11" computer the "ultimate" edition is really quite good. I was very surprised by the speed. The resolution is about what i expected, but what really has me happy is how comfortable it is to type on the air. What I really disliked about my ipad is that typing was such a chore on it. I never realized how much I need and like to type until I was deprived of a native keyboard.

I carried it around all day and it was so light to carry around!

I don't think that anyone is trying to compare the air to a fully loaded macbook pro. I have one of those, and for my heavy lifting that is what I will use. The air is my secondary laptop and I will take it with me every day.

I believe he's referring to the term "ultimate" which I agree is quite a stupid tag. Why don't you just say that you chose the full-spec'd 11" version. Next we'll be hearing people say I decided to get the 13" "ultra-maximus" 4/256 edition when referring to the full spec'd MBA 13. As much as Jobs tell us so, these new editions are not magical; it's just progress. Geez quite a protest coming from someone who enjoys everything apple. I guess seeing tags like "ultimate" rub me the wrong way because its for pure bragging and separation. Like "why don't you have the ultimate edition bro?" Plus shouldn't we leave the ultimate edition moniker to windows, and try not to confuse the two as much as possible? Anyway rant over. I purchased the full-spec'd 11" for my gf and she is loving it and I have not regret'd the purchase one bit, unlike many others in the past . My 17' mbp i5 is feeling like the fat kid of the family. If I didn't have to use excel and accounting software all day the mbp would be on CL right now.

 

[Bokes]

The 12inch powerbook was very close to perfect.
I wonder why Apple didn't just make one 12.5 MacAir?

The feedback seems to be divided right down the middle.
Although most agree the 11 inch is fine for writing and typing- my main concern. I'll give it another in store test drive

 

[h00ligan]

The 12inch powerbook was very close to perfect.
I wonder why Apple didn't just make one 12.5 MacAir?

The feedback seems to be divided right down the middle.
Although most agree the 11 inch is fine for writing and typing- my main concern. I'll give it another in store test drive

its fine for word and the like.. no issues.

 

[a2applegirl]

I believe he's referring to the term "ultimate" which I agree is quite a stupid tag. Why don't you just say that you chose the full-spec'd 11" version. Next we'll be hearing people say I decided to get the 13" "ultra-maximus" 4/256 edition when referring to the full spec'd MBA 13. As much as Jobs tell us so, these new editions are not magical; it's just progress. Geez quite a protest coming from someone who enjoys everything apple. I guess seeing tags like "ultimate" rub me the wrong way because its for pure bragging and separation. Like "why don't you have the ultimate edition bro?" Plus shouldn't we leave the ultimate edition moniker to windows, and try not to confuse the two as much as possible? Anyway rant over. I purchased the full-spec'd 11" for my gf and she is loving it and I have not regret'd the purchase one bit, unlike many others in the past . My 17' mbp i5 is feeling like the fat kid of the family. If I didn't have to use excel and accounting software all day the mbp would be on CL right now.

Ah, I get it now, thanks for taking the time to explain. I think the "ultimate" tag is stupid too. I was just trying to save some keystrokes instead of listing all the specs. Actually to be "ultimate" it would have to have the 256gb drive in my opinion. And I definitely agree with you that calling it "ultimate" sounds like a Microsoft marketing session.

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

I agree, the high screen resolution does make a large difference. I came from a Mid 2009 white MacBook to the 11.6 and I can't really feel a difference in screen size.

I was torn between the 11" verses the 13" when my BF and me went "just" looking at the Macbook Air's this past weekend on a vacation trip. Being a photograher and one that produces Keynote presentations for some classes that I do for work; felt the 13" would work best. For him, the smaller 11" would work best for his web browsing and iTunes stuff.

 

[Macpowered]

I love my 11" Air!