Figured i would type this up for people who are thinking of blind purchasing the MBA 11 and have somewhat large hands like myself.
I was very close to blind purchasing the MBA 11 from apple online store and i found that my local apple just set them out on display so i visited today and test drove both the 11 and 13 MBA. Full disclaimer I am a tall lanky guy and I have never owned a 'netbook' which i am full aware the 11 inch clearly is not but what im saying is that i have only owned full size laptops so this was my first hands on experience with anything this small. I type without looking at the keys and i type very fast and my hands and palms rest in the same position as I am a developer and i am on the comp near all day.
As soon as i placed my fingertips on the F and J home keys my lower palms were pushed to the the edge or crest of the 11 and it was very uncomfortable immediately. I opened up word and typed a bit and couldn't get comfy at all, my lower wrists were not resting on anything flat but half on and half off, in order to make my palms and wrist comfy i had to really arch my fingers and that was not comfy at all and i couldnt type fast or accurate. I was standing at the time and I asked to take this 11 to the desk and it was the same feeling and setup once sitting. My big palms were also bumping the trackpad a great bit and it kept on sending the mouse jumping a bit. The 11 was clearly not for me and I am very glad that i test drove it before buying it online. If i was a key pecker and point clicked it probably wouldnt be an issue but as stated I type super fast and this 11 just wouldnt work as a remote replacement for typing long docs, coding or doing anything that required alot of typing..for me that is.
The 13 was alot better but the keys didnt feel as dense/poppy/springy as they did on the MBP and all the apple store had was the 2gb so i ended up going with the MBP but i did infact go in the store to purchase a MBA. I also was blown away at how much lighter the 13 MBA was vs the 13 MBP, its incredible that the small weight difference felt so great. Anyone that says that its not noticeable has not felt them hand to hand.
The guy at apple said they will never be carrying the new MBA with 4gb and I wanted to leave the store with a laptop as I have been needing one for a while and wanted to be setup and fully synced by Monday and I am very happy with my purchase.
This is simply intended to give any potential MBA purchaser with large hands a heads up if they are thinking of blind buying online, I would highly suggest a hands on demo before shelling out the 1k+.
I was very close to blind purchasing the MBA 11 from apple online store and i found that my local apple just set them out on display so i visited today and test drove both the 11 and 13 MBA. Full disclaimer I am a tall lanky guy and I have never owned a 'netbook' which i am full aware the 11 inch clearly is not but what im saying is that i have only owned full size laptops so this was my first hands on experience with anything this small. I type without looking at the keys and i type very fast and my hands and palms rest in the same position as I am a developer and i am on the comp near all day.
As soon as i placed my fingertips on the F and J home keys my lower palms were pushed to the the edge or crest of the 11 and it was very uncomfortable immediately. I opened up word and typed a bit and couldn't get comfy at all, my lower wrists were not resting on anything flat but half on and half off, in order to make my palms and wrist comfy i had to really arch my fingers and that was not comfy at all and i couldnt type fast or accurate. I was standing at the time and I asked to take this 11 to the desk and it was the same feeling and setup once sitting. My big palms were also bumping the trackpad a great bit and it kept on sending the mouse jumping a bit. The 11 was clearly not for me and I am very glad that i test drove it before buying it online. If i was a key pecker and point clicked it probably wouldnt be an issue but as stated I type super fast and this 11 just wouldnt work as a remote replacement for typing long docs, coding or doing anything that required alot of typing..for me that is.
The 13 was alot better but the keys didnt feel as dense/poppy/springy as they did on the MBP and all the apple store had was the 2gb so i ended up going with the MBP but i did infact go in the store to purchase a MBA. I also was blown away at how much lighter the 13 MBA was vs the 13 MBP, its incredible that the small weight difference felt so great. Anyone that says that its not noticeable has not felt them hand to hand.
The guy at apple said they will never be carrying the new MBA with 4gb and I wanted to leave the store with a laptop as I have been needing one for a while and wanted to be setup and fully synced by Monday and I am very happy with my purchase.
This is simply intended to give any potential MBA purchaser with large hands a heads up if they are thinking of blind buying online, I would highly suggest a hands on demo before shelling out the 1k+.