I own 11.6" Ultimate, just purchased 13" Ultimate...

[WardC]

I own an 11.6" Ultimate configuration MacBook Air 11.6" (1.6GHz/4GB/128GB) that I just had shipped from Apple and arrived on Monday. I purchased this MacBook Air after selling my old MacBook Pro 15.4" 2007-model on eBay. I really like the 11.6", but I decided that I would rather have a larger laptop for heavier tasks and more screen real estate. I had been considering buying a new MacBook Pro to fill this void for awhile, to complement my 11.6" Air and be available for the heavier stuff.

Well, I have been reading such good reviews of the 13.3" MacBook Air here on the forums that I decided to get a 13" Air instead to complement my 11.6". I wanted to get the "Ultimate" config (2.13GHz/4GB/256GB Flash) but I was unsure if they would have them at my local retail store. I found a buyer on eBay that has 5 of them in stock, without tax, so I was going to buy from him and have it shipped if I could not get it at my local Apple Store. I walked into my local Apple store about 30 minutes ago, and sure enough they DID have the Ultimate 13" config in stock!! So I bought one!!! Took me less than 3 minutes from going in the store to walking out, it was QUICK. So now I have a 11.6" Ultimate and a 13.3" Ultimate and I am happy with my purchase. I am running the migration assistant right now over WiFi, and it is taking forever. I can't wait to use my 13.3" one this afternoon. I think I will be really happy with this purchase.

My reasons for going for the 13.3" Air were:

Faster processor
Twice as much Flash space (as much as I would want on an MBP SSD)
Same screen real estate as standard MacBook Pro
SD card slot
Small, lightweight, and easy to carry
Very portable

The 13" Air should be great to compliment the 11.6" when I want to use a larger screen, play games, or do Photoshop or Aperture. It is just the right size screen and packs a little extra horsepower over the 11.6" -- Also has more L2 cache. I decided on the 13" MacBook Air over a MacBook Pro because of portability mainly. It is smaller and uses Flash storage, it is a pretty good deal for the 256GB Flash you get, which should be a $600 drive my itself. That is enough space to hold just about anything you need, an entire iTunes collection or over 50 full length movies or more, which is great. I think I am really going to like this.

 

[TheAllStar]

Congrats! So you're keeping the 11" also?

 

[aristobrat]

Nice!

 

[WardC]

Yes I am keeping the 11.6". I love the ultra-small form factor and the portability it offers. It is great for using around the house or taking it in my car or when I travel, it is just that extra bit more portable than the 13". Actually the 13" looks huge compared to the 11.6" -- the 11" model is TINY, very small. I think the text on the 13" is also a bit larger and more readable too, but I'm keeping the 11.6" due to its portability factor. I love my 11.6"!!!!!!

So, two laptops for me. I'm sticking with the MacBook Airs and not getting a MacBook Pro now. I don't need any of the extra features of the Pro, and the MacBook Air does everything I need. I don't need an optical drive, ethernet, or FireWire, and 13" is just the right size for portability, and it's got the nice 1440x900 resolution.

 

[bcaslis]

I have the same 13" right now. I'm very tempted by 11" and thinking about switching. How would compare? I've tried the 11" in the store, but I really wish I could try one sitting on a couch, etc... to see how it feels compared to the 13". It's just so tiny!

 

[pvmacguy]

I love the 11.6" its the perfect size and its quite a speedy little machine and especially with 4gb of ram! I can run parallels win 7 pro amazingly on this little machine. Enjoy your 13.3"! You've given apple a lot of money lately lol.

 

[mac jones]

UMac Pro 2.93GHz Quad 12GB RAM -- 120GB SSD -- Radeon 4870 HD
MacBook Air 11.6" 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB -- 23" ACD -- iMac 20" -- Mac Mini
iPad 3G 32GB -- 32GB iPhone 4t + 13" Macbook Air 2.13HGZ/4GB/256GB


......

 

[WardC]

My overall impression is that the 13.3" model feels like a fullsize laptop. The 1440x900 resolution is spacious and very nice (compared to the older 1280x800 on the old MacBook Air which was a bit dated). Text is easier to read on the 13.3" than the 11" because the PPI count is not quite as high (128 vs 135). The 11" model is very tiny compared to the 13" model. The 11" feels netbook in size but is a fully powered notebook. The 13" feels a bit more snappy because of the faster processor, but the 11" has handled everything I have thrown at it. I just installed Photoshop CS3 on both machines and both boot up instantly and run great. The 11" is much smaller, it is truly ultraportable and easy to carry around and hold with your fingers, put on your lap. The 13.3" model feels like a fullsize laptop (I say this again). The screen resolution gives you the impression that this is actually a 15" laptop. It doesn't feel that small at all, but it is thin and worlds lighter than a MacBook Pro. I downloaded a 1080p HD movie this afternoon to my 13.3" (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and I am going to watch it tonight. I have taken a number of photos comparing the two models size-wise, and I will post them shortly. I just checked my battery status in the top manu, and it says I have 8 hours 35 minutes of battery remaining!! Amazing!! This is the 13" model. I am very impressed so far. The only thing I am noticing is the space bar is sqeaking a bit, but it's brand new, this could go away with time. Very impressed by both machines. I am very happy with my purchases.

 

[Jobsian]

Congrats on your purchase!

My estimate: you'll end up using the 11" more.

At least if past experiences here are anything to go by. People who owned an MBA and another larger notebook almost invariably used the smaller (and still sufficiently powerful) option.

 

[ImperialX]

This is very interesting indeed. Please keep us posted on whether you use the 11.6" more or the 13.3" more.

I went for the 13.3" because despite it being quite a lot bigger, it doesn't make it something "not portable". It can probably go anywhere the 11.6" can go.