Is the 13" big enough for writing, powerpoints and research?

[Thares]

Hey fellows,

I tried this on Google a couple of times but didn't find any satisfying result. As most of you are familiar with everyday tasks but also special usage for college, university or your job, you may answer my question:

Is the 13" screen big enough for building PPTs, writing essays and doing online research?

Thank you for your answers! Please, don't hesitate to throw your thought at me concerning the new MBA or if you are in favor of the current, price reduced MBA.


Again, thank you!

Thares

 

[Jodles]

It completely depends on what is big enough for you!

But in my experience (I'm using a 13" Alubook from late 2008) it works out just fine. In college and university I find that the less weight of the 13" makes it ideal (esp. the MBA in your case!). The only thing I can put my finger on, is that sometimes you may want to have 2 documents open at once, side by side, then the 13" screen might seem a little small. We have som mac labs at the university with mac pros and the 24 cinema led's, so I usually go there to hook my macbook up;-) Luxury!

 

[palpatine]

[Edited] I thought this was an MBP thread!

Anyhow, I use my 13" MBP for those purposes, and I have found it to be wonderful.

 

[0098386]

I used a 12" Powerbook to edit 720p videos, write up dissertations and all that when I was back in university. It's quite possible, though if you're used to a bigger screen it might be a bit of a difficult change.

I don't have a MBA and have never really looked into them, but if they support video out then you could always buy a cheap large monitor to do the big work on.

 

[Thares]

Thank you! I just ordered a refurbished 27" iMac to have a comfortable working statin at home. I don't know if it's possible to hook up the Air (or Pro) to the iMac. Gonna do some searching about this.

Thank you for your replies! I'll save some money and decide then.

 

[Onimusha370]

In my experience, 13 inches is a great size for your needs.
I often find it a toss up between the 13" MBA and iPad when writing on pages or making keynotes for college. The iPads screen is actually big enough to get these tasks done, although the extra few inches (and more advanced software) on the MacBook make keynotes abit quicker to make.
Anyway, the 13 inch screen is fine for what you want to do

 

[glen e]

I routinely build PPT's on a 11 MBA and transfer them to my iphone which now runs keynote....I can run 120 slides on a iphone and a projector - lightens the load on the road considerably.

 

[junkster]

I would say yes to all three.

I've used a 13" MacBook as my only notebook since 2006, and it's perfect for writing and web browsing and GarageBand and everything else I've wanted to do with it. The only apps I'd be wary of are ones that are very interface heavy with floating docks and so on (e.g., Photoshop, Illustrator). Those really need the screen space of a desktop monitor.

 

[lasuther]

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Resolution is what's important. The 13" MBA is great because of the high res screen, the same as a base 15".

 

[kwajkat]

My 11.6 works great for my presentations and genealogy research etc. While I thought about getting the 13, I ended up with the 11 because it is a bit smaller and much handier to transport for me. Yes the smaller screen does once in awhile bug me abit, but I am getting use to it after lugging around a 16 inch PC. OVerall I find the 11 a perfect fit for my needs and I have not regretted it.

 

[Scuba-EMT]

I use an MBA 13" for my Doctoral research daily with no strain what so ever, it truly is the perfect blend of power and size. I have MS Office on it and frequently prepare and present MS PowerPoint presentations. Having said that I also have an 27" display that I connect to at home with a wireless keyboard/mouse, the wider display is nice for side-by-display.

Cheers,

 

[torbjoern]

Hey fellows,

I tried this on Google a couple of times but didn't find any satisfying result. As most of you are familiar with everyday tasks but also special usage for college, university or your job, you may answer my question:

Is the 13" screen big enough for building PPTs, writing essays and doing online research?

Thank you for your answers! Please, don't hesitate to throw your thought at me concerning the new MBA or if you are in favor of the current, price reduced MBA.


Again, thank you!

Thares

Yes, it is.

 

[BENJMNS]

it's totally untenable

 

[Krovem]

I think 13" would do fine. I used to have a 13" MB.