No offense, but 11 inch has too many compromises.

[hcho3]

I am trying to understand why people would choose 11 inch model versus 13 inch. Okay maybe it is 300 dollars cheaper, but what about those of you who have bought 11 inch ultimate?

It's like 1199 dollars for 11 inch ultimate.

11 inch is missing too many things...

1. no SD card slot
2. A lot slower processor
3. Less memory
4. It's not any thinner than 13 inch.

 

[maflynn]

Small, more portable, its a great price for a secondary computer.

 

[T4R06]

its because i have a primary computer.. i don't need the 13 because i have mac mini on steroids and imac at home.

each individuals here has its own reasons why we dont need the 13

 

[hcho3]

Just saying, I am just curious. I am not trying to say people who bought 11 inches are wrong or anything. I am trying to see their ideas.

 

[bcaslis]

I am trying to understand why people would choose 11 inch model versus 13 inch. Okay maybe it is 300 dollars cheaper, but what about those of you who have bought 11 inch ultimate?

It's like 1199 dollars for 11 inch ultimate.

11 inch is missing too many things...

1. no SD card slot
2. A lot slower processor
3. Less memory
4. It's not any thinner than 13 inch.

The 11" advantage is that it's smaller significantly than the 13". The 13" dimensions are the same as the 13" MBP except thickness or weight. Thickness doesn't really matter when I'm carrying it in a bag.

Have you see the two side by side? The difference is striking. I can fit the 11" in a case I bought for an iPad to carry it. And for your point 3, it's not less memory, it's less storage, I can get 4GB of ram.

 

[Appleind]

Just saying, I am just curious. I am not trying to say people who bought 11 inches are wrong or anything. I am trying to see their ideas.

I use this mainly for travelling. I have a fully loaded 11". I dont need to use a SD card slot or a CD drive while travelling. And it has excellent value for money !!

 

[T4R06]

Just saying, I am just curious. I am not trying to say people who bought 11 inches are wrong or anything. I am trying to see their ideas.

also.. i dont think the 13 will be able to call "MBA" its huge man compare to 11

 

[jimboutilier]

I am trying to understand why people would choose 11 inch model versus 13 inch. Okay maybe it is 300 dollars cheaper, but what about those of you who have bought 11 inch ultimate?

It's like 1199 dollars for 11 inch ultimate.

11 inch is missing too many things...

1. no SD card slot
2. A lot slower processor
3. Less memory
4. It's not any thinner than 13 inch.

True, no SD slot but neither did my last two MBAs and neither does my uMB so while I think its a nice feature, I have a USB adapter that works fine.

Its lower but also ULV which means a lot less hear generation. I seldom peg my CPU so I don't find it an issue but it would definitely impact some folks.

The same two memory options are available 2 and 4gb. Unless you mean storage, and 256gb is not available which is a shame. I would have paid the extra if it had been offered but the more compact size meant more to me than capacity.

It no thinner at its thinest or thickest point but its average thickness (and volume) is significantly smaller so its more compact and lighter.

I chose to sacrifice some power and capacity for mobility but see nothing wrong with different choices by others with different priorities and needs. I'm very pleased with my decision so far.

 

[hcho3]

The 11" advantage is that it's smaller significantly than the 13". The 13" dimensions are the same as the 13" MBP except thickness or weight. Thickness doesn't really matter when I'm carrying it in a bag.

Have you see the two side by side? The difference is striking. I can fit the 11" in a case I bought for an iPad to carry it. And for your point 3, it's not less memory, it's less storage, I can get 4GB of ram.

I have seen them side by side, but I thought difference was there, but not striking. Just my opinion. I am so not used to apple's laptop is being 16:9.

I thought screen was too small and I believe it was because 16:9 aspect ratio.

 

[danny_w]

The 11" advantage is that it's smaller significantly than the 13". The 13" dimensions are the same as the 13" MBP except thickness or weight. Thickness doesn't really matter when I'm carrying it in a bag.

Have you see the two side by side? The difference is striking. I can fit the 11" in a case I bought for an iPad to carry it. And for your point 3, it's not less memory, it's less storage, I can get 4GB of ram.

Actually the $1199 11" is not even less storage (128GB). It is only less than the $1599 13" model.

 

[whistler222]

I am trying to understand why people would choose 11 inch model versus 13 inch. Okay maybe it is 300 dollars cheaper, but what about those of you who have bought 11 inch ultimate?

It's like 1199 dollars for 11 inch ultimate.

11 inch is missing too many things...

1. no SD card slot
2. A lot slower processor
3. Less memory
4. It's not any thinner than 13 inch.

1. who cares? i can bring a cable to connect to my camera. Plus when shooting real pictures I use a real SLR which uses CF cards

3. Less memory in 11 ultimate? i thought it's 4GB.. how much in the 13? 4 right?

4. it's not thinner, but size is 3 dimensional.. there's width, length, and depth.
yes, it's the same depth.. but significantlly smaller width/length

only 2 makes sense. it's slower processor.. but unless you use processor intensive programs (and don't have a mac pro on your desk), who cares?

 

[hcho3]

True, no SD slot but neither did my last two MBAs and neither does my uMB so while I think its a nice feature, I have a USB adapter that works fine.

Its lower but also ULV which means a lot less hear generation. I seldom peg my CPU so I don't find it an issue but it would definitely impact some folks.

The same two memory options are available 2 and 4gb. Unless you mean storage, and 256gb is not available which is a shame. I would have paid the extra if it had been offered but the more compact size meant more to me than capacity.

It no thinner at its thinest or thickest point but its average thickness (and volume) is significantly smaller so its more compact and lighter.

I chose to sacrifice some power and capacity for mobility but see nothing wrong with different choices by others with different priorities and needs. I'm very pleased with my decision so far.

Fair enough. One of the thing that threw me off was 16:9 ratio. I thought that made screen look a lot smaller than I anticipated. I am just not used to see that ratio on macs.

 

[bcaslis]

Actually the $1199 11" is not even less storage (128GB). It is only less than the $1599 13" model.

This is true. I meant the maxed out configurations available for both. I have the maxed out 11".

 

[jeznav]

I use MBA for programming, writing technical documents and articles, and general surfing. I have no use for an SD card slot as I use 160GB external drive for my projects and it holds more space than SD cards. I bought it because its very portable and fits in my portfolio.

At the end of the day, I can off load my projects to my MacPro for serious work.


Also:

Performance vs Battery Life vs Smaller Form Factor

Pick two.

 

[Night Spring]

Let's not forget the weight difference. The 13 inch feels heavy enough that I'd hesitate to have it hanging off my shoulder all day. I wouldn't bring it unless I was sure I need it. 11 inch feels like I wouldn't mind carrying it around with me in a bag just in case.

 

[foiden]

Wait a minute. The 11" Ultimate only costs 1199? I thought it costs more like 1399?

 

[chrono1081]

I am trying to understand why people would choose 11 inch model versus 13 inch. Okay maybe it is 300 dollars cheaper, but what about those of you who have bought 11 inch ultimate?

It's like 1199 dollars for 11 inch ultimate.

11 inch is missing too many things...

1. no SD card slot
2. A lot slower processor
3. Less memory
4. It's not any thinner than 13 inch.

I would have loved to been able to skate by on an 11 inch but sadly I needed the battery and screen size of the 13 inch. I occasionally need to use XCode, Maya, ZBrush, and Unity 3D on the go.

As for your questions:

1. I forgot my SD card slot was even there. Its not a huge dealbreaker for most people.

2. Its not that much slower. You can't compare the speed of a processor by megahertz alone. A 1.6 processor will not process only half of the data of a 3.2 processor for example. (If someone tells you otherwise they don't know as much about computers as they think they do!) For all practical purposes for most peoples usage a 1.6 is not much slower than a 2.13.

3. The memory is the same. I assume you mean hard drive space? It is a fair amount for most people since most are not buying this as a primary machine, but more of a complimentary machine. Thats what my MBA is. It compliments my Mac Pro nicely

4. No but it does have a much smaller footprint from pictures I have seen. I haven't been lucky enough to see one in person but I'd love to! Too bad the nearest Apple store is like 3 hours away in Pittsburgh

 

[bcaslis]

Wait a minute. The 11" Ultimate only costs 1199? I thought it costs more like 1399?

Yes, it costs $1399 (I know from experience ). It's $1199 for the 11" 1.4GHz, 2GB ram, 128 flash.

 

[bcaslis]

...
4. No but it does have a much smaller footprint from pictures I have seen. I haven't been lucky enough to see one in person but I'd love to! Too bad the nearest Apple store is like 3 hours away in Pittsburgh

Seeing it in person is what did it for me. I had dismissed it also but was hugely impressed when I saw the two side by side. The difference looks much bigger than the difference between the 17" and 15" MBP for example.

 

[MrMacNasty]

No offense, but you probably still wouldn't understand even if we explained our reasoning for buying the 11" as you don't know what you are talking about. What is actually considered the 11" ultimate costs $1399 and not $1199 first of all. Second of all as others have stated the 11" has a smaller form factor and fits into much smaller places, such as up your a$$.

Just joking about that last one, but not everybody needs an SD slot or faster processor and you can upgrade the memory on either model. For a secondary computer, the 11" model will suite most peoples needs nicely. As for me, I have both and I prefer the lighter weight and smaller form factor of the 11" machine.

Do we really need a 11" vs 13" thread on this forum? Obviously not but regardless we've got a new one today in this thread as I'm sure that's what this entire thread will turn into if it has not already, and so the OP should rename the subject to the 11" vs 13" Discussion for Friday, November 19th. You could also rename the subject "same $h1t different day".

I am trying to understand why people would choose 11 inch model versus 13 inch. Okay maybe it is 300 dollars cheaper, but what about those of you who have bought 11 inch ultimate?

It's like 1199 dollars for 11 inch ultimate.

11 inch is missing too many things...

1. no SD card slot
2. A lot slower processor
3. Less memory
4. It's not any thinner than 13 inch.

 

[double329]

That is what make a "buying/shopping" so fun. The maker is trying to meet everyone's need. Many different size, many different colors. Everybody is happy

 

[silverblack]

No offense, but 13 inch MBA has too many compromises.

For the sake of argument, I could plagiarize your message and only change a few terms.

=============
I am trying to understand why people would choose 13 inch MBA model versus 15 inch MBP. Okay maybe it is 500 dollars cheaper, but what about those of you who have bought 13 inch ultimate?

It's like 1799 for 13 inch ultimate.

13 inch is missing too many things...

1. no DVD writer
2. A lot slower processor
3. Less memory
4. Its battery life not any longer than MBP.

==================

My point is: no need to compare. Everyone chooses what's best for them according to their needs. There's no right or wrong; smart or dumb.

 

[maflynn]

Well said

and I agree 100%

 

[Consultant]

OMG 11-inch MacBook Air is sooooo crippled compared to the Mac Pro with 64gb of memory and 4 disk RAID.

 

[foiden]

I want the 11 inch because of its size. It also doesn't trade much performance in comparison to the 13 inch. Sure, it doesn't have the nice 13" resolution, but I'm not looking for the Air to replace my 13" Macbook Pro. It's supposed to compliment it with a new level of portability. Considering that a 13" MBP is too big for some places I carry to, a paperweight thin extra small device that's just a little less capable, is just what I'm looking for.

The 13" Air is great, but size matters here, and just enough dimensions match my MBP to make it feel less like a compliment and more like an attempted replacement but without some ports.