I'd also get the 11" if you spend a lot of your time at a desk and already have external monitors. This is the reason im going to be getting the MBA 11". Im on my computer 6-8 hours a day but i have 2 22" external monitors + wireless keyboard/mouse. To me this is the best of both worlds. I have huge screens while at my desk and a ultraportable laptop when on the train or plane (im on the train 2 hours a day and fly atleast once a month)
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Walked out of Apple store without MBA :-(
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I'd also get the 11" if you spend a lot of your time at a desk and already have external monitors. This is the reason im going to be getting the MBA 11". Im on my computer 6-8 hours a day but i have 2 22" external monitors + wireless keyboard/mouse. To me this is the best of both worlds. I have huge screens while at my desk and a ultraportable laptop when on the train or plane (im on the train 2 hours a day and fly atleast once a month)
It always amazes me how many people on these boards write with a "buy what I bought and whatever you bought sucks" attitude...truth is, apple makes both the 11 and the 13 for different needs and wants. The 11 is fine for me, but my business partner thinks the screen is too small and has the 13. I feel completely the opposite, I like the true portability of the 11 and value that over more real estate, as I"m the one traveling as he runs the office and stays put.
I'm sure they both sell well....
I'm sure they both sell well....
Apple did good. Both the 11 inch and 13 inch camps are almost like the PC vs Mac. No thread will ever settle which is the better Air.
It comes down to one thing. Which is more portable? (If you are buying a macbook air and dont care about the portability factor then you are a strange person...)
It may seem at first that they are both just about as portable and just about the same weight. But.... Try to lift the 13" with one hand... It is extremely uncomfortable... It isnt just the weight, but the overall diagonal length that causes the torque on your hand. Then try this with the 11.6" air. The grip you get from just one hand is comfortable and secure and simply makes you wanna run away with it!
Also as a side note: a 16:9 display is a lot more convenient for so many things... whether that be streamed videos or side by side columns... The extra screen real estate is mostly in height for the 13" (which is not helpful for most things).
It may seem at first that they are both just about as portable and just about the same weight. But.... Try to lift the 13" with one hand... It is extremely uncomfortable... It isnt just the weight, but the overall diagonal length that causes the torque on your hand. Then try this with the 11.6" air. The grip you get from just one hand is comfortable and secure and simply makes you wanna run away with it!
Also as a side note: a 16:9 display is a lot more convenient for so many things... whether that be streamed videos or side by side columns... The extra screen real estate is mostly in height for the 13" (which is not helpful for most things).
The 11 can be a true ultraportable; for me, I'd have to pair it with the (forthcoming) Thunderbolt 27" ACD to make it reasonable for me. Since I'm not about to fork out 2600 for a solution like that, I decided to stick with the 13"
I've been using the 2010 11" for quite some time and as my only work computer.. I have a mac mini an iMac and a 27" ACD.. I can count in the palm of my hand the times I've hooked it up to the 27". Unless you do photoshop or video editing the high res screen works fine.. and it's ultraportable which is why I've bought a bunch of iPads including iPad2 and can't find use for them apart from maybe reading ebooks on the plane
the 13" is too big for me... try the 11" you won't be disappointed
I'm surrounded by Macs from years of getting them, so I went with the 11. Reminds me of my beloved, but weighty, 12 inch Mac. I periodically day trip for work and will often have a DSLR, samples or tools with me, so a ~2 lb. small laptop is a joy. Though graphics software loves screen space, so I will affix the 11 to a monitor when needed, or simply transfer the file to another Mac and take care of it.
The 11" and 13" can be identically specced so the only difference is screen size. The extra 1.6" hardly relegates the smaller model to a 'toy', to suggest that less than 100 pixels wide relegates it to being lesser a device is just a bit silly really.
I've owned both. First the 13, then the 11 as my needs changed.
I have the 11 now for use on a small desk space in college, but I desperately miss the larger screen when I'm on it for any extended amount of time (Actually, I miss it all the time, but the longer I go, the worse multi tasking gets.)
Can you use the 11 for more than an hour? Absolutely. Can you write a 3 page email on an iPhone? Absolutely. Should you? Thats another question entirely...
Most Apple products make me fight the 'wants vs needs' battle, the Air is no different.
do you find yourself missing the SD card slot? I'm in a similar situation where i have a bag full of tools and gadgets for field surveying, and have grown accustomed to having the SD slot on my 2009 MBP for transferring pictures to empty the memory card. i guess carrying the USB cable is the viable work around, but that would be one hangup that might steer me to a 13", and the higher resolution screen.
This is getting your argument too far. Only a two year old would find holding the 13" with one hand uncomfortable... Torque??
You must be either very weak, or a slim girl with small hands.
Not even a 17" MBPro causes me problems lifting it with one hand.
I admit the slot was handy on my now gone 13. Personal reality for me, though, is that my media occasionally includes compact flash cards for the Canon 5DMKII, to which I had gone overboard once and gotten a wire tethered component that handles both media in addition to a memory stick, (something that I never use.) - though what I had gotten rid of in the process, using prior laptops with no slot, was a short, wireless dongle whose only mission was to convert the usb port to an SD card slot. I don't recall the maker, but they must be out there somewhere. It is very small and rids your bag of a tangly wired component.
If you are contemplating the air as your only computer, the 13 is worth a look. I enjoyed it for the short time I had it. Basic Adobe apps worked well, but in reality there are times in graphics when you need an overview that only a much larger monitor will do. So the 13, for me, was an tweener that offered less of either end of the range. The 11 occupies the sweet spot in that small end of the range for me.
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Try having it open while you carry it holding it at one side and with the other hand typing something while doing that. Now continue for 5 minutes and see if you still have no problem
If you don't then: Not everyone is a body builder!! The whole point of the MBA is size and weight. Get the MBA11 if you want a real laptop that's easy to use and carry. Only uninformed people, whose goal is to insult, not inform, call it a toy.
I did my chemistry degree on a 12" iBook. Same vertical resolution and it was fine.
Glad you made a decision. Good luck with it.
Can I get the iPad with a 1.8GHz Core i7, 4GB RAM, and 256GB of flash storage?
It's all a matter of preference. Functionally, there is no difference between the top 11" and 13" models. The only differences are in the screen size and resolution, and the battery size.
This is getting your argument too far. Only a two year old would find holding the 13" with one hand uncomfortable... Torque??
I remember when the Rev A came out a lot of people were asking why anyone would need something so thin and light, when the base MacBook weighed "only" 2 pounds more and had a faster processor, more ports, and a Superdrive. It was suggested on the Macworld forums that we Rev A buyers get a gym membership instead, if we didn't want to lift 5 lbs.
Try having it open while you carry it holding it at one side and with the other hand typing something while doing that. Now continue for 5 minutes and see if you still have no problem
Well that certainly does not work for long with a 17" MacBook pro, but with a 13" Air this is not a big deal, and i am no body builder lol.
uninformed? not me.
My comment to the 11 was not an insult- it was in my own opinion.
For me the 11 would work for internet surfing and watching movies....and for this purpose I would much rather use and carry the ipad.
I do a lot of writing and the extra space on the 13 allows me to see more of a document without scrolling.
Actually the whole debate is silly.
to each his own- enjoy!