11" Screen big enough for college

Just bring the 15" MBP with you. Having an 11" netbook/laptop is only good for the portability factor. I guarantee you're going to feel very frustrated trying to type long essays on a tiny screen.

I agree. It will be frustrating and somewhat claustrophobic especially in time of procrastination Not to mention the times when you would like to watch a movie or tv show without annoying your roommate, a 11 inch screen would be difficult.

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You can just buy a monitor for like $150 for a decent one and leave it in your dorm for when you're typing essays late at night or whatever. That's what I'm doing, im getting a 23 inch monitor.

Monitor says it all, mate. I'm getting a 22" HDTV to use as one in college. Plus, if you sit on the internet for hours like I do, it'll be right nicer to look straight ahead at the screen like you would with a desktop setup as opposed to down at the screen, even if it is sitting on a desk.

I also think actually trying out the machine is very important. I went to the store today thinking I would be getting a 13" MBA, but I absolutely changed my mind. The 11" is much more for me due to its proportions and screen shape.

When you're in college, you take your laptop everywhere, and IMO, the MBA is perfect for that. I know a friend of mine who's in college and has a 17" laptop, and I can't at all imagine lugging that thing with you in a backpack all day long, in addition to your books. Even today at the store, I chilled on an MBA for a bit, and then picked up the 13" MBP that was sitting beside it. My first thought was "Oh my God, this is heavy as ****." I think the portability of the Air makes it the perfect laptop for college kids.

I third that second display idea. Keep an eye out for deals, I've seen decent displays for close to 100 bucks on sale recently.

what type monitor adapter should one buy?

-Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter
-Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter
-Moshi Mini DP to HDMI adapter

i ask because would also like to hook up to tv...so guessing best to find monitor that supports hdmi....?

any thoughts as to what one works best...or any issues to look for...

As others have mentioned, I think an external monitor is the way to go. I travel a lot and take my 11” MBA with me everywhere and the size and form factor are perfect for me. When I’m at home or at the office, I just hook it up to an external monitor to get more screen real estate. Monitors are so cheap now and you should be able to pick up a decent one for a good price. The external monitor plus the 11" MBA really gives you the best of both worlds, IMHO.

tom vilsack said:

what type monitor adapter should one buy?

-Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter
-Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter
-Moshi Mini DP to HDMI adapter

i ask because would also like to hook up to tv...so guessing best to find monitor that supports hdmi....?

any thoughts as to what one works best...or any issues to look for...

Click to expand...

if your tv has hdmi, get the MDP->HDMI adapter, but also a monitor with hdmi.
I think there is an adapter from MDP to hdmi+dvi (or vga), but yes it has 2 ports.(the adapter)

I'm in the same situation, college undergrad about to get an 11" MBA to replace my 13" MBP. I just ordered a 22" HD monitor on Amazon for just $140.

If you go that route, remember you'll also need a keyboard & mouse. Speakers would be nice too if you don't have some already.

You may also want to look at the Twelve South BookArc. Google it, it's really cool.

I also agree with the monitor idea. I have an iMac at home that I worked on and brought the MBA with me to class. I have several times worked on something on the iMac and not had the newest version on the MBA at school and I have not set up remote access. After I started using the MBA hooked up to a monitor, I never had that problem. Of course I tend to be scatterbrained and forget a lot!!

I prefer the 11" model. I am a physics major and have to carry several heavy books and every ounce saved is worth it. E-books for the subject are not widely available yet.

Mini displayport to X adapters are around 5 bucks each on amazon.com. I wouldn't worry about what connections your display has. Tops, you'll spend a little over 10 bucks on adapters. I guess it would be smart to get a display that also had hdmi in, so you'd only need one hdmi adapter to connect to either your TV or display.

I wouldn't recommend an 11" screen as your only computer for a prolonged period of time. This is from a guy that went trough his first 4 years of postgraduate education with a 12" PowerBook.

I think you should take the 15" with you. It still is somewhat portable (altough I much prefer the 13" for portability, you already have the 15") and offers much more real state than the 11.

brandon8u said:

Yeah, I didn't really want to get the 13" that much because it's pretty close to my 15" already. I might hold off and just save my money then.

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Just bringing the MBP is a good idea; many people who can only afford 1 MB (most of us lol) just get one and are done with it; I did 75 percent of my freshman year on a 11 inch netbook (hell but I did it) and got a BlackBook the last month or so. I love it.

I am planning on selling the BlackBook and getting an Air or a new Pro though; having a longer battery life would be great seeing as I'm not staying on campus and I'll be taking more and more books with me :/

yongren said:

I just ordered a 22" HD monitor on Amazon for just $140. .

Click to expand...

That monitor full 1080p HD? You should probably link me (Please)

Go 13 or go home. 11 will be so cramped up for essays and any reading on the computer, you will constantly be scrolling.

If you do get an 11, definitely invest in an external. But that isn't too fun to lug around.

dtjay7 said:

I prefer the 11" model. I am a physics major and have to carry several heavy books and every ounce saved is worth it. E-books for the subject are not widely available yet.

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search for the "physics complete" torrent, should be about 5gb. u can haz phys e-books.

1) Sell MBP

2) Buy 11/13'' MBA

3) Buy 21'' iMac

That is really what i want to but can only afford one :/ and i dont have one to sell now :/

biodigitaljazz said:

That monitor full 1080p HD? You should probably link me (Please)

Click to expand...

Here. It's full 1080p, but no HDMI input. The reviews say the speakers are bad, but I plan on using another set I already own. It may not be the best quality 22" screen around, but I'm a college student on a budget... It's the cheapest one I could find on Amazon with mostly good reviews.

anerac said:

search for the "physics complete" torrent, should be about 5gb. u can haz phys e-books.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I will look into it. I am more than willing to pay for the e-books if they offered them. I am just so tired of carrying heavy books when e-books are so common.

yongren said:

Here.

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Thanks man. Something to look into. Saved the link to my bookmarks. I've read a lot of reviews for HDTVs and monitors that say they have bad internal speakers. Again, Amazoning "Logitech speakers:" 2 speakers and a sub, $20.

Back on topic, I didn't like the feel of the 13" MBA as much as I did the 11". That's what monitors and externals are for. You can get a 1TB from Western Digital that's USB powered, has capabilities for USB 2 AND 3, and is the size of your wallet, for $100 from Amazon.

Grad Student here. I use a 13" MBP for the last 3 years. Did all my essays, research, and reading on it.

My next purchase will be for sure an 11" MBA and either:

22"+ Monitor or
27" iMac or
Macmini + Monitor (this would be my mothership desktop for all the stuff I don't need on my academic MBA)

11" is fine for notetaking in class. I think it might be a little small for essay writing.

I have entertained the thought of a iPad + BT keyboard for undergrads in humanities. Small, but if you are organized, it just might work.

feflower said:

I have entertained the thought of a iPad + BT keyboard for undergrads in humanities. Small, but if you are organized, it just might work.

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For straight composition, I think that combo would be a pretty good one. I had the first gen iPad half a year ago and used it to type notes up in class. I didn't use a physical keyboard so it got a little irritating to have to keep looking down to get a bearing on where I was on the page.

I would say that for standard typing, the iPad is great. If you aren't going to be doing a lot of bullet points, number points, or hard editing on the device, it would be great for typing out rough drafts and making small revisions.