Anyone go from 13" to 11"

I started off with the 11 inch in 2010. I thought I would like a bigger screen and some extra storage so I traded it in for a 13 inch when the 2011 versions came out.

While the 13 inch was great machine, I couldn't help but miss the convienence that the size that the 11 inch offered.

Needless to say, I went back to the 11 inch in 2012, and have no regrets. It is my main machine and suits all my needs. (Other than EXCEL.)

cnixon said:

I started off with the 11 inch in 2010. I thought I would like a bigger screen and some extra storage so I traded it in for a 13 inch when the 2011 versions came out.

While the 13 inch was great machine, I couldn't help but miss the convienence that the size that the 11 inch offered.

Needless to say, I went back to the 11 inch in 2012, and have no regrets. It is my main machine and suits all my needs. (Other than EXCEL.)

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The 11" can be had with the same storage capability as the 13".

stchman said:

The 11" can be had with the same storage capability as the 13".

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Not true in 2010. 11" was 64 and 128gb. 13" was 128 and 256gb.

I went from a 13 inch MacBook to an 11 inch Air. I haven't regretted it since I love the 11 inch. I don't ever have much of a problem with screen space or anything.

I tried the 11" but I didn't care for the palm rest area being so small. I love the 13" MBA. I always wanted Apple to get rid of the bezel, and I thought a 13" LCD would nearly fit in the 11" MBA frame by eliminating the bezels. I now want a footprint that eliminates the bezels and uses the approximate size of the 13" MBA but with a 14/15" LCD.

I also switched to the iPad mini and have regretted it. The iPad mini is no more portable than the iPad, as it doesn't fit in my pocket. I am looking forward to the redesigned full sized iPad though.

I like my setup, an iPhone 5, iPad, and 13" MBA with Thunderbolt Display. I will take an updated Thunderbolt Display too.

2010 13" --> 2011 13" --> 2012 11"

It was always about portability for me without sacrificing (too much) power. The 2012 11" was the first time there was enough going on internally that I could bump a form factor down. And so far, so good (going on 7 months). The screen real estate is my only gripe (both actual size and resolution), but it's an excellent machine for travel.

While it's not the same as going from 13" Air to 11" Air, I went from 13" Pro to 11" Air.

I don't regret it, step up in portability is decent and the increase in graphics power is nice (I had 2011 Pro).

2010 13", 2011 13", 2012 11"

Got the 11" sometime last year about June, it's a real delight to use.

It's my main computer, have it connected to a dell wfp 3008, and an external hard drive, works like a charm. Due to it's enhanced portability, I actually carry it around a lot more that the 13". Meaning I use it more often as a portable computer than I ever did with both my 13" air. Battery life has not been a problem so far.

The main draw back is once you fall in love with the 11" it's really hard to consider any other alternative, kind of like how the 12" PowerBook was.

I went from 2011 11in to 2011 13in. It really just had to do with screen real estate and battery life. I'll be moving to a 13in rMBP soon though.

But then again, I have a 3rd gen iPad for those rare situations where I can't use my iPhone and can't use my MBA.

EDIT - I do think the 11in is an amazing computer though. If they could just stick a 12in or 13in panel in the chassis, it'd be PERFECT

got both a 13 pro and 11 air. both 2012 models and an ssd in my pro. the pro is faster, has better battery and a better screen. mine also has the advantage of a second hard drive.
11" is much lighter and smaller, to the extent that my pro feels like its made of lead when i go from one to the other. the air can do anything the pro can though, just not always as fast.

in summary, i love both equally for different reasons.

Bought a 2011 13'' MBA but soon after got a 2011 11'' refurb and I love it. Gave away the 13'' to a friend.

There is a big difference with the portability of the 11'' however it is very functional. My biggest complaint is battery life of the 11'' compared to the 13''.

strwrsfrk said:

2010 13" --> 2011 13" --> 2012 11"

It was always about portability for me without sacrificing (too much) power. The 2012 11" was the first time there was enough going on internally that I could bump a form factor down. And so far, so good (going on 7 months). The screen real estate is my only gripe (both actual size and resolution), but it's an excellent machine for travel.

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Haven't you always been able to upgrade the 11" processor to the same as the 13"? My 2011 11" Air is the core i7/1.8Ghz with 256GB SSD/4GB RAM. I thought that was the same limitation as the 'ultimate' 13" as well---in 2011. I went from the 2010 13" to the 2011 11" (when they switched to the core 'i' chips) and couldn't be happier. I've got a 15" rMBP if I need more real estate and/or power....but for portability and the ability to pretty much anything I need to for clients on site, the 11" is really a hard computer to beat. I like the 2012 models---simply because of the speedier SSD and the USB3, however, I've decided to postpone my next 11" purchase for the Haswell release. I'm hoping for better battery longevity---it's the ONLY drawback for me coming from the 13". My wife still has her 2010 11"---it's her primary Bejeweled and FaceBook/Email machine She'll get my 2011 when the 2013 models drop! Regardless of battery performance...I'll always buy the 11" Air. It's an amazing piece of computing in a 2 pound package.

J

The 11" MBA is an awesome machine - I bought one late last year, although it was the maxed out i7 8GB 512GB model, which is pretty pricey. My other most used machine is a 15" MBP from 2009, and I really don't notice the difference, as you focus on what screen is there. It's not like your attention is set at a certain area.

As for power, I haven't tried gaming, but everything else is fine. I've edited 1080 HD video and there is no problem with doing that. Sure, an iMac or rMBP would be faster doing the rendering, but it is plenty fast for all the real time stuff. It even keeps up when plugged into a 27" Apple display - it's possibly the only 'netbook' that lives up to the potential of the original concept.

The only things I would like from the 13" are the SD card reader (solved by just carrying around the USB cable from your camera/camcorder), and the battery life, which is only a problem if you are hammering the processor (solved by carrying the power supply, which you should anyhow).

The real benefit though is the size - It's like carrying around an iPad and then realising that you had pretty much all the functionality of an iMac all along. What really surprised me is that I bought it as a second machine, but it could be a main computer for many with zero compromises.

David

I went from 13" to 11" and I love it. I find it incredibly portable and convenient. I like the iPad mini much more as a complimentary device, as well. I ditched my regular-sized iPad for one.

Went from 11" to 13". The 11" was great for travelling with, but I just could't get to grips with the screen size. The 13 " is just right for me and I am happy to compromise with the slightly bigger size and weight.

I had a 13" REV A & B, skipped the C then got the 11" the first year available - 2010. Loved it except for the lack of back-lit keyboard. Got the next year's model - 2011 - and never looked back. For me it's the perfect size. I carry it everywhere for my job, and every little bit of space/weight savings is nice. I do agree that Excel is not awesome on it, but luckily I do very little Excel work day to day.

So plus one for 13" ---> 11"

Just bought fully loaded 11 inch, wow what a nice machine.

I did 2010 11" --> 2011 13"

It was hard to give up the 11" as it is such an amazing form factor - a powerful machine in a little body - such an elegant package. I did find the 13" much more practical in day-to-day use for only a little more weight (negligible if you don't have to carry the charger with the 13"), however when I see someone travelling with a sleek 11" I aways feel a bit of envy.

I'm going to upgrade to Haswell this year, and its going to be a tough choice, but I just might be going back to the 11", especially if they can get the battery life up to 7 hours or more.

strwrsfrk said:

2010 13" --> 2011 13" --> 2012 11"

It was always about portability for me without sacrificing (too much) power. The 2012 11" was the first time there was enough going on internally that I could bump a form factor down. And so far, so good (going on 7 months). The screen real estate is my only gripe (both actual size and resolution), but it's an excellent machine for travel.

Click to expand...

MBA is good for people who don't do heavy duty program or hard core gaming. right? I was reading your comment about going back to 11 inches display I have asked myself many times but I love my 15" rMBP anyway.

I went from a 2009 13'' MBP to an 11'' Air, then to a 13'' Air. Of all 3, I personally prefer the 13'' Air. The 11'' Air was really great to use, especially in certain scenarios, but after about 2 years of use I couldn't deal with the battery life anymore. It is easily the worst drawback for an 11'' Air and it's the reason I'd recommend against buying one for most users. Also, as easy as the laptop is to carry around, the screen just wasn't big enough for me to feel productive with using that laptop. Eventually, I caught myself using my 15'' every time since I couldn't have multiple windows on the 11'' open, which is why I've moved to the 13'' Air.

If apple threw a hi-res display with more real estate and more promising battery life on the 11'' Air, I'd probably get one again. But seriously, I was getting under 5 hours on my 11'' Air with only Chrome and maybe a text-editing program open. Under 5 hours!

A couple years ago, I switched from using an MBP 13 to using an MBA 11 as my primary computer for iPhone development. No problems. I rarely use the 13 except for VMs.

IMO the 11 inch screen is far enough for most of the things I do on my machine. I mean, iPads aren't bigger and some people use them for work, right?

I even do some programming in Xcode and I admit a bigger screen would be nice for that, but nothing would stop me from connecting it to a bigger screen and an external keyboard if at some point I couldn't handle the small screen anymore. I can't imagine it too be much different on, say, 13" machines.

Well, and as far as browsing is concerned; many people say the iPad is the best device to browse the web. But I say, nothing can beat a display you don't have to hold yourself. It's just far more convenient, IMO. I mean, sitting back, navigating the touch pad with one hand, I couldn't imagine a more convenient way.

Congrats on the good deal. #