I'm in university and I think it's time to buy a MacBook Air. A month ago I blught an IPad and I'm very happy with it. Last week I went to a store and saw a MacBook Air that was awesome. So Indecised ti buy it. I'm going to buy 4gb ram and 128gb SSD model. Which screen size should I prefer. In my country apple prices are so high. 11 inch model is $ 1700 and 13 is $1800 so there isn't much difference between them. My purpose of using it is checking my mails, facebook, web seraches and Iwork, Ilife, MS Office. I will carry it all day so does 13 inch make big difference in that? Battery is important but Inthink I can handle it. Which one should I prefer? Regards.
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MacBook Air 13 or 11
- Thread starter onurgitmez
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I know there are countless threads on this same topic. I own both an 11" and 13" 2012 MacBook Air, so let me give you my thoughts.
Battery life is a concern; I get five hours on my 11" and seven hours on my 13" Air. To me, "all day" means several hours of usage and you'll want the extra mileage the 13" gives you with respect to battery life.
Weight really is not an issue; size is. The 13" has essentially the same footprint as a full-size laptop, so carrying it all day would require a backpack or messenger bag rather than just tucking it into a sleeve and carrying it under your arm. That's why I love my 11" Air ... it's the ultimate in portability.
If you're carrying it all day (and by inference, using it all day) I'd go with the 13" machine. If, on the other hand, you're carrying it more than using it, then the 11" is hard to beat.
Battery life is a concern; I get five hours on my 11" and seven hours on my 13" Air. To me, "all day" means several hours of usage and you'll want the extra mileage the 13" gives you with respect to battery life.
Weight really is not an issue; size is. The 13" has essentially the same footprint as a full-size laptop, so carrying it all day would require a backpack or messenger bag rather than just tucking it into a sleeve and carrying it under your arm. That's why I love my 11" Air ... it's the ultimate in portability.
If you're carrying it all day (and by inference, using it all day) I'd go with the 13" machine. If, on the other hand, you're carrying it more than using it, then the 11" is hard to beat.
The 13" offers a larger screen, an SD port and 2+ hours of battery life? Are the size/weight differences from the 11" worth the extra functionality?
That's the question you need to answer for yourself. I gave my wife my 2010 13" MBA (to replace her '06 WhiteBook) and have a 2012 11".
Love the portability of the 11", but I hate needing to find a power outlet if I need WiFi and >3 hours battery life. If I turn WiFi off, I get almost 2 more hours of battery life.
I think this is due to the fact that Time Machine runs when I have WiFi turned on, so it's making hourly backups to my Time Capsule which kills the battery.
That's the question you need to answer for yourself. I gave my wife my 2010 13" MBA (to replace her '06 WhiteBook) and have a 2012 11".
Love the portability of the 11", but I hate needing to find a power outlet if I need WiFi and >3 hours battery life. If I turn WiFi off, I get almost 2 more hours of battery life.
I think this is due to the fact that Time Machine runs when I have WiFi turned on, so it's making hourly backups to my Time Capsule which kills the battery.
I have owned both and went with the 11" not because it is better but because it is better for what I wanted it to do. For me it is the best choice for portability, using on a couch etc. The 13" has better battery life. I also have a mac mini and a 2006 15" macbook pro. So I have others, and down the road would like to get a new 15" macbook pro.
My guess is, if you take it with you a lot you will want the 11".
My guess is, if you take it with you a lot you will want the 11".
Thank you all for your replies. I think Inwill use it too not just carrying it. Battery can be important sometimes in class If I'm not near power source I can have some problems. I don't have anyother so will 13 be better for me?
I've had the 11in and 13in and I would say getting the 13in is the way to go. As everyone has said though it really depends more on the person. As a student I carry a backpack anyway. Its really amazing to leave in the morning and not bring a charger, since the MBA has enough power to get me through the day.
So there's a noticeable difference when using on a couch? I mean, yeah it stands to reason that the 13" is a bit more unwieldy, but how much in the case of couch-using? This is something that matters to me in my upcoming purchase.
Thank you for replies. I'm still not sure which one but close to 13. I'M going to ask people in campus using this and decide.
Your biggest concern should be battery life. The 13in has roughly 2 hours more battery life than the 11in. If you don't mind carrying a cord around I would recommend the 11in. If you don't want to be bothered by it, then the 13in is probably the better choice. Either way they are both very solid computers that are super portable
Go 13": a workable screen size and better battery life. Sell the toy and use the proceeds to take the sting out of that insane $1800. I would consider a refurb or look at Amazon or B&H, assuming they'll ship to where you are. Good luck.
We have 3 late 2010 11" MBA' with 512 OWC SSD's
They all came with 4 MB Ram and 64 SSD's, they have been workhorses! I bought up a lot of 11"ers with 64SSD' and added 512 SSD's for almost 50 friends, none of them have had any problems, nor have I
Many of us, have bought Hyper Mac Micro's battery packs, when plugged into a fully charged 11" MBA, you get 12-15 hours depending on screen brightness.
I mention all this, because this is the lightest thinnest sweetest 11" out there.
We all adore our Airs, and find the screen perfect, because we are so used to our
IPad screen real estate. Quite a testimony from about 55 people.
If you can, get to an Apple retail outlet, and do a hands on, to small, get the 13"
As for me, I highly recommend the 11", buy a refurb, save lots! Are refurbs good?
Well I have a 2007 and 2008 BMB refurbs, still going strong!
They all came with 4 MB Ram and 64 SSD's, they have been workhorses! I bought up a lot of 11"ers with 64SSD' and added 512 SSD's for almost 50 friends, none of them have had any problems, nor have I
Many of us, have bought Hyper Mac Micro's battery packs, when plugged into a fully charged 11" MBA, you get 12-15 hours depending on screen brightness.
I mention all this, because this is the lightest thinnest sweetest 11" out there.
We all adore our Airs, and find the screen perfect, because we are so used to our
IPad screen real estate. Quite a testimony from about 55 people.
If you can, get to an Apple retail outlet, and do a hands on, to small, get the 13"
As for me, I highly recommend the 11", buy a refurb, save lots! Are refurbs good?
Well I have a 2007 and 2008 BMB refurbs, still going strong!
We have 3 late 2010 11" MBA' with 512 OWC SSD's
They all came with 4 MB Ram and 64 SSD's, they have been workhorses! I bought up a lot of 11"ers with 64SSD' and added 512 SSD's for almost 50 friends, none of them have had any problems, nor have I
Many of us, have bought Hyper Mac Micro's battery packs, when plugged into a fully charged 11" MBA, you get 12-15 hours depending on screen brightness.
I mention all this, because this is the lightest thinnest sweetest 11" out there.
We all adore our Airs, and find the screen perfect, because we are so used to our
IPad screen real estate. Quite a testimony from about 55 people.
If you can, get to an Apple retail outlet, and do a hands on, to small, get the 13"
As for me, I highly recommend the 11", buy a refurb, save lots! Are refurbs good?
Well I have a 2007 and 2008 BMB refurbs, still going strong!
Definitely agree.
Although I've become very close to the commands for zoom in/out, and I set the font size for Safari as "never use sizes smaller than 18" - which makes websites very easy to read. I also installed "Divvy," which sections off specific areas of the screen for different windows.
Next to the 13, the 11 seems very tiny, but you get use to it and learn what works.
Wouldn't trade the portability and comfort.
Just got my MBA 13 through yesterday.
It's amazing! So small and sleek, yet an amazingly bright and clear screen. Well impressed!
It's amazing! So small and sleek, yet an amazingly bright and clear screen. Well impressed!
I bought an iPad mini recently and thought it would be the perfect companion to my iMac, but a MacBook is definitely needed for my schoolwork, and I too was faced with this decision. Yesterday I took the plunge and ordered an 11-inch Air. I've used one at the Apple Store and it wasn't too small at all for me. If I need to something on a bigger screen, I always have my iMac as well!
I agree. I just bought a 13" and I love it. The 11" is too small in my opinion and the battery life is longer so I've heard. I would suggest selling the iPad unless you can afford to buy another device. Is that $1800 USD?
We have 3 late 2010 11" MBA' with 512 OWC SSD's
They all came with 4 MB Ram and 64 SSD's, they have been workhorses! I bought up a lot of 11"ers with 64SSD' and added 512 SSD's for almost 50 friends, none of them have had any problems, nor have I
Many of us, have bought Hyper Mac Micro's battery packs, when plugged into a fully charged 11" MBA, you get 12-15 hours depending on screen brightness.
I mention all this, because this is the lightest thinnest sweetest 11" out there.
We all adore our Airs, and find the screen perfect, because we are so used to our
IPad screen real estate. Quite a testimony from about 55 people.
If you can, get to an Apple retail outlet, and do a hands on, to small, get the 13"
As for me, I highly recommend the 11", buy a refurb, save lots! Are refurbs good?
Well I have a 2007 and 2008 BMB refurbs, still going strong!
How do you connect the hyper mac micro to the air?
You don't, those are for USB only.
You need to buy one of these ($$):
http://www.hypershop.com/HyperJuice-External-Battery-for-MacBook-iPad-iPhone-USB-s/91.htm
Main factors for me were:
Screen size (and ratio). I much prefer the bigger screen and 16:10 ratio (more vertical space), partly for watching vids, and partly because my eyes are not that good anymore and the 11" res is getting too small for me.
Battery life.
Size of palm rest. I have big hands and the 11" was just too small. My hands hung half over the edge.
I don't find the 13" to be an issue for portability, though the 11" is clearly even easier to carry around.
No regrets about getting the 13". Suits my needs fine.
Screen size (and ratio). I much prefer the bigger screen and 16:10 ratio (more vertical space), partly for watching vids, and partly because my eyes are not that good anymore and the 11" res is getting too small for me.
Battery life.
Size of palm rest. I have big hands and the 11" was just too small. My hands hung half over the edge.
I don't find the 13" to be an issue for portability, though the 11" is clearly even easier to carry around.
No regrets about getting the 13". Suits my needs fine.
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