Buying TODAY-1 last plea for advice

brownricetofu · Jul 2, 2012

Ok so thanks to the wonderful people on this forum I have eliminated the retina macbook pro from the list and I am now deciding between the 11" and 13" Macbook air.

Fun Facts:

-This will be my main computer (replacing 2006 white macbook)

-80% of the time, will be using eternal monitor

-going to be spending over $2K on the maxed out versions on either machine

-Already own an iPad 2

-when traveling, I will be using it to play back movies, play the ocasional game, but mostly itunes and emailing.

I know there are tons of threads on 11" VS 13" (I've read and enjoyed them all!) and you can feel free to protest that fact by not participating in this thread, but if anyone has any advice, I would most sincerely appreciate it.

I am typing this from my moms 13" air and I love it, but I have seen the 11" at the apple stores and there is something amazingly sexy about. Just really torn about whether or not I will miss that extra screen real estate or not.

Also I am thinking it might be redundant to have the iPad 2 as well as the 11" as they would both be traveling with me.

Anyway- ordering today so help and keep in mind that this will be my sole computer and I plan on keeping it for 5 or 6 years.

Thanks!!!!!!!

yoyoma1992 · Jul 2, 2012

If your gonna use external monitor I think you should get 11'' and save some money...

petrucci666 · Jul 2, 2012

brownricetofu said:
Ok so thanks to the wonderful people on this forum I have eliminated the retina macbook pro from the list and I am now deciding between the 11" and 13" Macbook air.

Fun Facts:

-This will be my main computer (replacing 2006 white macbook)

-80% of the time, will be using eternal monitor

-going to be spending over $2K on the maxed out versions on either machine

-Already own an iPad 2

-when traveling, I will be using it to play back movies, play the ocasional game, but mostly itunes and emailing.

I know there are tons of threads on 11" VS 13" (I've read and enjoyed them all!) and you can feel free to protest that fact by not participating in this thread, but if anyone has any advice, I would most sincerely appreciate it.

I am typing this from my moms 13" air and I love it, but I have seen the 11" at the apple stores and there is something amazingly sexy about. Just really torn about whether or not I will miss that extra screen real estate or not.

Also I am thinking it might be redundant to have the iPad 2 as well as the 11" as they would both be traveling with me.

Anyway- ordering today so help and keep in mind that this will be my sole computer and I plan on keeping it for 5 or 6 years.

Thanks!!!!!!!

Was in the same boat. I actually bought both laptops and then returned one before the 14-day return date. I chose the 13".

Ultimately, the external monitor was a great thing with the 11" but 13" is just the perfect size for a laptop in my opinion. Especially with the Air. Light, mobile, elegant and not too big.

The 11" was too small and it seemed like there was always something on the screen that was 'in the way'.

You own an iPad 2 - the 11" is just about the same size so there's no point.

Keep in mind, the maxed out 11" is the same price (if not more expensive) than the base 13".

And since you're typing on the 13" right now and you're loving it, I'd say you've reached your decision.

Adidas Addict · Jul 2, 2012

I've owned both sizes. I enjoyed the 13" model more, just feels more usable for long periods. I will say though, the display is much better on the 11".

iRooney · Jul 2, 2012

I saw eternal monitor and thought that was different from external. I thought I missed some amazing invention.

goinskiing · Jul 2, 2012

Had the 13" 2011 and when I upgraded to the 2012 I got the 11" and so glad I did. I honestly don't notice much difference in screen real estate when I am using it but sure notice the weight difference for sure. I love my 11" MBA specced out, powerful, fast, and so tiny! Any smaller than 11.6" would be too small but the wide screen is nice and makes it not feel so small. Did I mention I do professional photography and thought I'd notice a huge difference in editing but haven't really felt like I lost a lot a real estate. Anyways, what I am trying to say is the 11.6" is a true joy to work on.

Stetrain · Jul 2, 2012

Since you will use it for travelling, I would recommend the 13". The extra battery life may come in handy.

brownricetofu · Jul 2, 2012

petrucci666 said:
Was in the same boat. I actually bought both laptops and then returned one before the 14-day return date. I chose the 13".

Ultimately, the external monitor was a great thing with the 11" but 13" is just the perfect size for a laptop in my opinion. Especially with the Air. Light, mobile, elegant and not too big.

The 11" was too small and it seemed like there was always something on the screen that was 'in the way'.

You own an iPad 2 - the 11" is just about the same size so there's no point.

Keep in mind, the maxed out 11" is the same price (if not more expensive) than the base 13".

And since you're typing on the 13" right now and you're loving it, I'd say you've reached your decision.

Wow- this is extremely helpful. I have been leaning towards the 13" and I think ultimately it will be the way I go. I hate the ipad redundancy and just feel like when I am using the air without the external, I will appreciate the usability.

Thanks!

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iRooney said:
I saw eternal monitor and thought that was different from external. I thought I missed some amazing invention.

LOL- Eternal monitor- that would be great

----------

goinskiing said:
Had the 13" 2011 and when I upgraded to the 2012 I got the 11" and so glad I did. I honestly don't notice much difference in screen real estate when I am using it but sure notice the weight difference for sure. I love my 11" MBA specced out, powerful, fast, and so tiny! Any smaller than 11.6" would be too small but the wide screen is nice and makes it not feel so small. Did I mention I do professional photography and thought I'd notice a huge difference in editing but haven't really felt like I lost a lot a real estate. Anyways, what I am trying to say is the 11.6" is a true joy to work on.

Hmmmm. I am glad to hear that working on the 11.6 is a joy- but if you didn't have that 27" imac, and the 11" was your only machine, would you still feel 11" was the right choice?

Matthew-236 · Jul 2, 2012

Stetrain said:
Since you will use it for travelling, I would recommend the 13". The extra battery life may come in handy.

This is something to keep in mind, Apple states that the 13" MBA holds an extra two hours of charge compared to the 11" MBA.

I'd also suggest that whichever you decide to go for make sure you pick 8GB of RAM as this will increase the available VRAM the graphics can use up to 512MB from 384MB - a 33.3% increase which will aid when using your external display as well as general use.

jimboutilier · Jul 2, 2012

I believe the 13" is the best choice for most people and its sales numbers are significantly higher than the 11" which seems to bear this out. The 13"s all day usable screen and battery along with its thin and light profile for terrific mobility are a great combination.

If I did not travel a lot by air and did not have access to an external monitor in the places I frequent I would definitely choose the 13" The 13" AIR is still a vastly superior mobile experience over a 13" MB or MBP.

Good luck in your decision. It comes down to differences in size, battery life, and an SD slot since the machines can otherwise be identically configured.

brownricetofu · Jul 2, 2012

Matthew-236 said:
This is something to keep in mind, Apple states that the 13" MBA holds an extra two hours of charge compared to the 11" MBA.

I'd also suggest that whichever you decide to go for make sure you pick 8GB of RAM as this will increase the available VRAM the graphics can use up to 512MB from 384MB - a 33.3% increase which will aid when using your external display as well as general use.

Yeah, either one of these machines will be the highest spec (i7, 512, 8g)

Essentially the same machine besides SD card slot, 2 hours battery difference and obviously screen size...

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jimboutilier said:
I believe the 13" is the best choice for most people and its sales numbers are significantly higher than the 11" which seems to bear this out. The 13"s all day usable screen and battery along with its thin and light profile for terrific mobility are a great combination.

If I did not travel a lot by air and did not have access to an external monitor in the places I frequent I would definitely choose the 13" The 13" AIR is still a vastly superior mobile experience over a 13" MB or MBP.

Good luck in your decision. It comes down to differences in size, battery life, and an SD slot since the machines can otherwise be identically configured.

Thanks Jim. Curious- do you find redundancy in having both the ipad and the 11" air?

jimboutilier · Jul 2, 2012

brownricetofu said:
...

Thanks Jim. Curious- do you find redundancy in having both the ipad and the 11" air?

Not really. While their size is similar their capabilities are quite different.

The AIR is a full computer that runs innumerable powerful programs and facilitates complex production tasks. It is also a consumption device but I tend to use it more for work/production than casual/consumption.

The iPad I use for a lot of consumption (reading, surfing, email etc) and it sees very light use for production (mostly note taking, email, sometimes reviewing docs).

The AIR can do everything the iPad does (except battery life) and a lot more (the reverse is not true). But the iPad offers a better consumption experience in a number of areas (reading books and magazines, surfing). When traveling I tend to use the AIR at work, and the iPad in the hotel.

goinskiing · Jul 2, 2012

brownricetofu said:
Wow- this is extremely helpful. I have been leaning towards the 13" and I think ultimately it will be the way I go. I hate the ipad redundancy and just feel like when I am using the air without the external, I will appreciate the usability.

Thanks!

----------

LOL- Eternal monitor- that would be great

----------

Hmmmm. I am glad to hear that working on the 11.6 is a joy- but if you didn't have that 27" imac, and the 11" was your only machine, would you still feel 11" was the right choice?

You make a good point, I do have the 27" iMac and was a factor in deciding to get the 11", however if you end up using an external monitor with the 11" you get best of both worlds.

Now with owning the 27" aside, I found that I use the MBA about 80% of the time. I was going to go through about ~2000 RAW picture files from a wedding I shot a couple weeks ago and do them on the iMac, I processed the whole batch on the MBA as it was more convenient to work on it wherever I went instead of being tied to the desktop. Really, the iMac is there when I REALLY need the extra oomph (which anymore is not very often tbh).

brownricetofu · Jul 2, 2012

jimboutilier said:
Not really. While their size is similar their capabilities are quite different.

The AIR is a full computer that runs innumerable powerful programs and facilitates complex production tasks. It is also a consumption device but I tend to use it more for work/production than casual/consumption.

The iPad I use for a lot of consumption (reading, surfing, email etc) and it sees very light use for production (mostly note taking, email, sometimes reviewing docs).

The AIR can do everything the iPad does (except battery life) and a lot more (the reverse is not true). But the iPad offers a better consumption experience in a number of areas (reading books and magazines, surfing). When traveling I tend to use the AIR at work, and the iPad in the hotel.

Got it. Thanks for spelling that out for me. The one thing that is holding me back from the 13" is that I am wondering if the 11" would be such a paradigm shift for me in terms of portability that I would wind up using it more than I currently use my computer now, which would be cool.

jojoba · Jul 2, 2012

brownricetofu said:
Got it. Thanks for spelling that out for me. The one thing that is holding me back from the 13" is that I am wondering if the 11" would be such a paradigm shift for me in terms of portability that I would wind up using it more than I currently use my computer now, which would be cool.

The 13" is also very portable, IMO. Needless to say, it's bigger than the 11", but still very light and fine to carry around. I have an iPad and I'm among the people who feel that a 11" would overlap too much. I went with the 13" for that reason, and for the larger screen (longer battery time is a bonus, but I use the iPad as my main portable device, so it's not my key criteria). Yes, the 11" is really sexy, but the 13" ticks more boxes for me. That's more important in the long run than sexy.

KPOM · Jul 2, 2012

brownricetofu said:
Got it. Thanks for spelling that out for me. The one thing that is holding me back from the 13" is that I am wondering if the 11" would be such a paradigm shift for me in terms of portability that I would wind up using it more than I currently use my computer now, which would be cool.

I have had MacBook Airs since they first came out, and I switched to the 11" version last year. It is significantly more portable, though the screen is also noticeably smaller. It is a lot easier to use on an airplane tray, and it is also more comfortable to carry around the house since it weighs over half a pound less.

goinskiing · Jul 2, 2012

brownricetofu said:
Got it. Thanks for spelling that out for me. The one thing that is holding me back from the 13" is that I am wondering if the 11" would be such a paradigm shift for me in terms of portability that I would wind up using it more than I currently use my computer now, which would be cool.

This has been the case for me...

norneDK · Jul 2, 2012

I don't have an MBA 13" to compare with, but I do have my MBP 13". I admit I've been an 11" owner for less than a week and that it did take some days to adjust to smaller fonts and zooming, but now I'm honestly convinced that the 11" is the perfect laptop for me. It's really a feather with a beautiful screen and I'm surprised how fast I've adjusted. Haven't used my MBP 13" since Wednesday except for installing Office and iWork.

Nell · Jul 2, 2012

I went for the 11" (also to replace a 2006 MacBook) because I wanted maximum portability. I do have an iMac at work though and a 17" MBP which I'll continue to use for video editing (as yet all I've used it for since getting the Air is watching a streamed film and I only used it then because I was writing something on the Air at the same time).

I also have an iPad 2 and although there is some overlap the iPad and the Air have different uses. I will continue to carry the iPad around when I don't specifically want to be able to work. The 3G connectivity makes it a great choice for my long commute but sometimes I need to work on the train (without being online) and those days the Air comes with me instead. And occasionally I'll carry both with me (and I'm certain I'll take both away with me when travelling, but usually only carry one with me during the day).

Sounds Good · Jul 2, 2012

iRooney said:
I saw eternal monitor and thought that was different from external. I thought I missed some amazing invention.

I did a double-take as well.

jimboutilier · Jul 2, 2012

brownricetofu said:
Got it. Thanks for spelling that out for me. The one thing that is holding me back from the 13" is that I am wondering if the 11" would be such a paradigm shift for me in terms of portability that I would wind up using it more than I currently use my computer now, which would be cool.

Well, when I switched from a 13" MB/MBP to a 13" MBA, even though the footprint was the same, there was a phenomenal improvement in mobility - the MB/MBP was on average twice as thick and weighed about 50% more and the AIR allowed smaller bags, smaller accessories etc so there was a real multiplier there that its difficult to appreciate until you try it. A fantastic "only" machine for mobile use. It seemed effortless to always have with you.

My eyes are not the greatest and I was nervous when I first looked at the 11". But when I compared the 13 and 11 it was obvious the 11 offered another paradigm shift in mobility. All the things I felt going from a MB/MBP to a 13" AIR were even more so going from a 13" Air to an 11.

The 11" air is TINY and seems to weight nothing - like a pad of paper. Its form factor makes it extremely rigid and strong so I don't end up with keyboard marks on my screen. I don't have to take it out of my bag when traveling by air (its exempt like an ipad). It has all the power and capacity of the 13" in a significantly smaller package. If you can live with the small but excellent screen and the shorter battery life, I would highly recommend it.

And you are right about the increased tendency to always have it with you (because its so small and light and unobtrusive). If you carry it in any kind of bag with other stuff, you'll find yourself checking to see its actually there because its so small and light you often have to look to tell.

brownricetofu · Jul 2, 2012

jojoba said:
The 13" is also very portable, IMO. Needless to say, it's bigger than the 11", but still very light and fine to carry around. I have an iPad and I'm among the people who feel that a 11" would overlap too much. I went with the 13" for that reason, and for the larger screen (longer battery time is a bonus, but I use the iPad as my main portable device, so it's not my key criteria). Yes, the 11" is really sexy, but the 13" ticks more boxes for me. That's more important in the long run than sexy.

Yeah- I relate to this alot. I feel like this is the kind of stuff the angel on my shoulders is whispering into my ears while the devil is screaming 11" into the other

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jimboutilier said:
And you are right about the increased tendency to always have it with you (because its so small and light and unobtrusive). If you carry it in any kind of bag with other stuff, you'll find yourself checking to see its actually there because its so small and light you often have to look to tell.

This is exactly whats killing me. Well the purchase will be made before the end of today and I will be sure to tell you guys what I chose.

Thanks again for all of the very valuable input.

brownricetofu · Jul 2, 2012

Ok so I have decided on the 13. Btwn owning the iPad 2 and this being my sole computer, I think the 13 is going to work better for me.

One last question. I was just about to place my order online and it is going to take longer than I thought for it to arrive. Before I place my order- do apple stores stock the ultimate (i7/512/8g) versions in stores? I'm in NYC.

If they do, I will just pick this bad boy up in person.

Thanks again everyone!

KPOM · Jul 2, 2012

brownricetofu said:
Ok so I have decided on the 13. Btwn owning the iPad 2 and this being my sole computer, I think the 13 is going to work better for me.

One last question. I was just about to place my order online and it is going to take longer than I thought for it to arrive. Before I place my order- do apple stores stock the ultimate (i7/512/8g) versions in stores? I'm in NYC.

If they do, I will just pick this bad boy up in person.

Thanks again everyone!

Yes, the NYC stores stock just about every configuration. I picked up my 11" i7/8GB/256GB model from Grand Central the day after it was released. Don't go by what is available for in-store pickup on the website. Just go to the store and ask if they have it in stock.

Acorn · Jul 2, 2012

I own a 13 and i am very very happy with it. I owned a 2010 11 inch and the screen was really nice on it actually but it just wasnt comfortable to use for long periods of time. I am definitely glad I got the 13 the second time around. It does everything the 11 inch can and more.

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