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Viantef

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 20, 2013
67
0
I absolutely love the 11 inch Macbook Air's form factor. I'm thinking of ordering one with 8GB Ram.

However, I'm a tad skeptical on the screen size with development even though it'll likely be connected to a monitor.

Anybody?
 

Viantef

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 20, 2013
67
0
I use a 13 inch for developing, and i would't go down to a 11 inch, unless your are gonna plug it into a external monitor :)

Hi, would it be fine to do some basic edits in Xcode?

I'll just be using this computer to learn C/Obj-C, then ill purchase a MBPr 15" when I begin development on my project.
 

yearofthe

macrumors regular
May 23, 2010
160
0
Earth
Hi, would it be fine to do some basic edits in Xcode?

I'll just be using this computer to learn C/Obj-C, then ill purchase a MBPr 15" when I begin development on my project.

Just saying the 11-inch doesn't have an SD card slot. :/ I found the screen to be too wide and too short if you ask me. The 13" feels pretty right to me. Oh, and the computer too..
 

mikeray

macrumors regular
Jan 17, 2006
215
67
Brooklyn, NY
I am a Web Developer, and I just purchased my second 11-inch. I love these little guys. Fullscreen mode is your friend. :p

I do have a 27" ACD at home, but am still able to code when it is not plugged into it. I can't say much about Xcode screen real estate on the 11-inch as I do not use that.
 

catalyst07

macrumors member
Jun 15, 2013
82
8
I absolutely love the 11 inch Macbook Air's form factor. I'm thinking of ordering one with 8GB Ram.

However, I'm a tad skeptical on the screen size with development even though it'll likely be connected to a monitor.

Anybody?

I've been developing on my 2012 11" i7 8gb for over a year now and it's more than enough for anything I've thrown at it. When I do web development, I routinely have 40+ tabs open in Chrome, many with inspectors running. If I'm at my desk, I output to a 27" Thunderbolt display while doing the same tasks and it's never hiccuped once. Running xcode and obj C is a breeze on it.

TIP: If you're outputting to Thunderbolt display, make sure you're plugged in; it drains the battery on the 11" very fast if you're not.


That being said, I recently ordered the new 11" air because I want longer battery life out of it. My 2012 model gets 4.5-5hrs on battery depending on usage and I think I'll get about 8-9hrs out of the new one. Hopefully I won't even have to bring my charger!
 

dljeffery

macrumors regular
Aug 9, 2011
120
23
Issaquah, WA
Hi, would it be fine to do some basic edits in Xcode?

I'll just be using this computer to learn C/Obj-C, then ill purchase a MBPr 15" when I begin development on my project.

Why?

The Air will be fine for that. Other than possibly screen real estate, which is more of an adjustment than anything else. I did software development (iOS) on a 13" MacBook for a few years (the 11" Air actually has a bit more real estate).

But I do agree that the 13" Air would be a better choice, unless you really need the extra portability of the 11" model... simply for the additional screen real estate. And the 15" rMPB doesn't improve that (over the 13" Air), unless you run at scaled resolutions.
 

Starfyre

macrumors 68030
Nov 7, 2010
2,905
1,136
11'' MBA works well with XCode, I dont find it troublesome at all. Sure you have to toggle sidebars on and off, but its all part of using the tool and workflow. Its plenty portable and plenty powerful. Even once you get that MBPr, you could still take the 11'' with you to make changes on the go.
 

ValSalva

macrumors 68040
Jun 26, 2009
3,783
259
Burpelson AFB
I use an 11" MBA for web development. PHP, jQuery, etc. It's not my main machine but it's great when on the road or working in the living room.
 

yosemit

macrumors regular
Jul 19, 2013
167
0
I do programming on 11-in Air connected to a 24-in external monitor, Bluetooth mouse, and Bluetooth keyboard. Since I use external monitor anyway, 13-in or 15-in doesn't help, and 11-in is the logical choice.

I absolutely love the 11 inch Macbook Air's form factor. I'm thinking of ordering one with 8GB Ram.

However, I'm a tad skeptical on the screen size with development even though it'll likely be connected to a monitor.

Anybody?
 

0983275

Suspended
Mar 15, 2013
472
56
I had a 11" Air for a bit.

It's an amazing piece of hardware, put it in your bag and you won't know it's there because it barely weights anything, the screen being 16:9 as well as 1366x768 resolution is a letdown (maybe not for you or anything else, but to me, it is, considering other MacBook products uses the master race 16:10 ratio)

If you're going to be connecting it to a monitor when at home/office and take it with you when travelling, it's probably the best choice.
 
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