i love my samsung android tablets. but since i got the 2014 mba 11 i haven't even picked up a tablet. still, the mba isn't as flexible re apps as android. i had iPads 1 thru 3 and they didn't live up to android/samsung either. yet, the little mba has stolen my affection. i'm trying to set it up as close to android as i can re apps/links etc. so it will be an 11 inch tablet but with a keyboard. i bought the mba mainly as an extra play thing, but will do some work on it. my main computers are a mac mini and a mid 2010 15" mbp. btw, i got the mini, base, at best buy for a steal price of $720.
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MBA 11" and my tablets
- Thread starter RUGGLES99
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I was in the same situation as you. I have always used Android tablets and iPads. I most recently had the Galaxy Tab S.
Picked up an 11" MacBook Air last week and really enjoying it so far.
For a little extra money, you have the power of a computer and a full fledged keyboard!
Picked up an 11" MacBook Air last week and really enjoying it so far.
For a little extra money, you have the power of a computer and a full fledged keyboard!
Might as well ask in here rather than create a new thread: for you 11"ers, do you find your Airs sufficient for browsing, YouTubing and writing?
My wife has recently been considering using a Mac (finally!!) and I've been thinking about getting her the Air for her birthday although I don't know whether to pick the 11" or 13". I DID consider the upcoming MacBook, but the one port thing would surely annoy the hell out of her.
She would love a battery that lasts long, and a smooth experience. Do your 11" Airs stutter when tasked with iTunes, browsing with Flash with 3-4 documents in the back (for example)? Or will a base 13" be better for this kind of usage?
My wife has recently been considering using a Mac (finally!!) and I've been thinking about getting her the Air for her birthday although I don't know whether to pick the 11" or 13". I DID consider the upcoming MacBook, but the one port thing would surely annoy the hell out of her.
She would love a battery that lasts long, and a smooth experience. Do your 11" Airs stutter when tasked with iTunes, browsing with Flash with 3-4 documents in the back (for example)? Or will a base 13" be better for this kind of usage?
I use an 11" 2013 i7/8gb/512gb MBA as my primary computer, not "an extra play thing". It runs Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, FileMaker Pro, Photoshop and other powerful software well enough to meet my needs. I use a big screen, external keyboard, USB audio interface, control surface, external disks, etc when needed.
Never had any interest in the iPad although I've give a couple as gifts. Got a family member a base model MBA to replace her 2008 MacBook as her primary computer and she is very happy with it (for things like browsing, writing and YouTubing).
These are powerful little computers and can certainly handle things like iTunes and Safari with ease. I don't know why you would think that a 13" would be any different from the 11" in terms of power, as long as all things are equal (RAM, SSD, CPU). The new 13" models have faster SSD's but nobody is likely to notice this difference, especially for the things you describe.
I replaced my 13" MBA with an 11" MBA and really like it better. It's the perfect size for travel. I don't have a problem with the smaller screen, but that's a personal decision.
Never had any interest in the iPad although I've give a couple as gifts. Got a family member a base model MBA to replace her 2008 MacBook as her primary computer and she is very happy with it (for things like browsing, writing and YouTubing).
These are powerful little computers and can certainly handle things like iTunes and Safari with ease. I don't know why you would think that a 13" would be any different from the 11" in terms of power, as long as all things are equal (RAM, SSD, CPU). The new 13" models have faster SSD's but nobody is likely to notice this difference, especially for the things you describe.
I replaced my 13" MBA with an 11" MBA and really like it better. It's the perfect size for travel. I don't have a problem with the smaller screen, but that's a personal decision.
I use my 2014 4GB/128GB 11" MBA as my primary mobile device... taking it to the office so that during downtime I can work on sermon prep. It has done everything that I've needed to do... it barely ever breaks a sweat. (ie. fan activating... which only happens during an extended Candy Crush Saga session)
The things to consider when deciding 11" vs 13" is... in the 13's favor is larger screen (duh), longer battery life, and SD Card slot.
My daughter bought a 13" MBA the same time that I bought my 11" (both base models). The size difference is pretty significant. I bought her a special SD card adapter (with 64GB microSD) that sits flush in the SD card slot so that she can keep it permanently installed.
I use a 64GB Sandisk Cruzer nano USB nub for additional storage.
For the purposes that you've outlined I believe that the 11" is a fine machine. The portability of this thing is insane... I love to take it places for extended writing sessions...keyboard and touchpad are stellar for writing.
That's interesting. My iPad 2 (I swapped my iPad 4 with my wife for her iPad 2 since that's her main mobile device) now sits unused as I find my Samsung GTab 8.4 Pro a great complement to the MBA. The 8.4 has an amazing screen, and performance is better than my best tablet experience (iPad 4 running iOS 6.x)
I use to use tablets (Nexus 7 and Ipad 2) but then I realize they were just play things to me and it wouldnt make sense to have a tablet and laptop imo. I had a MBA 13' and i liked it but to me it was too big. I got the 11' instead and couldnt be more happier even though it loses some features.
Speaking of YouTubing, there are many YouTube videos explaining why someone chose 11" MBA over 13" MBA or vice versa (or MBA over 13" rMBP, or more often vice versa).
Purely personal preferences are hard to guess, so I would go see and compare those machines at the store with my wife, even if I was buying her one for present. How do her hands rest on and in front of different keyboards, do the restrictive viewing angles of TN panels bother her at all, does she feel that 11" 16:9 is too small or letterboxed, etc.
Purely personal preferences are hard to guess, so I would go see and compare those machines at the store with my wife, even if I was buying her one for present. How do her hands rest on and in front of different keyboards, do the restrictive viewing angles of TN panels bother her at all, does she feel that 11" 16:9 is too small or letterboxed, etc.
The default logical resolution of 13" MacBooks is 1280x800, and has been for the past ~10 years.
The resolution of the 11" MBA is 1366x768, i.e., a small amount wider and a small amount shorter.
If you move your dock to the left of the screen, it evens everything out so you can see the same amount of information horizontally and vertically.
I'm the op. To answer, my 11 runs smooth as butter. My wife also just got the 2014 13 and they operate the same. Whichever you get for your wife, she'll be happy.
Unless the TN display panel bothers you, the 11" is a complete delight to use and to carry. At its default resolution it's fine for browsing, writing and viewing videos. Personal preference hint: consider moving the dock (if you display it) to one side or the other. The vertical screen space is at a little bit of a premium on the 11".
All very helpful responses, thanks guys! From what I'm reading, both machines are similar performance wise, so the only difference would be whether or not she prefers a bigger screen, is that correct?
How about boot times? She's extremely jealous of my 2014 15" rMBP's lightning-quick boot time.
How about boot times? She's extremely jealous of my 2014 15" rMBP's lightning-quick boot time.
...and if she needs access to SD cards. I have a USB nub that allows for the insertion of a microSD card that I use on those rare occasions that I need to access a microSD card. Full-sized SD cards would be a challenge on a 11" MBA.
I use this for full sized SD cards (and micro SD cards) on my 11" (my camera is older and doesn't have any wifi, and this is my only computer):
http://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-Pocket...1427637149&sr=8-5&keywords=sd+card+reader+usb
Sure, it's not quite as elegant as not having something dangling out the side, but it's really no problem. While I'd LOVE to have an SD slot in my 11", I wouldn't trade the portability for it.
(Note: I have a few card readers and I really suggest having one that connects with a tiny cord instead of something that's just a stick, like a flash drive. The added flexibility makes me a lot less nervous that it'll get knocked while connected.)
http://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-Pocket...1427637149&sr=8-5&keywords=sd+card+reader+usb
Sure, it's not quite as elegant as not having something dangling out the side, but it's really no problem. While I'd LOVE to have an SD slot in my 11", I wouldn't trade the portability for it.
(Note: I have a few card readers and I really suggest having one that connects with a tiny cord instead of something that's just a stick, like a flash drive. The added flexibility makes me a lot less nervous that it'll get knocked while connected.)
Yes. The Air is my primary personal machine and I can do everything you mentioned and more. I keep MS Word zoomed to about 110-125% just to bump up text sizes, but it's really a great size for everything I do.
No stutters at all, and I constantly keep several programs running full screen. The only time I need to manually close applications is if I want to play a game. I also use safari without flash, and have Chrome installed as my "flash browser". YouTube runs perfectly fine, though, in flash-less safari.
100% Agree. The 11", even the base model, is an awesome little powerhouse.
Cheers mate, thanks for the impressions! I guess even for my wife, it seems that the base 11" will do just fine. It just boils down to screen size preference, then!
No problem! One other thing I forgot to mention is that I set the minimum font size to something slightly larger in Safari.