If you're going to hook it up to an external monitor most of the time, why does the 13" make more sense?
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11" Air or 13" Air?
- Thread starter Kirixis
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If you're going to hook it up to an external monitor most of the time, why does the 13" make more sense?
Because I'll rarely take the machine out of the house, so size and weight REALLY shouldn't matter (like it would for someone that travels often or takes it out and about on a regular basis). In my case I'm just going from the kitchen table to the coffee table, etc, so having a larger screen in these cases makes more sense -- and it's not like it would be too heavy to move around the house.If you're going to hook it up to an external monitor most of the time, why does the 13" make more sense?
See, logically I know the 13" is the smarter choice... but I still like something about the thought of the smaller footprint of the 11".
Ah, but don't forget the "carry open in one hand with coffee in the other" factor! The 11" is my primary machine, mostly because I'm on the road a lot. But, when I'm not on the road, I'm at home, and I still prefer the 11". It's an easier size to use on the couch, move with one hand, balance on a leg... it's a huge difference from hubby's 13" MBA which seems massive and heavy in comparison.
If it were only going to sit at a desk, that's one thing. If you are a couch surfer, move around the house, working-while-lounging kind of user, then I really can recommend the 11" for even that kind of portability. If you're a "desk person" then it probably doesn't make much difference.
Because I'll rarely take the machine out of the house, so size and weight REALLY shouldn't matter (like it would for someone that travels often or takes it out and about on a regular basis). In my case I'm just going from the kitchen table to the coffee table, etc, so having a larger screen in these cases makes more sense -- and it's not like it would be too heavy to move around the house.
See, logically I know the 13" is the smarter choice... but I still like something about the thought of the smaller footprint of the 11".
I rarely take my MBA out of the house, and I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything by using the 11". To me, it made more sense to go with the 11" because of my monitor, and frankly, I felt that the 13" was a bit too big for my taste. Besides this 11", my favorite size was the 12.1" iBook.
To make up for the "shorter screen", I have my dock on the left side so that my browser window or whatever application I'm using can utilize the entire height of the screen.
I have a Belkin CushTop which I use when I'm sitting on the couch (or if I feel like using my MBA at the dining room table without my monitor. I leave it on top of the CushTop and use my Apple Bluetooth keyboard and Magic Mouse). It's great because I can store my external HDD and any other accessories inside the cutout, and when I want to hook the external HDD up to the MBA, I leave it inside the cutout and just run the USB cable to the MBA.
Whatever you decide, I'm sure you'll be happy with it.
if they would get rid of the screen bezel and fit instead a 12" screen in the 11" MBA than this thread wouldn't exist. I hope they redesign the MBA in this way. I would certainly buy a 11.5 or 12" MBA. 11 is just a bit too small and 13 is just a bit too big.
I hear ya. Believe me, I hear ya.
Interesting. Thanks for that.
I kinda wish they'd do what Dell did for the XPS 13 Ultrabook. It's a 13.3" screen in an 12" body. The footprint comes close to the 11" MBA, but the screen is 13.3". If they did that, this would be an easy decision.
Ok you guys who own 11 can probably answer it better. I currently own at 13 Pro. I am assuming for watching videos 13 Pro and even 13 Air should not be that different from 11 because of the 16:9 ratio of 11 which make the use of the entire screen without wasting any screen real estate for the black bars
I'm not quite sure where I fit in when it comes to usage
Things I Do:
-watch movies
-write school work
-listen to music
-surf the web
-file transfers
-play a few games
I love the idea of no more black bars
The keyboard is good apparently but the small screen means lotsa vertical scrolling in documents on the go. At home I will dock it. This fulfills the desktop user inside me
Again V scrolling is gonna be the bane of iTunes...
I don't mind scrolling on web pages because it's just a fact these days.
SSD and file transfers? **** yeah! Plus hopefully USB 3.0 in this revision.
And the gaming:
I have a 360 so I'm covered for AAA titles but how do you guys find gaming on intel 3k GPUs? Hopefully SB will make a difference.
I'm also going to buy an external HDD rather than screw around with third party SSD replacements.
Things I Do:
-watch movies
-write school work
-listen to music
-surf the web
-file transfers
-play a few games
I love the idea of no more black bars
The keyboard is good apparently but the small screen means lotsa vertical scrolling in documents on the go. At home I will dock it. This fulfills the desktop user inside me
Again V scrolling is gonna be the bane of iTunes...
I don't mind scrolling on web pages because it's just a fact these days.
SSD and file transfers? **** yeah! Plus hopefully USB 3.0 in this revision.
And the gaming:
I have a 360 so I'm covered for AAA titles but how do you guys find gaming on intel 3k GPUs? Hopefully SB will make a difference.
I'm also going to buy an external HDD rather than screw around with third party SSD replacements.
Until Apple addresses the MBA 11" poor battery life issue, the MBA 13" will always be the smarter choice.
What is the point of an ultra-mobile laptop (stress of "mobile", meaning not plugged to AC) if you run out of juice in only 3 hours of real-life usage? Just because it's "cuter" than the MBA 13"?
Nah! Apple really needs to improve the 11" battery life significantly (6 hours minimum) if they want it to be a TRUE mobile laptop.
What is the point of an ultra-mobile laptop (stress of "mobile", meaning not plugged to AC) if you run out of juice in only 3 hours of real-life usage? Just because it's "cuter" than the MBA 13"?
Nah! Apple really needs to improve the 11" battery life significantly (6 hours minimum) if they want it to be a TRUE mobile laptop.
One could also look at it this way: what's the point of a long battery life if it's too big to have on you all the time? (Kind of like "the best camera is the one you have with you.")
I have an 11". Hubby has a 13". Mine is definitely, noticeably more portable. It goes places (even if it might eventually run out of batteries in the course of a long trip) that a 13" simply would not come with me. I do not have to think about whether this thing comes with me because in my case, it fits in my (regular-sized, every day) purse and is not a pain to simply have on me.
It really does depend on how you're going to use the machine. I would argue that for the Airs, that's potentially even more important than what you're going to use the machine for.
Are you going to spend long stretches in places where you have access to an outlet if you need it? (home, coffee shop with plentiful outlets, office where you can plug in, airport lounge, business class flight) Are you going to be using wifi all the time, or do you have things to do on the machine that don't require it? Are you going to be places or using applications where turning the brightness down isn't a big deal? Do you use the machine constantly for hours at a time, or do you use it a bit, put it away or a bit, then take it out again? If you get 3 hours battery life, will you use that up all in one sitting before you have access to power again? Or, will you be away from power for 6 hours but only on the machine half the time?
I find that it's answers to the above questions that can help determine whether you can live with the limitations of an 11" machine's battery. If you think you can get away with it otherwise (smaller screen, smaller SSD, less power to run certain programs), then you probably can. But I find the Air is really about how you use it day to day.
Carrying around 1.7 extra inches is not a big deal. Running out of battery life in just about 3 hours certainly is.
I repeat what I said before: an ultra-mobile laptop within only 3 hours of real-world usage battery life is self-defeating as it's greatly reduces the mobility factor.
You wish...
Since you've decided to repeat yourself, I will repeat myself too:
That's never happened to me. My MBA has never run out of power after only 3 hours of real-world/normal usage (which for me is typically a combo of web surfing, word processing, email, some video, some audio, viewing photos). In my experience, I get around 5 hours, which is more than enough before I'm somewhere where I can plug in again.
Are you basing your comments on your own experiences? If so, perhaps you have (or had) a defective unit.
I dont mean to be disrespectful, but... There is NO chance you are getting 5 hours of battery life with a MBA 11" doing any type of video.
I'm not watching 5 hours of video straight (and never said that I was). During my normal use, I may watch a few videos here and there while doing all those other things.
I ain't lying, and have nothing to gain by doing so.
If the macbook air is going to be your main computer and your not planning to use a secondary monitor, get the 13" for sure.
If its going to be a secondary computer, 11" would be perfectly fine or your going to use a secondary monitor.
But both models, I can't stress enough to please get 4gbs of ram.
If its going to be a secondary computer, 11" would be perfectly fine or your going to use a secondary monitor.
But both models, I can't stress enough to please get 4gbs of ram.
I agree with this.
However, regarding the rest of your post, I don't think I would have any problem using my 11" as a primary computer if I didn't have an external monitor. I don't hook it up to the external that much as it is....
Go for the 13". It's still very light, very portable and very fast. Now that I've had my 13" for awhile, whenever I see the 11" model I realize it's just too tiny for me.
Of course, YMMV.
Of course, YMMV.
For me, the exact opposite is true. One can't make these statements for another person, which is why I suggested thinking about the questions I mentioned earlier re: how you're going to use the machine.
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I do have to admit, though, more battery life is what I'm hoping for in the refresh. I typically can get 3hrs on wifi or 4.5 hours off wifi, but I do have to have the brightness turned right down. (and I can't play Peggle, which kills my battery like crazy!) I can only think of a couple of times that it hasn't been enough for me, but who doesn't want more battery life?
I also don't know, but I thought I'd read here that the 2010 11"s (what I have) have slightly better battery life than the 2011 refresh. Maybe that accounts for some of the discrepancies users here are finding?
I also don't know, but I thought I'd read here that the 2010 11"s (what I have) have slightly better battery life than the 2011 refresh. Maybe that accounts for some of the discrepancies users here are finding?
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I've got the 11" 4gb/128gb for ultra portability and a TBD when I want to sit and work.
Besides, the 11" has a higher PPI screen
Besides, the 11" has a higher PPI screen