11" or 13" air

[TraceyS/FL]

I really wanted a 13" but when i finally go hold of one i couldn't believe how unportable it was, picked up the 11 and within a few mins it felt natural. Haven't looked back since and love it even more every time i use it.

I've used my ipad1 as my computer since launch. I do have an (late 2006) 17" MBP that sits on a desk, but really rarely "need" to use it. I'm needing to add a computer to the house and while my original intent was to build a Pro hack (hey, I'm a poor single mom!), I need a portable solution too for school stuff.

So I decided on an Air with a matte display for home. I've been sitting here at home with a ruler comparing the sizes to my iPad and thought the 11" was what I wanted. Last night I made it to the apple store and yup, 11" won. The 13" just looks HUGE after the iPad. I had two prior 12" laptops (Sony r505 and iBook) and I couldn't believe how much bigger it looked. It has to be because of the 16:10 screen vs 4:3??

Anyway, do go play with them. I'm happy to have decided - but now I have a few weeks wait for my financial aid to roll in. I'm not looking forward to playing musical computers with my daughter as we both try to do online classes!

 

[Ben Kitchen]

I am 31 years old and 6 foot 3 inches tall. The 13 inch was perfect for me because of my size and site. The 11 inch screen was a bit hard for me to see and fit on my lap the way I wanted. Having said that, if I was 21 years old the 11 inch would probably work perfect. As others mentioned you need to try it out for your self. There is very little difference in price.

 

[wrinkster22]

It really depends.
Are those tablets your only computers?
For me, I loved the 11" But it would not work.
Because that was just so small for my main moniter and I did not hafve the extra money for a monitor.

If you can afford a monitor, and dont mind the shorter bettery, and the lack of SD card slot, I say go for it.

It seams like a good choice for you tbh

 

[mortenandersen]

Not still ultraportable, and for many of us: That's the most important point

IMO, would only get the 4gb RAM i5 11'. The difference between that and base 13' is just $100, and worth it for better battery life, screen size, yet still ultra portable.

Disagree: The difference between the 13 and the 11 when it comes to form factor is huge. I will not call the the 13 "ultraportable". But the 11 really is; and it has its limitations, first of all the limited battery time, I will say.

As also "lc25" posted earlier today: "I really wanted a 13" but when i finally go hold of one i couldn't believe how unportable it was, picked up the 11 and within a few mins it felt natural. Haven't looked back since and love it even more every time i use it."

If portability is very important, the 11 is clearly the choice. And it is in fact also competetive with regard to keyboard and screen size, compared to the 13 IMO.

 

[TraceyS/FL]

Disagree: The difference between the 13 and the 11 when it comes to form factor is huge. I will not call the the 13 "ultraportable". But the 11 really is; and it has its limitations, first of all the limited battery time, I will say.

As also "lc25" posted earlier today: "I really wanted a 13" but when i finally go hold of one i couldn't believe how unportable it was, picked up the 11 and within a few mins it felt natural. Haven't looked back since and love it even more every time i use it."

If portability is very important, the 11 is clearly the choice. And it is in fact also competetive with regard to keyboard and screen size, compared to the 13 IMO.

I totally agree with you, for me thinness isn't all there is to portability, overall footprint rules the roost. It is why the iPad is totally a great on the go size. If you need a step up feature wise from it, the 11" is the next best thing.

Of course, the awesome part is - everyone gets to make a choice for themselves!!

 

[FixedGearRob]

Difficult decision

I too had a hard time deciding on which one to buy. I had sold my 15" MacBook Pro because it was a little too big and I didn't want to carry it around in my messenger bag. My thinking was get a MacBook Air for portability.

I went to the Apple store and couldn't decide, so I ended up buying the 13" Air. After about a week I couldn't stop thinking about the 11", so I went back to the store and played around a little bit and decided to exchange it my 13" for the 11". After 3 days I decided the screen was just a little too small on the 11" plus I have a few 32GB SD cards that I had put music and other things on (yeah I could have used an adapter ...) So I called the Apple store to see about getting the original 13" I returned back, but it was too late. They said they would just give me a new one. I felt bad about doing the exchange again, but now I am very happy with the 13"

I even considered at 13" Pro, but decided against it for the same reason I sold the 15" Pro. I just think the all solid-state of the Air will be more durable in my Messenger bag.

Rob

 

[IngerMan]

It really is just personal preference. I have owned both, the 2010 13" C2D and now I have the 2011 i5 11".

What I like about the 11 is that it seems more solid especially when handling it around with one hand on the corner, no creaks after 6 months of use and handled every day all day. The size makes it also feel more comfortable lifting and walking around with it open. Standing in front of customers showing them our catalogs on line while standing out in the shop floor, it is very comfortable. With the screen resolution I don't feel I was taking that much of a hit compared to the 13". It might be small but for the size, that is a lot of screen viewing.

What I liked about the 13" was the longer battery life, The SD card slot, The Larger screen when sitting at my desk or a customers desk.

I do think the 11" is better for me on the coach and in the chair, I like the way it sit's on my lap. I rest it on the sofa arm when I get up. The 13" was to big for the sofa arm.

If I had both at the same time, I would use the 11" more, but I would be using the 13" at the table and desk.

Again it's just preference and both are really neat machines. Looking forward for the next revision to see how they compare.

 

[mpugh66]

Would like to thank everyone for their advice. Picked up a 13'' today and so far feel like it was the best decision. Have a icarbons carbon fiber (black) cover on the way as I type.

 

[IngerMan]

Would like to thank everyone for their advice. Picked up a 13'' today and so far feel like it was the best decision. Have a icarbons carbon fiber (black) cover on the way as I type.

Congrats on your new machine. Ironically I just got a iCarbon bottom and top today and put it on. I had one for my 13" as well. This time I skipped the trackpad area. I like the look, and no finger prints

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Would like to thank everyone for their advice. Picked up a 13'' today and so far feel like it was the best decision. Have a icarbons carbon fiber (black) cover on the way as I type.

Congrats and enjoy your 13" MBA - it's a terrific computer. Thanks, also, for starting an interesting and informative thread.

 

[nutmac]

In short, numerical difference between 11" and 13" MBA is 20%.

Specifically:

• 13" MBA (13.3") has 28% larger screen than 11" MBA (11.6"), and 19% more pixels.
• 13" MBA is 22% bigger (width and height wise) than 11", and 20% heavier.
• According to Apple, 13" MBA lasts 2 hours longer (29%). According to AnandTech, 13" MBA lasts 34 to 45 minutes longer depending on what you do (10 to 20%).

Having used both, if you run apps mostly in full screen mode, the overall screen size difference is inconsequential. So if you could live w ith 34 to 45 minute shorter battery life, get 11".

But if you run several apps as windows, 19% additional screen real estate could be helpful, especially if you run apps that could benefit from additional vertical pixels.

 

[vcof2005]

Need a quick decision

I am having the same dilemma on which computer to choose. I current have an iPad 2 and a Macbook Pro (Base 13' 2010). I want to purchase a Macbook Air as a secondary computer to take with me to work (I work 9 hour shifts). I need to make a decision soon because I work in an apple store and I am leaving at the end of the month and need to use this discount ASAP. I primairly want the Air for speedy internet use, documents, streaming video and music, and twitter. I don't play an computer games.

 

[Ryan T.]

I am having the same dilemma on which computer to choose. I current have an iPad 2 and a Macbook Pro (Base 13' 2010). I want to purchase a Macbook Air as a secondary computer to take with me to work (I work 9 hour shifts). I need to make a decision soon because I work in an apple store and I am leaving at the end of the month and need to use this discount ASAP. I primairly want the Air for speedy internet use, documents, streaming video and music, and twitter. I don't play an computer games.

Since you're going to need to bring your charger either way (neither laptop will last 9 hours), I'd vote for the 11" since it'll be a little more portable.

 

[ayeying]

I was at the Apple Store the other day holding both the 13" and 11" and I noticed a huge difference of weight between the 13" and the 11".

For me, I'm grabbing the 11" hopefully by the end of the week or next

 

[throAU]

It depends. I'd recommend the 13" because of the better battery life, more power and marginal price difference over a fully loaded 11" if you need 4gb RAM and 128gb+ of SSD. It's almost the same size - most of the increase is in vertical screen size (16x10 vs 16x9 on the 11").


However, my GF got the 11" because "ooh it will fit in my handbag!"


So, if you're a handbag person, get the 11".



edit:
Also, i hate 16x9 screens, so I'm a bit biased there, too.