Resolved 11 or 13 inches for typing in MS Word?

[gandolfini]

Hello everyone. Finally I've made a decision to buy MBA. After many deliberations I resigned from X220. The thing is which size and resolution would be appropriate for me? I'll be using MBA for typing in Word (90% of time) and web browsing (10%). Another doubt is a battery life. X220 is able to keep 9 hours. I'm going to type for about 6 hours/day without charging... It will be my first Mac.


Ps. How about .doc files created on Lion? Are they compatible with the windows' version?

 

[PurpleMarmalade]

I use Word 95% of the time. 13", and yes, Word 2011 is fully compatible with Lion (produces .docx by default, as Windows does.)

 

[MrCheeto]

Ps. How about .doc files created on Lion? Are they compatible with the windows' version?

If you create them on Word for Mac, they should be completely problem-free save for any Mac or Windows specific fonts.

The 11" has more pixels than a typical 13" laptop. I like using it for web-browsing and viewing this forum.

 

[gandolfini]

Thank you for exaplanation but the main issue is choice between 11 and 13 MBA. I really like the portability of 11, but a battery life is a problem, isn't it?

 

[iExpensive]

Without WiFi both will suit your needs. The text size will be almost exactly the same on both machines. The only plus to the 13" is screen real estate... Well... the battery too but that only matters if your going to web browse at the same time.

 

[Fernandez21]

Hello everyone. Finally I've made a decision to buy MBA. After many deliberations I resigned from X220. The thing is which size and resolution would be appropriate for me? I'll be using MBA for typing in Word (90% of time) and web browsing (10%). Another doubt is a battery life. X220 is able to keep 9 hours. I'm going to type for about 6 hours/day without charging... It will be my first Mac.


Ps. How about .doc files created on Lion? Are they compatible with the windows' version?

Because of the battery, get the 13". My 11" gets much better battery than what I was used to, but you won't be able to get 6 hours use without charging.

 

[ZBoater]

Unless you plan to carry your MBA in your cargo pants pocket, the 13" is just as portable as the 11". They are both just as thin, with the 13" being a couple of inches longer/wider which in a briefcase or backpack is barely noticeable. However, spending hours typing and staring at the screen, the extra real estate of the 13" will come in handy.

I absolutely love these pictures from the Anandtech review. It tells the story.

 

[yusukeaoki]

If you use it alot go with the 13in so it wont kill your eyes.

 

[roccobladr]

I use my MBA 11 as my main machine and I have no problems using it

 

[Yumunum]

I got my Air for a lot of word docs for school.

I got the 13" because I knew I'd need a browser window and the doc open at the same time, and it has more real estate than the 11-inch. Also, better battery.

So unless you're going to be in a lot of situations where you need a smaller computer, I'd DEFINITELY get the 13"

 

[jcg878]

The battery life was one of the factors that pushed me to the 13". The other was that as ZB implied, the 13" is just as portable in my briefcase or backpack.

 

[Mazda 3s]

The battery life was one of the factors that pushed me to the 13". The other was that as ZB implied, the 13" is just as portable in my briefcase or backpack.

Exactly. In a typical briefcase, backpack, it won't make a bit of difference.

In addition, you get a faster processor, more screen real estate, better battery, SD slot, etc.

 

[Pipper99]

The extra vertical screen space is what pushed me to the 13": the 11" felt to cramped. It seemed like I was having to scroll a lot more than I wanted. I really like the bigger trackpad of the 13", too. I don't feel that I've sacrificed any noticeable portability, either.

 

[Dominus Mortem]

Both are very good. It's a tough decision for a lot of people. I had a hard time deciding. I finally opted for the 13" due to battery life mainly. I'd have been just as happy with the 11" if it would last longer without a charge. Apple just wasn't able to get enough cells in such a small space to give it really phenomenal battery life. Part of portability is battery life because if it's small but won't last long on a charge then how portable is it really? Just because it's easy to carry doesn't help you when it's dead.

 

[VMMan]

When I'm just typing on my 2011 MBA 11", I'm getting about 6 hours. This is with the screen set at only 3 bars of brightness though.

 

[thegoldenmackid]

Get the 13".

 

[tomaseriksson]

Don't forget about the sexiness. I own a 2010 11" and a 2011 13", the 13" is alot faster for doing heavy stuff. But if Im heading for a coffee shop to write something, I'll grab the 11". The 11" feels alot more mobile then the 13", so if your always on the go get the 11".

 

[alecgold]

First of all, welcome to the dark side.... Apple has been making great products for my uses, although at times with odd quirks, that one has to live with.

I have the 11" 2011 and 13" 2010 laying around. I have the (idiot) luxury of picking the one I like/need/suits my needs best.
I mainly use the 11" for these reasons:
- 13” has 30% more weight;
- 13” has 30% more footprint;
- without Bluetooth, wifi and with the brightness down to 2 or 3 notches I can get 6 hours work out of the 11”, sometimes even more. That’s enough for me;
- the performance of the 11” is stellar, compared to my use (as a very expensive typewriter 90% of the time);

your questions:
- 9 hours is possible with great care on the 13";
- 6 hours is possible with great care on the 11";
- for most people the times Apple state on their website are quite well possible, so that is 7 hours for the 13" and 5 hours for the 11";
- .docs are fully compatible if you use Office for mac;
- your looking at quite an expensive typewriter when using just word for 90% of the time

Just one question you need to ask, do you work 6 hours straight, or do you work for 6 hours and drink some coffee, look at the people around you, think hard an long about the next sentence you're about to write
For 6 hours straight the 11" is perhaps not the right one to pick, if you do other things during the 6 hours work the 11" might be right.

I hope for the 10.7.2 update to make my MBA even less power consuming. Leaving mail open at this moment brings batterylife down by 0,5-1 hour. That is a bit much. Overall I love the 11", I can take it in a small unobtrusive bag that doesn't yell "laptop inside" the light weight makes it much more fun to walk around with it and not being hindered.

 

[ZBoater]

- 13” has 30% more weight;

While this is true, I'd rather say the 13" weighs a hair over 9 ounces more than the 11". It just sounds better.

 

[alecgold]

While this is true, I'd rather say the 13" weighs a hair over 9 ounces more than the 11". It just sounds better.

9 ounces sounds like a lot for me, an "ons" in Dutch (its pronounced almost the same) 's 100 gram or 1/10 of a kilo. So 9 ounces sounds for me like almost the weight of the 11"

 

[ZBoater]

9 ounces sounds like a lot for me, an "ons" in Dutch (its pronounced almost the same) 's 100 gram or 1/10 of a kilo. So 9 ounces sounds for me like almost the weight of the 11"

Yeah, but the 11" weighs almost TWO AND A HALF POUNDS!

 

[Abazigal]

Unless you plan to carry your MBA in your cargo pants pocket,

For some reason, this sentence just makes me smile.

 

[ssmed]

Get the 13".

I agree. I have the 2010 11 inch and many web sited are expecting you to have a greater vertical pixel count for photos etc and it is irritating and a problem that I did not have on my old 15" which is the same resolution as the 13.

In Word, you will be typing into a small letterbox window (10-12 lines of text) if you want the font to be readable.

 

[Abstract]

Because of the battery, get the 13". My 11" gets much better battery than what I was used to, but you won't be able to get 6 hours use without charging.

This.

I have the new 11" MBA, and I use Word all the time. In fact, I used Word for like 4 hours today, all on battery life.

However, you'd only get ~5 hours on battery life if you turned off WiFi (and forget Bluetooth), used the screen at 50-60% brightness, and just used Word.

Personally, I think that the 11" MBA is absolutely perfect for all your needs, except for battery life. For your needs, you'll need the 13" MBA.

Unless you plan to carry your MBA in your cargo pants pocket, the 13" is just as portable as the 11".

Not in all cases. It depends on the size of the bag. The 13" MBA wouldn't fit in my cycling backpack, but would be OK in my 2 other bags.

 

[mortenandersen]

Typing space in Word on the 11,6" screen

In Word, you will be typing into a small letterbox window (10-12 lines of text) if you want the font to be readable.

Is it really so? I imagined that you full screen estate at your disposal and that normally you can use the size 12 or 14 for the letters, and then see them in a conveniant way. This will, I guess, give you much more than only 10-12 lines of text "in a small letterbox window".

I have not had the chance yet to see this myself: So, I would like users who can "calibrate" the screen "field of vision" to inform me, please. For a user who writes a lot, this is an important point. And more: Are there any difference regarding this particular issue using Word 2011 (as I think I will) or using Pages or any other word processor?