Sounds like an excellent idea. Could someone be so kind to post the horizontal x vertical screen dimensions for both the 11 & 13 inch models?
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11 vs 13
- Thread starter Otumelty
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Sounds like an excellent idea. Could someone be so kind to post the horizontal x vertical screen dimensions for both the 11 & 13 inch models?
Crazy as it sounds, but this is what originally got me thinking about the small footprint of the 11" MBA -- but it was at home, not at a restaurant. I like to read my email each morning while having breakfast at my kitchen table or at my coffee table (while watching the morning news). There's always other crap on the table surrounding my plate and I often think that it would be so easy to fit a little 11" Macbook Air on the table! I know it's not too logical since the 13" MBA isn't really that much bigger, but what can I say?
But, the reality is that I might not like having a smaller screen with only 768 vertical pixels (I'm not too concerned about the width) and I'd probably very much appreciate having 1440 x 900 instead. Still, the smaller footprint crosses my mind each and every morning!
You're probably right. But for some reason I don't like using the iPad at the table while eating, I much prefer using a laptop. Go figure.Well, that's what the iPad is for...
But, the reality is that I might not like having a smaller screen with only 768 vertical pixels (I'm not too concerned about the width) and I'd probably very much appreciate having 1440 x 900 instead. Still, the smaller footprint crosses my mind each and every morning!
I lived with a 2k8 MBP for 3.5 years before I bought a new computer, and was certain at first I was going to do the 13" because they have the same resolution... which I knew I could work with, but thought more would be nice, so the idea of going with less seemed to be a terrible idea.
When I went to the Apple store and saw them in person, at first I didn't think the difference was that big. But it was enough that I couldn't make a decision. Then I went back 4-5 more times, and finally bought the 11" with the idea that I could at least try living with it for 2 weeks before taking it back for the 13". There are many stories on this forum of people who did this and it didn't work out. But then there are others (like myself) who feel that this form factor really changes the game in how they interact and use the machine.
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Scroll down, measurements are toward the bottom.
11:
Height: 0.11-0.68 inch (0.3-1.7 cm)
Width: 11.8 inches (30 cm)
Depth: 7.56 inches (19.2 cm)
Weight: 2.38 pounds (1.08 kg)2
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13:
Height: 0.11-0.68 inch (0.3-1.7 cm)
Width: 12.8 inches (32.5 cm)
Depth: 8.94 inches (22.7 cm)
Weight: 2.96 pounds (1.35 kg)2
I'm sorry, I was referring to the actual horizontal and vertical dimensions of the screen sizes of the display, not the overall dimensions. The diagonal screen dimension is the only one I see posted on the website.
As far as I'm concerned, the problem choosing 11" or 13" was very easily solved when I visited an Apple store today. For my purpose, I'm going to use an MBA attached to an external monitor most of the time and use it as a standalone on the rare occasion I need to be mobile (Unfortunately, I have to give up my 2010 i3 iMac - and I can't afford having an iMac, iPad and iMBA). Simply put, the 11" was not convenient on my hands as its palm rests were too small for my hands.
On the other hand, the 13" Air and 13" Pro were side to side so that I could compare the screen colours of both. The colours of the Pro looked far more solid and had I hadn't enough space at my home for a good 23" or 24" monitor I would have gone with a MBP or wait for the 13" retina MBP. I wouldn't buy the Air if my primary job was connected with adjusting colours (like web designer or photographer).
I am a web developer who works with Eclipse so the extended vertical resolution of the 13" is welcome. The horizontal resolution is fair, but I like to work with ~10 tabs in Eclipse simultaneously. I see the 11" as a niche device and I can't imagine myself working on it for extended period of time as it won't be good on my palms and wrists.
On the other hand, the 13" Air and 13" Pro were side to side so that I could compare the screen colours of both. The colours of the Pro looked far more solid and had I hadn't enough space at my home for a good 23" or 24" monitor I would have gone with a MBP or wait for the 13" retina MBP. I wouldn't buy the Air if my primary job was connected with adjusting colours (like web designer or photographer).
I am a web developer who works with Eclipse so the extended vertical resolution of the 13" is welcome. The horizontal resolution is fair, but I like to work with ~10 tabs in Eclipse simultaneously. I see the 11" as a niche device and I can't imagine myself working on it for extended period of time as it won't be good on my palms and wrists.
You have the aspect ratio (by pixel dimensions) and the diagonal screen size. Pythagorean theorem can fill in the rest. Time to dust off the math textbooks!
I went and messed around with them both for about an hour today and honestly liked the 11" a lot better. Everything seemed more crisp and smoother. It didn't feel small at all using my browser in a window vs full screen.
Same here -- sort of. I'm going to use an MBA attached to an external monitor most of the time and use it as a standalone when I'm at the kitchen table or coffee table or couch, etc (I work from home and rarely travel these days).
As much as I'm longing for that smaller footprint (of the 11") the 13" is starting to make more logical sense to me.
Also, with most applications the i5 is just as fast as the i7. Unless you play around with heavy applications, no need to get the i7.
I currently have an 11" MBA, but I'm seriously considering getting a 13". I sometimes travel a LOT (3 months on the road at a time), and the 11" form factor is pretty awesome for that, but I often get frustrated with things not fitting on the screen and I feel like I'm constantly scrolling web pages and even zooming in to make the text easier to read. The 13" is only a little bigger and more importantly only slightly heavier. I think I'll like the bigger screen and longer battery life enough to balance out the size.
I have an 11" 2011 that I use as my main machine. It is fine, as long as you have an external monitor for your desk.
Personally, my next laptop will be a 13", but I will be waiting till the 2013 models are announced next year. I guess my main complaint about the 11" is that it is a 16:9 display rather than 16:10 which is my preference.Those extra pixels in height do make a difference sometimes. But it can't be beat on portability.
Personally, my next laptop will be a 13", but I will be waiting till the 2013 models are announced next year. I guess my main complaint about the 11" is that it is a 16:9 display rather than 16:10 which is my preference.Those extra pixels in height do make a difference sometimes. But it can't be beat on portability.
Scrolling
So many threads along these lines....
Also quite subjective, because as with most Apple products, how you FEEL about it seems to really matter. Apple kinda getya, dont they
My 2pence...
The 11" is an absolute babe. I have a 2010 model, maxed 2012 should arrive on Friday/Monday. I will have my sole machine in a tiny frame.
If the battery life is of real concern, fine, go with the 13" (and stop drooling over the 11 )
But if its not, (and it never has been for me because I am never far away from a socket, and frankly my choice is to have the small sexy machine even if I carry the charger), then consider carefully the "additional" scrolling apparently required on the 11"
Again, I am interested in real world experience here, because for me its NEVER been a real issue. When I am reading my two fingers naturally lay on the touchpad, and OK whilst I may have to scroll the screen 17.2% to read the same as on the 13", it feels natural. Your eyes can only read a small vertical amount at a time anyways..
Sorry if it doesn't necessarily help much, but my tuppence. Overall I'm happy to live with the apparent weaknesses of the 11" (battery and screen estate) because using, carrying, opening, using the 11" is an absolute joy.
So many threads along these lines....
Also quite subjective, because as with most Apple products, how you FEEL about it seems to really matter. Apple kinda getya, dont they
My 2pence...
The 11" is an absolute babe. I have a 2010 model, maxed 2012 should arrive on Friday/Monday. I will have my sole machine in a tiny frame.
If the battery life is of real concern, fine, go with the 13" (and stop drooling over the 11
)But if its not, (and it never has been for me because I am never far away from a socket, and frankly my choice is to have the small sexy machine even if I carry the charger), then consider carefully the "additional" scrolling apparently required on the 11"
Again, I am interested in real world experience here, because for me its NEVER been a real issue. When I am reading my two fingers naturally lay on the touchpad, and OK whilst I may have to scroll the screen 17.2% to read the same as on the 13", it feels natural. Your eyes can only read a small vertical amount at a time anyways..
Sorry if it doesn't necessarily help much, but my tuppence. Overall I'm happy to live with the apparent weaknesses of the 11" (battery and screen estate) because using, carrying, opening, using the 11" is an absolute joy.
It's the craziest thing, but I simply can't decide on which size to go with. I may need to flip a coin.
Question: are things actually LARGER on a 13" Air than on an 11" Air? Or are we only talking about resolution here? (meaning things are the same SIZE but more scrolling is needevto see the same amount of items on a page)
I had several visits to the apple store to try out both the 11" and 13", I even downloaded some text to put into Word (one of my main uses of the machine) and then airdropped it to the other machine to compare screen real-estate between the machines.
I went with the 11".
The 11" Air is what the Air set out to be, with some careful management such as placing the dock on the side rather than bottom, minimising tool bars in Word and going fullscreen in Safari, I can honestly say after 3 days of use of my 2012 Air I have absolutely no doubt I made the right choice
And going back to my 15" MBP during file transfers etc is like opening a suitcase in comparison
I also note the speakers are really good for such a small machine, better than my 2009 MBP. Finally, for interest I am getting just over 5 hours use on Safari and Word with WiFi on.
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When I compared 2 Word documents there were about 5 lines more of text visible on the 13"
I went with the 11".
The 11" Air is what the Air set out to be, with some careful management such as placing the dock on the side rather than bottom, minimising tool bars in Word and going fullscreen in Safari, I can honestly say after 3 days of use of my 2012 Air I have absolutely no doubt I made the right choice
And going back to my 15" MBP during file transfers etc is like opening a suitcase in comparison
I also note the speakers are really good for such a small machine, better than my 2009 MBP. Finally, for interest I am getting just over 5 hours use on Safari and Word with WiFi on.
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When I compared 2 Word documents there were about 5 lines more of text visible on the 13"
i personally find any 11" laptop to be too small, even for word processing. I just find it too tiny. 13" is the sweet spot for a macbook air, but 15" models would be even better.
It's the craziest thing, but I simply can't decide on which size to go with. I may need to flip a coin.
You're not the only one!
I think I'm tipping towards the 11", was very taken with the form factor in the apple store today and mine has an 22" dell monitor it'll get hooked up to.
I am following people's thoughts with interest, it does help!
Yeah, I've got an external monitor too -- but I'm thinking that the small/light Air might get me working more often on a kitchen or coffee table AWAY from the monitor. So I'm not sure if the 11" will be too small for that. Know what I mean?
I think you should go 13" if you're on the fence. People tend to overestimate how portable they think they need their laptop to be in my opinion. Much easier to say "I wish my MBA's footprint were smaller" than "I wish the screen was bigger because I dislike the experience of scrolling and looking at a small screen".