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2011 Macbook Air - Any regrets on size choices?

KittyKatta

KittyKatta

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 24, 2011
1,058
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SoCal
I got an 11" Macbook Air which I absolutely love, but after a few months of usage then I'm starting to feel a bit of regret on my screen size. I never needed glasses and read a lot of books just fine on both paper and the iPad, but reading on the Air has become more difficult for me and I think the screen might be too small because I'm feeling a lot of eye strain and noticing I'm leaning in to my computer more.

Im not slamming the Air or anything because I love the size but if the 2012 model doesn't increase the screen size to 12" by using less bezel then Im probably getting the 13" next time around.

So how about everyone else? Anyone wishing they went smaller? More storage? Feel limited on RAM?
 
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I bought a 11" air on 03/01, and then exchanged it on 03/04 for the 13" model for the exact same reason; it was a tad too small. This wasn't helped by the fact that I was coming off a first gen 1,1 13" MBA. I missed the real estate!!!

I loved the 11" form factor, but wished the screen was a little taller. I wasn't used to scrolling down on certain websites and found myself zooming in, when I didn't used to before.

I am very happy with my switch. It is perfect!! :)
 
I don't have glasses/contacts, but I often find myself holding my MBA fairly close to my face (or double tapping to zoom). I'm not sure if moving to a 13in mitigates this (font sizes would be close to the same, I'd imagine), but I'm trying to move up to the 13in for the extra real estate regardless.

Especially in Windows 7 where I can't swipe from space to space and have to have windows side-by-side, everything is tiny and cramped. It's annoying.

However, I love the portability of the 11in! It's an amazing little machine. Battery life leaves much to be desired though =\

Currently I'm trying to trade for a 13in. 128GB isn't that big of a deal to me and the SD expansion on the 13in will help with that. I'm also looking forward to the 6-7 hours of battery =)

Would be nice though if the 2012 MBA could go up to 6 or 8GB of RAM.
 
I have the 13" and really like it, but will confess that sometimes I would like the smaller 11" model. Regarding text size, Since the 13" screen has more pixels I'm not sure that it's really all that different between the two models... is it? I still find text rather small and hard to read on the 13". But I use a 23" Cinema display at home, so it's not much of a problem.
 
I got the 13 inch because I was looking for a replacement for my huge dell latitude d830 that I had been lugging around for 3 years. That being said, in the store, the 11' was just way too small. I wanted a laptop that had super portability - I had spent weeks looking at netbooks but they were too tiny, small, and had horrible battery life. The Macbook Air 13' was perfect imo - readability is near perfect - better than books while being a slim form factor. But I'm pretty biased coming from a 10 pound D830 (2 batteries) brick. I know several guys that think it's too big. But imo, readability is very important to me - I do all my reading on my Kindle App on my Macbook Air or via Chrome. I also CTRL+ the webpage so the font is very comfortable while not distorting the page. I couldn't do that on the 11' to my liking.
 
definitely no regrets here. I wanted the larger real estate, the higher res. screen, better battery life and better base specs that the 13 offered. Just overall the 11" is too small for me and I don't even have large hands.
 
That's why they make both models. I went from a 13" Rev B MacBook Air to an 11" Rev D (and later Rev E) and couldn't be happier. That said, now that the Dell XPS has shown how to fit a 13" screen into a form factor slightly larger than the 11.6" MacBook Air, perhaps Apple with the Rev F or Rev G will put in a 12.5" screen (hopefully with a higher resolution).
 
I think the 11inch is perfect. A little pocket sized mini computer, like my old psion 5mx or even my old, old atari portfolio. For real computing I use my maxed out iMAc, but for browsing, making notes, and other pocket PC tasks/netbook tasks I use my baby mac MBA. ANd I don't think my suit would hang right with a 13inch MBA in a pocket of my own design which sits in the left of the jacket. But my 11inch sits there perfectly.

But as I said I don't consider my MBA as a "real" mac, just a mini computer with mac-esque features.
 
I had a difficult time deciding between the 11 and 13 Air, and finally settled on the 11" for sheer portability. I don't regret it, though there are times when the larger screen would be a distinct advantage!
 
I have a 2010 MBA 11'', and I'm anxiously awaiting the 2012 Ivy Bridge MBA, so I can get a 13'' model.
The 11'' is very nice, but if you work on it for several hours almost every day, you'll get tired of it. It's ok for limited use, but the 16:10 13'' screen is a lot more useful and practical for more advanced work. On the subway, train, buss, local library, coffee shops etc, the MBA 11'' is the best computer on the market IMO. Certainly a lot more useful than an iPad.
 
doktordoris said:
But as I said I don't consider my MBA as a "real" mac, just a mini computer with mac-esque features.
Click to expand...

I am just the opposite. I got the 13" i5/1.7ghz/4gb/256gb MBA to replace my dying 2008 15"/2.4ghz/4gb/160gb MacBook pro. It is a huge upgrade from the old machine in almost every way - CPU feels about twice as fast as the core 2 duo, SSD about 5x faster with 100GB more room.

All my software transferred to the MBA with no problems (Final Cut Pro, FileMaker Pro, Photoshop, Vectorworks, MS Office) and I can do all the things on the MBA that I used to do on the MBP... but faster.

I paid $3000 for the MBP in 2008 but only $1500 for the MBA in 2012. :)
 
I think its all down to personal preference and what you will be using it for but for me an Air should be 11" its super portable and super powerful the 13" just doesn't seem right to me.
 
I have a 13" and am totally happy with it. Even Final Cut X runs nicely. BUT I should have gotten the 11". Because I will get a new MBP as soon as the next update is available as main computer. And than the 11" would be the perfect travel companion when traveling light, which I do a lot. Just a small bag, .y passport and credit card and a ticket. The 13" is a tad too large for that purpose. But I am still happy with my air!
 
Boyd01 said:
I am just the opposite. I got the 13" i5/1.7ghz/4gb/256gb MBA to replace my dying 2008 15"/2.4ghz/4gb/160gb MacBook pro. It is a huge upgrade from the old machine in almost every way - CPU feels about twice as fast as the core 2 duo, SSD about 5x faster with 100GB more room.

All my software transferred to the MBA with no problems (Final Cut Pro, FileMaker Pro, Photoshop, Vectorworks, MS Office) and I can do all the things on the MBA that I used to do on the MBP... but faster.

I paid $3000 for the MBP in 2008 but only $1500 for the MBA in 2012. :)
Click to expand...

I didn't mean to sound as though I was slagging off the MBA, it just seems very weedy after using my 3.4 i7 iMac. I still love it though, and the size more than makes up for any loss of power. I could have bought a 17inch MBP had I wanted to, but the whole point of me buying the Air was its portability.
 
I had the eyestrain issue on the 11 inch until I installed flux - something about the screen really got to me.

But other than that, I have a 24-inch cinema display that I hook up the MBA to when needed. I do miss a decent screen size when gaming, though to be honest I shouldn't be doing that on the MBA anyway.
 
I noticed a little bit of eyestrain when I was playing around with the 11" MBA in store. I have used an even smaller screened netbook before, though (an 8.9" Acer) without problems, so I'm not sure what it was? Maybe my eyes have just gotten worse. lol.

I currently use a 13.3" MBP. If I get an Air, I want an 11" for the sheer portability but I really need to see if the eyestrain thing will be an issue.
 
No regrets

I went from a 27'' iMac to a 13'' MBP to a 11'' i5 MacBook Air in a matter of months and I couldn't be happier. As a telecommuting software developer, the form factor is utter bliss. I can take this puppy anywhere and do ANYTHING. VM's, Lightroom, PS5, XCode... all good.

The battery life has room for improvement but it's by no means a deal breaker. Now that I've eschewed my 200GB music library for Spotify I hardly need to cart around my external passport drive anymore either.

If you get to know the trackpad window management gestures in addition to apps like Divvy, you can negotiate the limited resolution with ease.

I get asked a lot for computer recommendations and I, without hesitation, suggest the 11'' i5. I'm no fanboy, I just think it's a fantastic device.
 
I also noticed eye strain, I think it's because of the rather harsh, blue screen colour character. I also use F.lux now, and can't see myself ever living without it again.
 
I have the 13 inch Air & love it, I have a 10.1 inch tablet if I feel the need for something really small.
 
Mac32 said:
I also noticed eye strain, I think it's because of the rather harsh, blue screen colour character. I also use F.lux now, and can't see myself ever living without it again.
Click to expand...

I'll have to look into this Flux thing if I get an MBA. It seems to get raves. I know if I get one I want an 11" one (it is purely for portability)
 
I have a 13" and I´m totally happy with it. My iPad, combined with a LogiTech keyboard, caters to all my day to day portability needs. I therefore wanted more screen estate for my netbook but something that was still very portable. The 13" has suited my needs very well.
 
the 11 looks good on a plane or in a bag, but the 13 is better for everything else. mba 13 is the perfect machine for me. 15 will be interesting though.
 
Yes, I like the thought of a 15", too, as long as they keep it light weight.
 
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