Per another thread, I have decided against upgrading from a 2012 13" MBA to a 2013 13" MBA.
But I have also been testing out a 2013 11" MBA and am really considering keeping it instead of my 2012 13" MBA. The 11" is much more attractive than it had been in the past because of the real-world battery life now doubling from about 3.5 hours to 7 hours.
I have a Mac Mini as well as my home media server machine and when at my desk, I often connect my MBA to a 24" monitor and BT Apple keyboard and trackpad. But I do use the MBA as my primary machine and in other locations in the house, outdoor patio, and maybe about once a month to someone's house or Panera or something.
Screen Size:
11.6" vs 13.3" (13": 15% longer on diagonal)
16:9 ratio vs 16:10 (13": 11% taller per ratio)
1366x768 vs 1440x900 (13": 24% more pixels, 17% more vertical rows)
135 DPI vs 127 DPI (11": slightly sharper)
57.5 sq.in vs 79.5 sq.in. (13": 38% more surface area)
Weight:
2.38 lb. vs 2.96 lb. (13": 24% heavier)
Footprint:
85.2 sq.in. vs 114.4 sq.in. (13": 34% bigger)
Battery Life:
7 hours vs 5 hours real-life usage (2013 11": 40% longer)
SD Reader:
11" No vs 13" Yes
Graphics:
HD 4000 vs HD 5000 (2013 11": ~30% faster)
SSD Speed:
write/read of 230/440 vs 320/720 (MB/s)(2013 11": ~40%/~60% faster)
Speakers:
2012 13" louder/better than 2013 11"
I still figure that I can clear $800 or so if I sell the 2012 13" MBA (still has 5 months of warranty on it). With my brother's teacher discount, and hopefully a $100 iTunes BTS promo soon, the base 2013 11" MBA should only cost me about a net $70 to upgrade to.
So:
2012 13" MBA: Keep it for another ~5 months
or
2013 11" MBA: Upgrade soon for about net $70
Thanks!
But I have also been testing out a 2013 11" MBA and am really considering keeping it instead of my 2012 13" MBA. The 11" is much more attractive than it had been in the past because of the real-world battery life now doubling from about 3.5 hours to 7 hours.
I have a Mac Mini as well as my home media server machine and when at my desk, I often connect my MBA to a 24" monitor and BT Apple keyboard and trackpad. But I do use the MBA as my primary machine and in other locations in the house, outdoor patio, and maybe about once a month to someone's house or Panera or something.
Screen Size:
11.6" vs 13.3" (13": 15% longer on diagonal)
16:9 ratio vs 16:10 (13": 11% taller per ratio)
1366x768 vs 1440x900 (13": 24% more pixels, 17% more vertical rows)
135 DPI vs 127 DPI (11": slightly sharper)
57.5 sq.in vs 79.5 sq.in. (13": 38% more surface area)
Weight:
2.38 lb. vs 2.96 lb. (13": 24% heavier)
Footprint:
85.2 sq.in. vs 114.4 sq.in. (13": 34% bigger)
Battery Life:
7 hours vs 5 hours real-life usage (2013 11": 40% longer)
SD Reader:
11" No vs 13" Yes
Graphics:
HD 4000 vs HD 5000 (2013 11": ~30% faster)
SSD Speed:
write/read of 230/440 vs 320/720 (MB/s)(2013 11": ~40%/~60% faster)
Speakers:
2012 13" louder/better than 2013 11"
I still figure that I can clear $800 or so if I sell the 2012 13" MBA (still has 5 months of warranty on it). With my brother's teacher discount, and hopefully a $100 iTunes BTS promo soon, the base 2013 11" MBA should only cost me about a net $70 to upgrade to.
So:
2012 13" MBA: Keep it for another ~5 months
or
2013 11" MBA: Upgrade soon for about net $70
Thanks!
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