I think most of us were hesitant with the 11" model. I was coming from a 12" netbook and still was worried. But I have no problems whatsoever with the size. I watch movies/tv shows, build websites, and design in Photoshop on it without any problem. I actually had trouble when I had to bring out my 17" Dell to recover some files. I never thought a screen could be TOO big. The only trouble I have is with the speakers not being loud enough but it's the same with the 13"
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2011 Macbook Air - Any regrets on size choices?
- Thread starter KittyKatta
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I use a 2010 11" Air, and I just love it. Perfect size for everything I use it for. However, I will get the 2012 version as soon as it's released, and I'm thinking about getting the 13" - I do quite a bit of "heavy lifting", and the 13" usually have a bit faster processor options. Also, I wouldn't mind the SD slot.. But I'm terrified that it will feel too large. The 11" is just perfect in every way, and I hate when computers start to feel bulky or too large. So no, I have no regrets now, but I might have after the upgrade 
13" Air 2010 - size/resolution is perfect.
RAM is a bit tight, 4GB with VMs get iffy. And I want a Kensington lock slot.
Current 13" Pro is a NO go... resolution is totally wrong, plus I prefer the glossy no-glass of the Air, way less reflections. Wondering what the new MBPs are going to look like - ie. will they finally address the 13" Pro shortcomings and come up with a lighter machine but with RAM expandability and power. 1440x900 antiglare screen?
RAM is a bit tight, 4GB with VMs get iffy. And I want a Kensington lock slot.
Current 13" Pro is a NO go... resolution is totally wrong, plus I prefer the glossy no-glass of the Air, way less reflections. Wondering what the new MBPs are going to look like - ie. will they finally address the 13" Pro shortcomings and come up with a lighter machine but with RAM expandability and power. 1440x900 antiglare screen?
I purchased the 11 inch Air also, and i know what you mean by straining your eyes, however i find i use the Lion features such as reader and the double tap to zoom all the time. It's marketed for people who are on the go, but it's a great little machine for use as a stand alone, i also tend to use a second monitor with it, best of both worlds
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I made a VM image of my work laptop (Dell830 win7) and it runs fine on mine. Assign 2GB of Ram and its happy. I even run an additional vm machine on it.
Wanted the 13", bought a used 11" because it's what I could afford. I still want the 13" for the extra screen space and battery life.
128GB 13" mid 2011, had it for 4 months and I am fine with it. I will be getting an iMac this year so will put all of my stuff on that.
Could easily have it as my only computer though, it's great.
Could easily have it as my only computer though, it's great.
Pretty bad, especially if you're using Wi-Fi or any computationally extensive application. If you're not using Wi-Fi and maybe only watching a video or something, you could get it close to 5 hours (I certainly never got more than 5 hours). I often times got 3.5-4 though.
With my 13in, same type of usage, I've been getting 6.5-7 so far, and it's been fantastic.
Interesting, I didn't know that. So without the Wi-Fi battery life lasts a lot longer.
Good to know, I think it'll start plugging it into my ethernet adapter more often now.
This is simply not true - instead of tedious explanations - judge for yourself:
1) unplug while on WiFi, note battery life estimate;
2) shutdown WiFi, note ...;
3) plugin adapter into your Mac and router, note.
With CPU & Display being biggest power drain supplanting WiFi with LAN hardly will make even 15 minutes of difference (and I wouldn't be surprised if external USB/LAN adapter actually draws more ...)
Sorry, I was a tad misleading. With Wi-Fi on (or even through LAN), a consumer is often perusing the interwebz with numerous tabs open (which uses a good chunk of RAM), streaming videos (netflix/youtube), download files or updating programs, other apps could be constantly refreshing (twitter, iChat, etc). There're a lot of things going on that would put a strain on that battery that using the internet would lead to. I was saying more along the lines of, if you're not using anything that requires the internet (like writing a word document or something), then you can squeeze out some pretty good battery life. By watching a video, I meant one that was already saved on your computer.
I never considered the 11" Went for the top end 13" and have never been disappointed. The 11 just has too little real-estate for my needs.
Can 11" drive the big 27" thunderbolt display? If so, I think that'd be a great mix of amazing screen size at my wife's desk and great travel size for meetings on the road as well.
It certainly was for me. I loved the convenience of both Airs, but every model -- bar one -- that I opened out of the box did my eyes in after a very short time.
The screen's contrast was poor, as was the colour, and it was producing negative image-retention in my eyes, and really aggravating my 'floaters'. My eyes have never been great, but I've never had that problem with any other laptop or display.
Could be that it was due to the screen's unbelievably blue hue though, probably equivalent to staring at the sun. If I'd been aware of f.lux at that point I'd have definitely stuck it on there to see if it made a difference, I have no doubt now that it would have.
I'd still prefer that they improve the screen tech if possible. I don't want to have to make a seriously concerted effort just to avoid eyestrain out of the box.
I fly somewhere every 2 weeks or so, so the size of the screen was VERY important for my decision. I've almost had my 11" crushed when someone went to recline back on a 2 hour midday flight... we had a brief conversation about the necessity of that.
I don't see why people feel they can't do what they want on an 11", like they can on a 13". They're both small computers. The 11" is just a tad smaller, yet perfectly sized for people in transit.
I have the 11" and I love it, perfect for taking with me anywhere, I bought the 2010 and now I have the 2011, I had a MBP 13" 2009 before that but now I'd never look back at that.
My set-up/ gadgets are almost complete, I have my MBA 11", my iPod Nano, My Canon t1i. All I need now is a Samsung Galaxy S2/ Galaxy Nexus, or an iPhone 4(S) to complete it.
My set-up/ gadgets are almost complete, I have my MBA 11", my iPod Nano, My Canon t1i. All I need now is a Samsung Galaxy S2/ Galaxy Nexus, or an iPhone 4(S) to complete it.
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Thank you for the info! So it wasn't just my eyes then...lol. I'm looking forward to seeing what the 2012 batch of MBAs brings, as I've decided I don't need one right away. Agree that it'd be nice for the screen to be comfortable without needing to make adjustments. When the 2012s come out, I'll try one out and see if f.lux helps.
I originally purchased the 11 inch MacBook Air and regretted my decision. I got the 13 inch but honestly it was for the significant gain in battery life. It might be just me but I seemed to get a headache after using the 11 inch for hours doing homework... It would be a great move for Apple to utilize all the space available to them on the MacBook Air.
I was holding out for a 13-inch machine, but got a great deal on an 11 incher. I decided to try it out and fell it love with it. Now that I have had it for a year and have subsequently purchased a camera that uses an SD card, I may consider getting a 13-inch machine for the SD slot.
I really (really really!) like the small size and weight of the 11" machine, but my backpack is plenty big enough for the 13" machine, and I know I will enjoy the increased screen real estate. I am still very happy with my 11" machine and will probably use it until it dies.
The smaller screen on the 11" mba does not bother me because I have a 24" monitor at home. At work, I connect it to two 19-inch, 1280x1024 monitors for a triple-screen experience using one of those USB DisplayLink video adapters. Actually, the monitor has four USB ports, so by plugging in one USB cable to my mba, I get the 10/100 ethernet via Apple adapter, extra display, and power for my iPhone.
I really (really really!) like the small size and weight of the 11" machine, but my backpack is plenty big enough for the 13" machine, and I know I will enjoy the increased screen real estate. I am still very happy with my 11" machine and will probably use it until it dies.
The smaller screen on the 11" mba does not bother me because I have a 24" monitor at home. At work, I connect it to two 19-inch, 1280x1024 monitors for a triple-screen experience using one of those USB DisplayLink video adapters. Actually, the monitor has four USB ports, so by plugging in one USB cable to my mba, I get the 10/100 ethernet via Apple adapter, extra display, and power for my iPhone.