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If I wasn't sure about the 11" before, I sure am now..

lionheartednyhc

lionheartednyhc

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jul 13, 2009
1,024
3
I've been debating whether the portability of the 11" was worth the screen size or not. Well, I just realized how incredibly portable it is. I was about to leave for to get some work done and went to get my macbook air. Then I realized I had no idea where it was, since it wasn't on my desk.

So I checked my backpack, the only place it could have been. And sure enough, it was in there. The catch? I just did a ~25mi bike ride last night, with the backpack on. Completely unaware I was carrying a computer the entire time :eek:

She's a keeper!
 
Mba 11

I got it for use while flying. It fits perfectly under the seat in front upright and gives me room for my feet. With my 13 in MBP I had to lay the bag on its side and that takes up my foot room. It also sits nicely on the drop down tray and when the person in front reclines his/her seat, there still is plenty of room to slant the screen back. Plus my bag is a lot lighter now.
 
For me it's the virtually undetectable weight and small form factor. The 13" is nice, definitely, but a 13" screen still takes up 13" of space.

Add to that the machine is as fast as last year's 17" MBP (at least the 1.8GHz i7 is) and I've got one powerful yet tiny machine!
 
I envy those who can live with a 11"

It's a really amazing feat of engineering.

I bought one even though I wasn't sure if the x768 resolution would work for me. I really wanted it to work for me because of how tiny and neat it is. But after a day of use I kept wishing for more vertical resolution, so the 11" went back to the store in exchange for the 13".

But it it works for you, it's a tiny thing to carry. You could almost fit it in your back pocket :)
 
I am loving my 11" Air. If there was one thing I would do it would be making the bezel about half the width and making the screen 12".

I had a netbook a few years ago, but it was slow, had a small screen (9"), terrible resolution (1024x600), terrible battery life (Max 3 hours when doing nothing), and it didn't run OS X.

The MBA is just the opposite, while still maintaining the portability.

If the external Thunderbolt display adapter comes to fruition I could easily use this as my only machine (With external display of course).
 
My intention was to get the 13", but impatience led me to get the 11" instead. I had gone to the store and tried both, thinking that the 13" would be more useful. Having had a couple of netbooks I was feeling done with the very small form factor.

Surprise. I love the size of the 11". It's in a totally different league from a netbook. Text is much larger. The screen is easy to use. Today, I spent some time at the Apple store trying out a 13" and, after a week of using the 11" every day, the 13" felt huge and bulky.
 
meistervu said:
It's a really amazing feat of engineering.

I bought one even though I wasn't sure if the x768 resolution would work for me. I really wanted it to work for me because of how tiny and neat it is. But after a day of use I kept wishing for more vertical resolution, so the 11" went back to the store in exchange for the 13".

But it it works for you, it's a tiny thing to carry. You could almost fit it in your back pocket :)
Click to expand...

That was my concern as well. The only computing device (not including the iPhone) that I've used in the last 4 years that had only 768 vertical pixels has been my iPad. And I usually use the iPad in portrait!

So I was worried about vertical height as well. I've discovered that while the shorter screen res is not ideal, the MBA in my case isn't a primary computing device, so I felt the loss of height was an acceptable trade for the computer's remarkably small footprint.

Lion's fullscreen apps have helped quite a bit, too. Taking out the dock and menu bar adds a fair amount of space. I prefer the dock at the bottom, so I reclaim a lot of space by full-screening Safari, Mail (Sparrow in my case) and iCal.

If the laptop played a more important/daily roll in my needs, then I would have considered 13" instead.
 
i saw the 13 inch in the apple store the other day

seems so much bigger than my 11 inch. I couldnt get the 13 inch...
 
I've only had my mba for a couple of days and its been strange adjusting from a 12" powerbook g4...I was completely expecting the MBA to be smaller, but strangely, its larger! well at least length wise, as it happens to be at least half the weight and height! :D
 
I currently own a 2010 13" and a current model 11", and *I* believe that the weight difference is significant when I held both computers in my hands.

The MBA is not my primary computer, and I have an ACD, if needed, so I am extremely happy with the Air as a secondary computer. It is perfect for coffee shops, library, work, sitting on the couch surfing while watching TV (which is what I am currently doing:)), etc.
 
Im really torn on this because I used to feel the 11" was too small but after buying an open box 2010 11" and putting Lion on I've changed my tune. Lion does a lot to improve the 11" screen usage and now I feel that my 13" 2011 is actually too big since it reduces the height but still maintains a large footprint.

Im heavily considering trading the 13" for an 11" 2011 (and returning the 2010 11") but the biggest obstacle is that I bought with Best Buy gift cards and they dont sell the 256GB 11".
 
DragThing Is A Great Improvement Over The Apple Dock

I hate the Apple Dock. It takes up to much space and it is a one-trick pony.

DragThing (terrible name; great software) makes it possible to create multiple custom docks (among other features) that are accessible via labeled/icon tabs, a slim bar or are completely invisible until you mouse below the edge of the screen. DragThing is wonderful when working on small displays.

You can enable a "process dock" that includes all currently running programs, with the option of excluding programs you don't want in the dock. There is also a "disk dock" that you can populate with external disks/partitions, etc.. And there is a "window dock" that provides instant access to windows that have been minimized.

A custom dock that I created has a row of tabs on the bottom of my display to access Applications, Documents, Media, Photo Apps, Writing Apps, etc.. Dragging an item into a dock creates an alias to the original. Docks can have multiple tabs and layers, so a dock can hold an amazing number of items.

And DragThing docks can reside anywhere on the Desktop.

My Apple Dock resides on the right side of my display, minimized and out of sight. I only access it when I need to get into the trash or a dock icon is moving for some reason. (DragThing has an option for displaying the trash can on the desktop.)

DragThing can be demoed for free before purchasing. A single user license is $29 and it can be installed on multiple Macs. http://www.dragthing.com/
 
I love the fact I can store my Air in it's messenger bag under my seat in my 125 Zuma! I tried doing this with my M11x before selling it and it would not fit because it was 1" too deep. Another reason why the Air is a perfect portable notebook!
 
i think the 11 inch is the perfect computer, and if i decided to get an air, i'd be trading in my mbp for it. i spent years on a netbook. 11 is a great size. perhaps i will do that before the mbp line gets redesigned in order to fetch a higher price for my mbp. there are several things i like better about the mbp, but the form factor of the 11 is very persuasive :)

as for this hating on the apple dock, is it justified? the apple dock can be hidden. it can also be moved to the sides or top of the screen. i am sure dragthing has more features, and i am not kocking the app, but is the apple dock getting a fair shake here? i kind of like it :)
 
palpatine said:
as for this hating on the apple dock, is it justified? the apple dock can be hidden. it can also be moved to the sides or top of the screen. i am sure dragthing has more features, and i am not kocking the app, but is the apple dock getting a fair shake here? i kind of like it :)
Click to expand...
The dock in Windows 7 is better. Pre-Windows 7, OSX has the better dock. Hopefully Apple improves or reimagines the dock for the next OS release.
 
Esquire1 said:
The dock in Windows 7 is better. Pre-Windows 7, OSX has the better dock. Hopefully Apple improves or reimagines the dock for the next OS release.
Click to expand...

nope. i don't like the dock on windows 7 much. we are talking about the start bar at the bottom, right? it beats xp and vista, but i much prefer apple's. i am using snow leopard, though. maybe lion has ruined it.
 
If it's not for the battery life, I would have gone for the 11". For what I do with my laptop, sometimes I use the battery quite substantially on the go. I also love having a bigger screen for watching movie though not a deal breaker.

If the 11" will ever match the 13" battery life in the future with batter technology, I'll definitely go for the 11". Such a cute laptop to use!:)
 
palpatine said:
nope. i don't like the dock on windows 7 much. we are talking about the start bar at the bottom, right? it beats xp and vista, but i much prefer apple's. i am using snow leopard, though. maybe lion has ruined it.
Click to expand...
Coming from PC, I must say I don't find anything I miss from W7. I use exposé more than I do on the dock, and I don't see how W7 can match that.
 
jackyyeow said:
If it's not for the battery life, I would have gone for the 11". For what I do with my laptop, sometimes I use the battery quite substantially on the go. I also love having a bigger screen for watching movie though not a deal breaker.

If the 11" will ever match the 13" battery life in the future with batter technology, I'll definitely go for the 11". Such a cute laptop to use!:)
Click to expand...

battery life is a real bummer, but given its power, probably inevitable. my netbook got 10+ ours the first year i had it, and some are rated for 14. fortunately, i can do most of my work on the ipad (with bt keyboard), so i get seven or more hours. of course, i also have no real justification for getting the 11. i have to come up with a reason somehow!
 
palpatine said:
nope. i don't like the dock on windows 7 much. we are talking about the start bar at the bottom, right? it beats xp and vista, but i much prefer apple's. i am using snow leopard, though. maybe lion has ruined it.
Click to expand...
Why do you prefer OSX's dock? Win7's is essentially the same thing, only it allows for preview windows.
 
Esquire1 said:
Why do you prefer OSX's dock? Win7's is essentially the same thing, only it allows for preview windows.
Click to expand...

i find it to be graphically pleasing. the jumping icons, the expandable finder folder, and the little lights under programs telling me when they are on are nice.

there is nothing wrong with w7's start bar. it is a fine improvement over earlier ones. but, it doesn't seem as aesthetically pleasing to me as the osx dock.
 
palpatine said:
i find it to be graphically pleasing. the jumping icons, the expandable finder folder, and the little lights under programs telling me when they are on are nice.

there is nothing wrong with w7's start bar. it is a fine improvement over earlier ones. but, it doesn't seem as aesthetically pleasing to me as the osx dock.
Click to expand...
I agree. Aesthetically, OSX is better. But window previews are very nice. There is an OSX program out there that allows for window previews in the dock. It's always one of my first installs :)
 
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