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Macbook Air 11'' vs 13'' (screensize+aperture issues)

M

macfriend1

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 14, 2007
143
0
Stockholm
Hey guys, I'd need some advice regarding the macbook models.

Two questions:

Screensize any significant reason why I should choose 13'' over 11''? What are the advantages of having 2'' more? Basically doing textediting, browsing and little bit of aperture photo editing.

Aperture:
Working on the 11'' - did you make any good experiences? 1,8 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7 (upgrate 11'' model) worth it for the performance in aperture?

thanks.
 
13" has 23.5% more pixels, hence it can display 23.5% more stuff on the display. This is useful if you do a lot multitasking as having more than one window open at a time on the 11" can be difficult.
 
Hellhammer said:
13" has 23.5% more pixels, hence it can display 23.5% more stuff on the display. This is useful if you do a lot multitasking as having more than one window open at a time on the 11" can be difficult.
Click to expand...

For real multitasking everything below 15'' is nonsense, I guess. It seems to me that things for the 11'' are just tighter but you still have enought space to get things done :)

Has anybody used Aperture with such a machine and can tell me how it performs? I would like to know if it's worth it to upgrate to the 1.8 GHz, i7.

Thanks.
 
While the screen real estate is noticeably larger on the 13"; I feel that OSX lion removes the need to have such space with all the new gestures.

If you are going to be doing color correction on photo and video or anything of that you shouldn't be looking at a MBA anyway.
 
macfriend1 said:
For real multitasking everything below 15'' is nonsense, I guess. It seems to me that things for the 11'' are just tighter but you still have enought space to get things done :)

Has anybody used Aperture with such a machine and can tell me how it performs? I would like to know if it's worth it to upgrate to the 1.8 GHz, i7.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I used Aperture on the 11" 1.6/4/128 model for awhile. Doing fine adjustments on the screen was painful. I only did this while I was camping at a wildlife preserve for a photography competition. Any other time, an external monitor was a must. Processing was fine; the only thing that it seemed to have problems with was initial import/preview generation and exporting versions to JPEG. Working with the masters after they were imported was a breeze, though.
 
iExpensive said:
While the screen real estate is noticeably larger on the 13"; I feel that OSX lion removes the need to have such space with all the new gestures.
Click to expand...
Good point.

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blevins321 said:
I used Aperture on the 11" 1.6/4/128 model for awhile. Doing fine adjustments on the screen was painful. I only did this while I was camping at a wildlife preserve for a photography competition. Any other time, an external monitor was a must. Processing was fine; the only thing that it seemed to have problems with was initial import/preview generation and exporting versions to JPEG. Working with the masters after they were imported was a breeze, though.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply. Well, I do have an external monitor. Do we speak of "real" problems here or just relatively slow performance when comparing to other photo editing tasks?
 
I have had both, and ended up with the 13". It all depends on your needs and wants, my needs are small, I really preferred the 13" screen.
 
macfriend1 said:
For real multitasking everything below 15'' is nonsense, I guess. It seems to me that things for the 11'' are just tighter but you still have enought space to get things done :)

Has anybody used Aperture with such a machine and can tell me how it performs? I would like to know if it's worth it to upgrate to the 1.8 GHz, i7.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I disagree with your statement about anything below 15" being nonsensical for multitasking. With the proper use of gestures, keyboard shortcuts and a few programs, getting things done is a breeze on my 11".

As for Aperture, I have the top end 11" model and it runs smooth enough. I prefer CS5 for my editing needs, but have given Aperture an ample run through.
 
if you dun travel with your macbook air everyday, a 13" is much nicer than 11".

If you do travel and need to move your mba around everyday, 11" would be the best choice for you~~~

I've had both 11 and 13, but I've settle with my 13"... i needed that extra 23% of pixel, although traveling with 11" is super nice!!!! it's like carrying an iPad around!!!

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solubility said:
i disagree with your statement about anything below 15" being nonsensical for multitasking. With the proper use of gestures, keyboard shortcuts and a few programs, getting things done is a breeze on my 11".
Click to expand...

agreeedd!!!! :d
 
I use a 27" iMac for most of my Aperture 3 work. However, when I am in the field, I use an 11" MBA without any difficulties. It runs A3 just fine. I have both 11" and 13" MBAs, and I vastly prefer the 11" for mobility reasons.

A3 is superb at letting you check projects in/out of a machine... so I create new projects in the field and transfer them to my mail library on the iMac once I get home. Sometimes I'll move projects to my MBA before a longer trip so that I can work on them while traveling. Once home however... they all get migrated back to the iMac.

/Jim
 
I bought both (11 on eBay, 13 from Apple) and returned the 11. For me, it was a tad netbookish feeling in size, and also had about 3 hours of battery life in real world usage.

The 13 gets about 5 hours, which is acceptable. Also, the larger size makes it comfortable to work on for hours. The 11 was okay for a short burst like 45 mins to an hour, after that it was a bit tiring.
 
It makes sense, but... what about the point of portability!

Gregintosh said:
I bought both (11 on eBay, 13 from Apple) and returned the 11. For me, it was a tad netbookish feeling in size, and also had about 3 hours of battery life in real world usage.

The 13 gets about 5 hours, which is acceptable. Also, the larger size makes it comfortable to work on for hours. The 11 was okay for a short burst like 45 mins to an hour, after that it was a bit tiring.
Click to expand...

I can see your points, and understand your preference.

But for me the screen difference is not that big (mostly for writing), and the keyboard size not a point of importance. The biggest negative aspect of the 11 is the battery time. But I can live with it in most situations, until it hopefully will be better when Ivy Bridge comes this summer.

On the other hand, for me real difference is the point of portability. Even though the 13 is not THAT big, the 11 is in my experience so much smaller and more portable that that fact/experience alone so to speak makes the difference in favor of the 11 inches Air.
 
I recently acquired a 13'' MBA. Compared to my friend's 11'', it's considerably more comfortable to work on. The exta 2'' might not sound like much, but it makes an huge difference in usage. I can open two apps side by side(safari & itunes comes to mind), without feeling cramped.
The weight is also a non issue, you won't feel the difference in a backpack/messenger bag.

Only reason to get a 11" is the size really.
 
iExpensive said:
While the screen real estate is noticeably larger on the 13"; I feel that OSX lion removes the need to have such space with all the new gestures.

If you are going to be doing color correction on photo and video or anything of that you shouldn't be looking at a MBA anyway.
Click to expand...

I agree. It is so easy to simply swipe to another virtual desktop having a poxy little 11" screen isn't a great hardship. I wouldn't dream or running 2 browser windows on an 11" or a 13" screen.
 
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