I think I can understand why the article is written the way it is - it seems more like a compilation of water fountain talk (i.e: unsubstantiated rumours and opinions about the air) that the writer decided to cobble together and call it a day. The article has its merits, but certainly could be written a lot better.
For example, it is a fair point to call out that the 11" MBA is lacking a SD card, something people may overlook when purchasing one and realising it only when they want to transfer photos over. I wouldn't call it a key difference, but still something that is good to know upfront.
Same for battery life, something we know about, but don't really emphasise because to us, it seems pretty obvious, but may not be so to the typical consumer.
Likewise,
Not wrong, but again, the story is quite 1-sided and doesn't give the full picture. At the end of the day, both 11" and 13" airs can have the same specs, with the only differing aspects being the screen size (and consequently larger footprint), presence/absence of a SD card slot and battery life for an extra $200 (which could in turn be spent on related accessories).
Finally, I disagree with the 11" air being an ipad replacement, or choosing a laptop based solely on battery life as the deal breaker, but again, we are all entitled to our own opinions, and I respect their decision for that.
For example, it is a fair point to call out that the 11" MBA is lacking a SD card, something people may overlook when purchasing one and realising it only when they want to transfer photos over. I wouldn't call it a key difference, but still something that is good to know upfront.
Same for battery life, something we know about, but don't really emphasise because to us, it seems pretty obvious, but may not be so to the typical consumer.
Likewise,
I wonder if the writer realises this is likely due to the 13" air having a faster processor? Upgrade both to the same 2.0ghz version and this should eliminate any disparity in performance.I was able to use Final Cut Pro with both units, although it ran slightly more smooth on the 13-inch unit.
She is probably thinking of the 2011 11" base air model, which does come with just 2gb of ram.It is not advisable to get either unit without at least 4GB RAM.
Which is relevant only if you are planning to buy your air from an apple store or retailer (and naturally, more flash storage means a heftier price tag, you aren't getting them free). Else, through the online apple store, the 11" air too can have 256 gb of flash if you are willing to pony up the extra cash, just as both can be upgraded to 512gb of storage.The upper-end 11-inch MacBook Air comes with 128GB of flash storage, while the upper-end 13-inch comes with 256GB of flash storage
Not wrong, but again, the story is quite 1-sided and doesn't give the full picture. At the end of the day, both 11" and 13" airs can have the same specs, with the only differing aspects being the screen size (and consequently larger footprint), presence/absence of a SD card slot and battery life for an extra $200 (which could in turn be spent on related accessories).
Finally, I disagree with the 11" air being an ipad replacement, or choosing a laptop based solely on battery life as the deal breaker, but again, we are all entitled to our own opinions, and I respect their decision for that.