I love small laptops; always have, probably always will.
My first laptop that I could 100% claim as mine was a 12" PowerBook that I saved up for in high school and finally bought when I graduated. That little laptop lasted me all through college (computer science, a lot of coding, way too many papers) being carried everywhere I went, going through two batteries, and serving me well as a reliable, portable computer. It finally started showing its age to me around 2010, and I felt that it was time for something new.
Looking at Apple's lineup at the time, I was drawn towards the Air, but they were simply too expensive for a poor college student. I ended up settling on a used 2009 Air, and fell in love with it. The machine shaved 1/3 of the weight off, gave me a higher-res screen, and was faster in every way. Except the HDD. After a year or so I purchased a replacement SSD for the Air, and it absolutely screamed! That machine ended up serving me well for the next five years, until it too started to show its age to me around 2015.
My main gripes about the Air were the limited ports (that little door was a PITA), and the fact that it rarely ever hit its top speed due to heat. I was absolutely infatuated with the size and weight though. I wasn't super worried about extreme CPU or GPU performance, although I did want considerably more storage than the 120GB SSD that I had in the Air. As a beginning teacher, price was once again an issue, so to the used market I looked. I found a 2011 11" base model Air (1.6 i5, 2GB RAM) with a 256GB SSD here on MacRumors, and ended up getting it for $400.
I was tepid about the 11", thinking that it might be too small for my liking. My goodness was I wrong. This little notebook has traveled everywhere with me all day every day, and I am absolutely head-over-heels in love with it! The form factor is perfect for me, it has a wonderful keyboard, all the features of a much larger notebook, and the size and weight of something that should be far less powerful than it is. This little 11" Air has gotten me hooked on the form factor.
Alas, it is limited. Having only 2GB RAM, it works for much of what I use it for at school, tasks that generally revolve around basic productivity. But going much beyond that, the machine begins to struggle. Despite that, the machine has certainly exceeded my expectations as a primary notebook. Much to my dismay, Apple chose to discontinue the 11" Air, seemingly closing my options for a new notebook in the future.
After a bit of eBay hunting, I came across a 2015 11" Air with an i5, 8GB RAM, and a 256GB SSD. It seemed like a solid deal at $800, so I nabbed it. It is on its way here as I type, and I plan on making it into my primary personal notebook, relegating the 2011 to school-only duty. I can see this new 11" Air serving my needs as a laptop for quite some time to come, and I look forward to a long and productive life with it!
What're your 11" Air stories? Feel free to share below
My first laptop that I could 100% claim as mine was a 12" PowerBook that I saved up for in high school and finally bought when I graduated. That little laptop lasted me all through college (computer science, a lot of coding, way too many papers) being carried everywhere I went, going through two batteries, and serving me well as a reliable, portable computer. It finally started showing its age to me around 2010, and I felt that it was time for something new.
Looking at Apple's lineup at the time, I was drawn towards the Air, but they were simply too expensive for a poor college student. I ended up settling on a used 2009 Air, and fell in love with it. The machine shaved 1/3 of the weight off, gave me a higher-res screen, and was faster in every way. Except the HDD. After a year or so I purchased a replacement SSD for the Air, and it absolutely screamed! That machine ended up serving me well for the next five years, until it too started to show its age to me around 2015.
My main gripes about the Air were the limited ports (that little door was a PITA), and the fact that it rarely ever hit its top speed due to heat. I was absolutely infatuated with the size and weight though. I wasn't super worried about extreme CPU or GPU performance, although I did want considerably more storage than the 120GB SSD that I had in the Air. As a beginning teacher, price was once again an issue, so to the used market I looked. I found a 2011 11" base model Air (1.6 i5, 2GB RAM) with a 256GB SSD here on MacRumors, and ended up getting it for $400.
I was tepid about the 11", thinking that it might be too small for my liking. My goodness was I wrong. This little notebook has traveled everywhere with me all day every day, and I am absolutely head-over-heels in love with it! The form factor is perfect for me, it has a wonderful keyboard, all the features of a much larger notebook, and the size and weight of something that should be far less powerful than it is. This little 11" Air has gotten me hooked on the form factor.
Alas, it is limited. Having only 2GB RAM, it works for much of what I use it for at school, tasks that generally revolve around basic productivity. But going much beyond that, the machine begins to struggle. Despite that, the machine has certainly exceeded my expectations as a primary notebook. Much to my dismay, Apple chose to discontinue the 11" Air, seemingly closing my options for a new notebook in the future.
After a bit of eBay hunting, I came across a 2015 11" Air with an i5, 8GB RAM, and a 256GB SSD. It seemed like a solid deal at $800, so I nabbed it. It is on its way here as I type, and I plan on making it into my primary personal notebook, relegating the 2011 to school-only duty. I can see this new 11" Air serving my needs as a laptop for quite some time to come, and I look forward to a long and productive life with it!
What're your 11" Air stories? Feel free to share below
