Poll - What size will your next MacBook Air be?

[Stingray454]

Is there currently any way of using your iMac as a TB display? I am buying a 27" iMac next year and wanted to do this. I understand that it may seem pointless but I might want to use my work on the air on the bigger screen. My tv is too big for this. I know there are other ways around it but it would be nice to connect the air and the iMac imo.

Googled it, and it does seem like the new TB-equipped iMacs support Target Display Mode by thunderbolt. In other words, you should be able to connect yout TB-equipped laptop to it and use it as screen (though the iMac would have to be running to do this).

Though if you have an iMac for screen, it would make more sense to use the iMac instead of the docked Air as it's several times faster

 

[Total Respray]

My MBA 11 is the perfect size for travel, especially on economy class airline tray tables. However, as I get older my eyes would prefer a 13 inch screen. Its a trade-off which I will decide on when my Applecare runs out...

 

[ET iPhone Home]

I'm not sure that a 15" air makes sense. It would be more portable than a MBP, but seems too large to be considered part of the Air line.

Prediction: 13" Pro ceases to exist. new lineup looks like this in 2012:

11" Air
13" Air
15" Pro (Redesigned)
17" Pro (Redesigned or killed, not sure which)

When do the MBA's usually get redesigned? I just got mine about 3-4 weeks ago. I really like it, but was apprehensive, as I didn't want to buy this and have a new Air release shortly.

 

[boy-better-know]

Googled it, and it does seem like the new TB-equipped iMacs support Target Display Mode by thunderbolt. In other words, you should be able to connect yout TB-equipped laptop to it and use it as screen (though the iMac would have to be running to do this).

Though if you have an iMac for screen, it would make more sense to use the iMac instead of the docked Air as it's several times faster

Thanks for the reply. You are right, but I just like the idea of getting in from work, plugging my air into the iMac and dual screening. This is good news.

 

[flynz4]

Googled it, and it does seem like the new TB-equipped iMacs support Target Display Mode by thunderbolt. In other words, you should be able to connect yout TB-equipped laptop to it and use it as screen (though the iMac would have to be running to do this).

Though if you have an iMac for screen, it would make more sense to use the iMac instead of the docked Air as it's several times faster

There are reasons to use a particular computer other than performance.

I often use my iMac as a display for my 11"MBA. My company has restrictions on which physical computers are able to attach to the corporate network. My MBA is supported... so when I go home from work, I use a VPN to connect to my corporate network, and attach my MBA to the iMac's 2560X1440 display and continue my work. In my corporate office, I connect my MBA to a 27" monitor with the same high resolution.

/Jim

 

[mj1108]

My next will be 13. The 11 is too small and a 15 would be just a little on the large side. 13 for me is juuuuust right.

 

[DeepIn2U]

I'm not sure that a 15" air makes sense. It would be more portable than a MBP, but seems too large to be considered part of the Air line.

Prediction: 13" Pro ceases to exist. new lineup looks like this in 2012:

11" Air
13" Air
15" Pro (Redesigned)
17" Pro (Redesigned or killed, not sure which)

This sounds about right bang on. Personally I'd love to have a 15" Air Pro with dedicated video card (discrete) as I still don't have much faith of in-chip gpu's (GPU processing off-handling). I love my new 13" Air Ultimate .... but the price difference between it and the 13"Pro with available Quad-Corei7 chips and MUCH larger storage is beginning to irk me!

The option to put in a 400GB SSD into the 13" Pro is quite compelling! I didn't realize just how much I'd still need/rely on DVD for - until I had so many to backup to an external HDD> painful time.

Unless the 17" offers dual SSD drives (or 1HDD+1SSD) or something else really compelling then its sales numbers will drop considerably.

 

[kazmac]

don't have any right now but am considering

But the big push for me would be more RAM and longer battery life.

I loved the 2010 13" MBA. It felt great, ran like a pro. Couldn't justify price or wrist issues so...

but now that I know about fixing the wrist issues, I am curious about where the 2012 MBAs will go.

a 15" has to be close to the same weight as the 13", same or better battery life and more RAM than the current models for me to even consider it.

Same for the 13". I love the form factor and the feel but a little bit longer battery life (another hour or two) and more RAM, I'd be all over it.

My reasons against the 11" unbearably bright (painful), not a very long battery life and I did not like scrolling documents, web browsers etc. It also felt very fragile to me, but I can see why people love it.

if the 2012s have more ram and slightly longer battery life while keeping the same form factor, I will consider a MBA.

 

[glen e]

I had 2010 11" and now a 2011 11" - mostly I upgraded to get the 128 SSD...the new air will have to do something mindblowing for me to upgrade again. The current 11 does everything I need now or in the future, as I just use MS office and the web...and have 80GB left!

 

[Robyr]

I had 2010 11" and now a 2011 11" - mostly I upgraded to get the 128 SSD...the new air will have to do something mindblowing for me to upgrade again. The current 11 does everything I need now or in the future, as I just use MS office and the web...and have 80GB left!

This mirrors my usage pretty much to a Tee. Add in a bit of network monitoring software and an occasional WinXP VM and you have the reason I am not going to be upgrading either. The late 2012 or early 2013 upgrade is a possibility if they decide to overhaul the case design, or battery life skyrockets, but even then, I'll probably keep this same 11" Air for 4 years like I kept my 2009 Macbook Pro.

 

[kazmac]

on second thought

I may be picking up a 2011 MBA in the next few days/weeks.

If I can work with the 11" (no brightness or scrolling issues), I may pick up the high end.

I do not want to make myself nuts again, over the tech specs especially since this is not my main computer.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

I do not see the 15" MBA the same slim line design as the 13". I think the 13" is pushing the envelope for stability of strength. I could not imagine stretching it out another 2 inches as is.

I would like to see a 15" HiRes anti glare. No optical drive and a few less ports to help the design. But Just do not make a bigger 13" MBA, Really

I think the 13" would accommodate a 15" diagonal screen by removing the bezel,with the recent advances in adhesives, could be done

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We have 3 2010, 11" MBA's with 480GB OWC SSD's installed in each, pocket rockets with NVIDA Graphics, still dancing with the one that brought me

 

[alflavor]

I have the base 11 from 2010 - and I will most likely go for another 11 inch in the 2012 refresh, probably not base though this time.

 

[pieuk]

i think a 15" is a good idea, however i don't think it will be very practicable. my reason for this is because they are so thin, id imagine the 15" to be too flimsy maybe

 

[kazmac]

needed something for school

so I just picked up an 11" since I've got the iMac and can use the PC at work in a pinch.

My next Air? Whatever size it will be depends on how well my iMac is doing and if the battery life, ram etc. are improved.

I'd love at least 8-10 hours battery life for all sizes and 8GB of RAM, storage really isn't an issue with all the options these days.

That said, if my needs change (i.e. primary computer) I'd probably go as big and ' ultimate' as options allow for a desktop, and possibly get another 11" as my portable. Eventually, I would like go back to owning just one model of Apple computer.

 

[gwsat]

I bought a 13 inch Ultimate MBA in October 2010 and it has been my everyday computer ever since. I still use my circa 2007 17 inch Santa Rosa MBP when I need an optical drive but rarely for anything else.

I passed over the MBAs' 2011 refresh because of my complete satisfaction with the 2010 model. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, and all that. Assuming the 2012 refresh of the MBA lineup offers improvements I consider significant, I will buy a 2012 13 inch Ultimate MBA to replace my 2010 model. But if the next upgrade involves the tradeoffs the 2011 refresh offered, i.e., faster processors but inferior graphics, I'll stay on the sidelines next time, too.

 

[Robyr]

It is truly laughable to not buy a far superior 2011 model because of an assumption that just because the 320M had nVidia's name slapped on it that it is in anyway above the Intel 3000 stuff. They are nearly damn identical. Seriously folks, stop perpetuating this very odd mass lie.

 

[eric/]

Too many variables for me. I have a 13 inch, but would definitely be open to an 11 inch depending on price and features. Whichever is the better value I'll likely buy next (ha, as if I'm going to buy another $1700 laptop anytime soon).

 

[gwsat]

It is truly laughable to not buy a far superior 2011 model because of an assumption that just because the 320M had nVidia's name slapped on it that it is in anyway above the Intel 3000 stuff. They are nearly damn identical. Seriously folks, stop perpetuating this very odd mass lie.

When I decided not to replace my 2010 13 inch Ultimate MBA with a 2011 model, the primary deciding factor was that my 2010 model was only about six months old and had been the best computer I ever owned. While Intel's i series CPUs were attractive, reports about their integrated graphics were less attractive, so that was a turn off. Thus, it should come as no surprise to anyone that I would decide not to spend $1,600 to replace a nearly new and functionally equivalent machine that was only a few months old. Maybe I'll get a 2012 model but passing over the 2011 model was a no brainer for me.

 

[Rolfmaomachizli]

Interesting Data

This is really interesting, the majority of the people that had chosen a size will stick to that size. And I would have thought that more people would have gone for the 15".

 

[KohPhiPhi]

I have a 13" and I will stick to the next beefy 13" MBA that gets released.

In my opinion, a 15" MBA doesn't make sense. The MBA product range, by definition, is all about balancing acceptable performance and ultra-portability... Well, there's nothing ultra-portable about a 15" size. The MBA would simply move away from the concept it was created for.

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When I decided not to replace my 2010 13 inch Ultimate MBA with a 2011 model, the primary deciding factor was that my 2010 model was only about six months old and had been the best computer I ever owned. While Intel's i series CPUs were attractive, reports about their integrated graphics were less attractive, so that was a turn off. Thus, it should come as no surprise to anyone that I would decide not to spend $1,600 to replace a nearly new and functionally equivalent machine that was only a few months old. Maybe I'll get a 2012 model but passing over the 2011 model was a no brainer for me.

Absolutely my case too. I bought the 2010 13 inch MBA Ultimate and I decided to pass on the 2011 model as I couldn't justify the upgrade. I will probably consider upgrading in 2012 if the performance leap is significant though.

 

[Stingray454]

This is really interesting, the majority of the people that had chosen a size will stick to that size. And I would have thought that more people would have gone for the 15".

I'm guessing most people chose their original size for a good reason 11 vs 13 depends on a lot of things (portability, screen size/resolution, CPU speed and so on), and peoples preferences don't usually change that often.

Personally I got an 11" and will get a new 11" when next update comes. Perfect size/weight/screen/speed for me, and the 13" just feels a bit too large when carrying it around (which is why 15" is out of the question completely for me).

Edit: What is interesting though, is that (with the current poll status) about 31% plan to change from 13" to either 11 or 15, but only 7% of the 11" owners will get a larger one. Seems the 11" owners are more satisfied with the size overall.

 

[miniConvert]

I always thought I'd stick with the 13" Air, but I've just moved up to a 15" MBP as I wanted a much more powerful computer and the extra screen space.

This has left me thinking about something more portable for the future... I love the Air line and I can definitely see myself trying out the 11". My favourite laptop ever was the Sony Vaio T2XP, a tiny ultraportable from the pre-netbook era. An 11" Air would make a great secondary.

I'm waiting for integrated 3G though. A laptop that portable absolutely must have integrated WWAN IMHO. I'm just not sure Apple will ever agree with me.

 

[vitzr]

I'm eager to buy the 15". Always willing to carry a bit more in exchange for a spacious display, it's the benefit of less scrolling and more workspace that serves me best.

 

[kazmac]

makes sense to me

When I decided not to replace my 2010 13 inch Ultimate MBA with a 2011 model, the primary deciding factor was that my 2010 model was only about six months old and had been the best computer I ever owned. While Intel's i series CPUs were attractive, reports about their integrated graphics were less attractive, so that was a turn off. Thus, it should come as no surprise to anyone that I would decide not to spend $1,600 to replace a nearly new and functionally equivalent machine that was only a few months old. Maybe I'll get a 2012 model but passing over the 2011 model was a no brainer for me.

I agree since I just bought a 2011 11" MBA which was last updated 6 months ago. Your reasoning is very sound (as always gwsat). Why update when the machine does not suit your needs?

I will not be updating my 2011 11" MBA with a 2012. I'd like to get at least 2 years of use out of this machine before I even begin to consider another MBA (especially after nearly 2 years of indecision, duds and really not knowing what I needed). Not everyone wants to update every year and some cannot afford to. I do not need the latest and greatest, I need a machine that does what I need it to do: work and be comfortable for me. The current model does just fine for my needs. I personally find the idea of disposable Macs worrisome, I want my money's worth and more from whatever model I have.