So I've got £999 to spend...

[Stiss]

As the title implies I've got £999 to spend on a MacBook Air. I'm ready to see what is unveiled next week at WWDC.

But I've got some questions but first I'll tell you what it will be used for. It will be shared between me and my GF. We'll use it for web browsing, some light media consumption such as Netflix and Spotify. My gf writes a fashion and lifestyle blog and is pretty successful at it, so it will be used for creating content and Photoshop whilst we're away from home etc. We have an iMac so we won't be storing large amounts of data on this MacBook Air.

So with all that said and done, I'm torn between 11" and 13". I prefer the 11" for it's portability and size whilst she's more into the 13" because it has a SD card slot which she uses on the iMac like everyday but saying this, she does like the size of the 11".

I have my doubts on the 11" for her sake, I can't image Photoshop runs so great on it, or is it the screen which could just hold her back? She only lightly edits photos, resizes them and touches them up etc. 11" is perfect for what I want to use it for, but 13" fits her requirements better.

So... what do I buy?!

 

[B...]

I say 13". More storage, more screen and better battery life as well as an SD slot.

 

[Bear]

...
So... what do I buy?!

For all the reasons B... gave 13" and to add to that if you don't have a built in SD reader, you would have to carry an SD reader.

I do know that the 13" having a higher screen resolution would make editing much easier for me. I know it's only a minor difference, but every bit helps.

 

[jmoore5196]

I run Photoshop CS5 and CS6 on my 11" MBA without difficulty. Mine has the 2.0gHz i7 and 8GB RAM.

Running Photoshop shouldn't be the concern ... it runs without a problem. The real issue is portability. I travel extensively with my 11". If you and your GF aren't going to travel much, go for the 13".

If your needs are for a lightweight travel machine, the 11" will suffice.

 

[LeeM]

http://store.apple.com/uk_edu_5000714/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_air

got for the 13" with 8gb

 

[tann]

http://store.apple.com/uk_edu_5000714/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_air

got for the 13" with 8gb

this, get the ram

 

[Badrottie]

don't ruin your relationship, just buy 13" and call it day. BUT if you choose 11, your GF thinks you only think about MBA not about her, she will dump you for sure.

 

[bp1000]

13", default CPU option (i5?), 8gb upgrade if not standard... see if you can stretch to the 256GB SSD option, as you might regret it later on once the drive fills up with HD videos from your phone, pictures and your modest itunes library.

 

[YanniDepp]

Get a friend who is a student (or works in a college or university) to buy it, or go with you when you buy it. You'll get discount that way.

I work for a college and discounted Apple stuff is a privilege I have