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Sorry to ask - but 11 or 13?

The 11" is more portable due to smaller size so you can use a smaller backpack, but it's more of a "niche" computer for ultra-mobile users.

The problem with the 11" is the screen resolution and the battery life, which are both significantly worse in the 11" compared to the 13".

So, if ultra-portability is your main (and only) concern then go for the 11". For a more solid and all-around more balanced computer that will be used both at home and on the go, I find the 13" a more sensible option.

Yes, the 11" is cuter, but the 13" makes more "sense" from an overall point of view.

PS: On top of that, I find kind of self-defeating to have an ultra-portable laptop (11") with a battery life of only around 3 hours under real life usage. So you cannot even get a whole afternoon worth of work done. That means that you have to carry the charger and seek out for an electricity plug, and that obviously hinders the mobility factor.

In my opinion, any machine that wants to be labeled as "mobile-friendly" needs at least a 5 or 6 hour battery life under real life usage (WIFI, YouTube, Skype, etc). And the 11" cannot do that.
 
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I find 11" too small, 13" would be ideal. Also it has better battery, higher resolution and is equally portable. I'd recommend 13"
 
I've got an 11" and a 13" MBP, and I LOVE the Air. The 11" works great for working, surfing, movies and anything else I've tried to use it for. Sure, the 13" is nice too, but I find the difference from a 13" MBP to small - if I get something the size of a 13" Air, I might as well get a Pro - it's faster, has more ports and better screen, and it's the same size as the 13" Air (though a bit heavier, granted). The 11" is in a class of it's own - super light, can handle anything I need, big enough screen, and beautiful - basicly same size as an iPad, but does everything better. I'd recommend anyone to get the 11" over the 13".
 
As an owner of the new 11" Air AND the new 13" Air,

the clear winner (and my biggest recommendation) is the 11" Air.

I never could have believed this myself if I didn't own both.
 
hwrdrrk said:
As an owner of the new 11" Air AND the new 13" Air,

the clear winner (and my biggest recommendation) is the 11" Air.

I never could have believed this myself if I didn't own both.
Click to expand...


Interesting to read bits of others' experiences here. I've also owned both sizes, as you have also done. Can you explain your thought process behind the 11" being better for you?

I was attracted to the 11" due to its sheer size, its footprint and just how awesome it is. However, I found it to be cramped. I'm not some huge guy either. Since I almost always rest my palms on the palm rest, I found it to be too short on the 11". And using the shorter trackpad was slightly frustrating almost half the time, if not more. I noticed that I would even reach below the trackpad with my fingers to do gestures, expecting it to be larger. When typing, I had to curl my fingers in a bit so that my wrists/palms wouldn't either drop off the edge or have the edge dig into them.

So I'm on my 13" now and it feels just about right. The comfort factor is fairly big. However, one thing is really interesting. I almost find the 13" screen to be too tall! Since the 11" screen is 16:9, it's shorter and wider so the 13" feels more squat and tall. Even though there are more horizontal pixels, it's the physical dimensions in relation to the vertical physical size that makes me feel that way. I think it's only because I owned the 11" for a full two weeks and got used to those screen dimensions. I'm sure it's only a passing thing.

So all in all, I'd ask if you are physically comfortable on either machine and decide that way. Both machines perform just about the same with the same specs custom configured so no real loss there (although battery is different and SD card). I never use SD so that'll likely go to waste but overall, I think the 13" was the better choice so I'm keeping it. Even though I will miss the overall smaller footprint of the 11" and being able to be just that much more comfortable using it in bed or resting it on just one thigh. Even just moving it around was noticeably lighter.
 
Well guys, I went and had a look at the 2 Air's today.

And I ended up coming home with one!
:D

The place I originally ordered from were stating delivery in 4 weeks - and I couldn't find one anywhere else.

Anyway, the store I went to (I'm in the UK), had it's own special Apple section - and had virtually everything in stock!

As soon as I seen the 11' and played with them both - there was only one I wanted.

Went for the 11" and am typing away on it now.

I absolutely love love love it.
Not only that, but the store also had a load of Thunderbolt displays with various macs hooked up.

All I can say about the display - is wow. It is fantastic. I personally think it looks loads better than the 27" iMac screen - not the display quality, just the surround etc.

Can't wait to get one of those to hook my new Air to it!

So yeah, decision made. Thank you all so much for your advice and comments. Really glad I went for the 11". :D:p

:apple:
 
Unfortunately my black macbook died a couple of weeks ago. So I was thinking about a 13" Air. I like the 16:10 screen over the 16:9 that the 11" has. Plus better battery life, more memory, larger storage. Just my personal preference..
 
Mr. McMac said:
Unfortunately my black macbook died a couple of weeks ago. So I was thinking about a 13" Air. I like the 16:10 screen over the 16:9 that the 11" has. Plus better battery life, more memory, larger storage. Just my personal preference..
Click to expand...

Sure, then why stop with 13". Get an MBP 17 with more more more of everything too.
 
Aneres11 said:
Well guys, I went and had a look at the 2 Air's today.

And I ended up coming home with one!
:D

The place I originally ordered from were stating delivery in 4 weeks - and I couldn't find one anywhere else.

Anyway, the store I went to (I'm in the UK), had it's own special Apple section - and had virtually everything in stock!

As soon as I seen the 11' and played with them both - there was only one I wanted.

Went for the 11" and am typing away on it now.

I absolutely love love love it.
Not only that, but the store also had a load of Thunderbolt displays with various macs hooked up.

All I can say about the display - is wow. It is fantastic. I personally think it looks loads better than the 27" iMac screen - not the display quality, just the surround etc.

Can't wait to get one of those to hook my new Air to it!

So yeah, decision made. Thank you all so much for your advice and comments. Really glad I went for the 11". :D:p

:apple:
Click to expand...

So what made you decide firmly on the 11"? What reasons? I'd be curious to hear your thought process or what you specifically liked about the 11" over the 13"

I also thought you were saying you bought a Thunderbolt display to take home too... I was starting to get jealous ;)

----------
Mr. McMac said:
Unfortunately my black macbook died a couple of weeks ago. So I was thinking about a 13" Air. I like the 16:10 screen over the 16:9 that the 11" has. Plus better battery life, more memory, larger storage. Just my personal preference..
Click to expand...

Speaking of 16:9 vs 16:10, I had an 11" MBA to play around with for two weeks and now I'm on the 13". I find that I almost find the 16:10 to be too tall. I don't quite get why I have this feeling. I've had the 13" for about two plus weeks now and still find myself thinking back to the 11" 16:9 display and how that seems more suitable. Maybe I miss the physical widescreen... but I can't imagine why. It's not like I watch a ton of movies on the computer... If anything there is more resolution in both horizontal and vertical here so I'm a bit puzzled as to why I almost miss it. I guess it doesn't matter how many pixels, as long as it's 16:9. Ultimately, I think I still made the right choice since I find typing and mousing around on this 13" to be more comfortable overall.
 
DieterRams said:
So what made you decide firmly on the 11"? What reasons? I'd be curious to hear your thought process or what you specifically liked about the 11" over the 13"

I also thought you were saying you bought a Thunderbolt display to take home too... I was starting to get jealous ;)
Click to expand...


Ha I wish - that is next on the agenda though - just need a desk and a comfy swivel chair... ;)

To be honest, I think what made me get the 11" was that it was next to a 13" and next to that was a 13" MBP (what I had).

The pro and the 13" air looked exactly the same when open - aside from the black / silver around the screen. It almost felt like the 13" Air was too similar to the Pro. I also don't think the 13" suits the slim form factor (just my opinion). As soon as I got a proper go with the 11" I just adored it.
I will say though - I wasn't blown away by the Air's when in store... Think it had something to do with them being firmly held down and alarmed up lol - so I couldn't get a proper hands on.

However, since I got my 11" home - I am just in love. It is my favourite (UK Spelling!) Apple product - maybe outside of my iPhone 4/4s (arrives soon) as I use that as my iPod, alarm, calendar, emails, phone, texts etc etc. But I love the Air.
I can't believe it runs as seamlessly as my Pro did for the same tasks. For instance, right now I have firefox open with 4 tabs - including a paused YouTube video, iTunes downloading podcasts, Spotify playing music out to me and emails open. There is no slow down, no lag, no overheating (yet ha) and it is just amazing.
Don't get me wrong, my Pro never slowed down either - but the difference in size between them makes me wonder how the Air does it!

It is a joy to use.

Cannot wait to hook it to a thunderbolt display! Will be sure to post pics and thoughts once I do that! :D

The displays they had set up in store were absolutely gorgeous - and as I previously said, I much prefer them to the 27" iMac's. The TD didn't look as big - and that was a good thing for me as I love the glossy black slim surround.

Damn Apple:apple: making me want all of this tech goodness.
:D
 
entatlrg said:
Which do you use more often, the 11 or 17". Which one do you enjoy using the most?
Click to expand...

I use my 2011 MBA 11" about 90% of the time over my 2011 MBP 17".

If I had an SSD in the MBP 17", then the ratio may be more 70:30 though 11":17".
 
I love the 11".

for me, I'm not a power user when i'm mobile. I just like to sit, browse, chat on IRC, throw some emails together, maybe do a few small spreadsheets and databases.

The 11" is the dream portable computer. 13" might have been better for desktop real estate, But the size of the 11" is oh so wonderful. fits easily in one hand. easily sits on my lap when watching TV and working away.

Also: whomever said 3 hours of battery life needs to adjust their computing habits. I don't run any flash blocker or add-ons on my web browser. So my browsing is "pure". the odd flash sites, constant browsing. I have screen usually on the 3rd lowest setting with the keyboard lights out (i touch type and dont need to see it). Saturday night I watched the entirety of the Leafs hockey game (starts at 7 ends at 10ish) and still had 60% battery left.

Also "same size as a netbook". This is wrong. in reality, it's footprint is larger than your typical netbook. it is however thinner. Weight wise isn't that different. I upgraded from and Acer AspireONE to the Air 11". most netbooks are based around the same screen. 10.1" 1024x600 resolution. I can tell you, the Air's real estate is amazing. I can actually view typical websites now without having to side scroll!
 
DieterRams said:
Interesting to read bits of others' experiences here. I've also owned both sizes, as you have also done. Can you explain your thought process behind the 11" being better for you?

I was attracted to the 11" due to its sheer size, its footprint and just how awesome it is. However, I found it to be cramped. I'm not some huge guy either. Since I almost always rest my palms on the palm rest, I found it to be too short on the 11". And using the shorter trackpad was slightly frustrating almost half the time, if not more. I noticed that I would even reach below the trackpad with my fingers to do gestures, expecting it to be larger. When typing, I had to curl my fingers in a bit so that my wrists/palms wouldn't either drop off the edge or have the edge dig into them.

So I'm on my 13" now and it feels just about right. The comfort factor is fairly big. However, one thing is really interesting. I almost find the 13" screen to be too tall! Since the 11" screen is 16:9, it's shorter and wider so the 13" feels more squat and tall. Even though there are more horizontal pixels, it's the physical dimensions in relation to the vertical physical size that makes me feel that way. I think it's only because I owned the 11" for a full two weeks and got used to those screen dimensions. I'm sure it's only a passing thing.

So all in all, I'd ask if you are physically comfortable on either machine and decide that way. Both machines perform just about the same with the same specs custom configured so no real loss there (although battery is different and SD card). I never use SD so that'll likely go to waste but overall, I think the 13" was the better choice so I'm keeping it. Even though I will miss the overall smaller footprint of the 11" and being able to be just that much more comfortable using it in bed or resting it on just one thigh. Even just moving it around was noticeably lighter.
Click to expand...

You make good points, and I'll answer the best I can: The 13" was the "right choice" and the "no brainer." More for the money, larger screen, two more hours of battery life, sd card slot, slightly faster processor, for only $100 more.

But the shape of the screen was awkward. Too tall. Rather than design a 13" macbook air as beautifully proportioned as the 11" macbook air, they just made an anorexic version of the 13" macbook pro.

As one person once said, the 11" is truly mobile. The 13" is portable. I didn't understand the distinction at the time (they'll both fit in my backpack easily!), but after owning both I understand. The 13" shape/size/weight made me still feel like I was dealing with a laptop... a far inferior laptop to the macbook pro. The 11" is like an iPad on steroids, an apple device in the palm of my hands that runs a genuine Mac OS X operating system.

Would I ever take a 13" macbook air over the 11"? No. Would I take a redesigned 13", possibly but unlikely. But I do sometimes miss the 500GB hard drive of my macbook pro.

2015 Dream: Macbook air 12.2" (Give me a little more room for my palms when I type!) 2TB SSD, 1080 High Def Screen, 16GB RAM, 24 Hour battery life.

----------

Afterthought:

I am able to appreciate this 11" macbook air as much as I do, because I also own an iMac. The iMac is my heavy hitter, my render-stuff-all-day computer while I'm out enjoying My air.

I would prefer to have one computer, and a 27" apple cinema display, but that's not in the cards right now financially (for me) and technologically (from Apple).

When apple releases a redesigned 3.6 lb 15" Macbook Pro/Air with a 512 SSD with a similar form factor to the 11" Air, I will most likely sell my iMac, sell my Air, and finally consolidate down to one device.
 
I have old eyes and I need a new pair of glasses, but the 11" screen is still working fine for me, although I'll eventually hook the Air up to an external monitor for longer work sessions. Coming from a 2005 iBook, the screen seems ultra crisp.

The 11" form factor just makes it perfect for taking out to the porch or sitting on the couch. My old iBook spent most of its time on the desk at home, but the little Air just begs to be follow you around the house. It's also really easy to hide -- we have a lot of burglaries in my neighborhood and I like that I can just sneak it into a pile of stationery and it disappears.
 
hwrdrrk said:
You make good points, and I'll answer the best I can: The 13" was the "right choice" and the "no brainer." More for the money, larger screen, two more hours of battery life, sd card slot, slightly faster processor, for only $100 more.

But the shape of the screen was awkward. Too tall. Rather than design a 13" macbook air as beautifully proportioned as the 11" macbook air, they just made an anorexic version of the 13" macbook pro.

As one person once said, the 11" is truly mobile. The 13" is portable. I didn't understand the distinction at the time (they'll both fit in my backpack easily!), but after owning both I understand. The 13" shape/size/weight made me still feel like I was dealing with a laptop... a far inferior laptop to the macbook pro. The 11" is like an iPad on steroids, an apple device in the palm of my hands that runs a genuine Mac OS X operating system.

Would I ever take a 13" macbook air over the 11"? No. Would I take a redesigned 13", possibly but unlikely. But I do sometimes miss the 500GB hard drive of my macbook pro.

2015 Dream: Macbook air 12.2" (Give me a little more room for my palms when I type!) 2TB SSD, 1080 High Def Screen, 16GB RAM, 24 Hour battery life.

----------

Afterthought:

I am able to appreciate this 11" macbook air as much as I do, because I also own an iMac. The iMac is my heavy hitter, my render-stuff-all-day computer while I'm out enjoying My air.

I would prefer to have one computer, and a 27" apple cinema display, but that's not in the cards right now financially (for me) and technologically (from Apple).

When apple releases a redesigned 3.6 lb 15" Macbook Pro/Air with a 512 SSD with a similar form factor to the 11" Air, I will most likely sell my iMac, sell my Air, and finally consolidate down to one device.
Click to expand...


you can kiss that dream Air goodbye. i'm not sure it's even well-defined theoretically. a 15" with the same form factor as the 11"? meaning simply 16:9? it'll be a while before they can even build an ultra-thin quad-core, which is i guess what you want, but once they can, how much will it COST, with 512 SSD?! be realistic people! ... i mean, i think maybe their going this way, but it'll be a while ...

in fact, many, many people HATE 16:9, and find that the whole problem with the 11" is not that it has a small screen, but precisely that's its too short vertically, i.e., 16:9.

so, different strokes for different folks.

as for 'portability vs ultraportability', its been said many times, including in this thread, the weight and size difference is there, but its also almost insignificant, and portability should include battery life, where the 13" wins, though not, in practice, by the theoretical 2 hours, but by more like 40 minutes, which isn't a huge difference either.
 
I was comparing the two models last week at the apple store, and I couldn't see myself getting used to the 11" screen. Everything just looked claustrophobic in comparison to the 13".

http://photos.appleinsider.com/11Air.001.jpg

It was almost like trying to look through a letter box. The battery life is also better on the 13", 7h vs 5h in the 11".

Another thing is, the i5 in the 11" is slower than that in the 13" and upgrading to the i7 in the 11" brings the price up higher than the i5 13".

I had to make no compromises with the 13", it was just better for me in every way.
 
GWagon said:
I was comparing the two models last week at the apple store, and I couldn't see myself getting used to the 11" screen. Everything just looked claustrophobic in comparison to the 13".
Click to expand...

The 11" in the picture does have a much larger dock than the 13". Anyway, I felt a little bit cramped on my 11" too, so I moved the dock to the right edge instead. Doing that, or setting the dock to auto-hide, gives you access to the entire screen for web browsing and such, and suddenly the screen feels a LOT bigger. I recommend anyone with an 11" to move the dock, it makes the screen dimensions perfect.
 
Stingray454 said:
The 11" in the picture does have a much larger dock than the 13". Anyway, I felt a little bit cramped on my 11" too, so I moved the dock to the right edge instead. Doing that, or setting the dock to auto-hide, gives you access to the entire screen for web browsing and such, and suddenly the screen feels a LOT bigger. I recommend anyone with an 11" to move the dock, it makes the screen dimensions perfect.
Click to expand...

I completely agree with this. Moving my dock off to the side made quite a difference. :)
 
3dflyboy1 said:
For those of you who are proud owners of the 2011 11" air, what kind of battery life are you getting? From what I've heard it's a max of 3hrs...? :eek:
Click to expand...

I think you can typically expect around 3 hours of typical usage. I suppose you could tweak various settings to reduce power consumption, but if it makes using the MBA such a pain in the behind, why bother? :(
 
I owned both the 2011 models, 11" and 13". Returned the 11" due to the sub-standard battery life and lack of room on screen for Xcode.

If I didn't have a girlfriend however, I'd probably have kept both.
 
nebulos said:
you can kiss that dream Air goodbye. i'm not sure it's even well-defined theoretically. a 15" with the same form factor as the 11"? meaning simply 16:9? it'll be a while before they can even build an ultra-thin quad-core, which is i guess what you want, but once they can, how much will it COST, with 512 SSD?! be realistic people! ... i mean, i think maybe their going this way, but it'll be a while ...

in fact, many, many people HATE 16:9, and find that the whole problem with the 11" is not that it has a small screen, but precisely that's its too short vertically, i.e., 16:9.

so, different strokes for different folks.

as for 'portability vs ultraportability', its been said many times, including in this thread, the weight and size difference is there, but its also almost insignificant, and portability should include battery life, where the 13" wins, though not, in practice, by the theoretical 2 hours, but by more like 40 minutes, which isn't a huge difference either.
Click to expand...

Take pleasure in shooting down other peoples dreams? :roll eyes: I'm not going to "kiss dreams goodbye" or to "be realistic people!" but I will of course be patient for the next 3-9 years before the dreams are realized.

With regards to the 11", I was simply answering the gentleman's question who was curious why I liked the 11" over the 13". If you like the 13" more than the 11", I respect that. If the weight and size difference is "almost insignificant" to you, and you appreciate the extra 40 minutes of batter life, then the 13" is the way to go.
 
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