Thinking of getting a MBA 11" or 13"

I don't like the "bare minimum" idea ( if we were to go down that road, then you shouldn't be getting a MBA in the first place but some other cheaper non-Apple notebook that would still "get the job done" in a decent manner ):

So, my personal suggestion:

1) 13" 2012 MBA ( if you can afford it, get the one with 2.0Ghz CPU upgrade and larger SSD )
2) At least 128GB SSD ( you could maybe squeeze your stuff into a 64GB SSD too, but 64GB is really measly... if you were to just read news, watch YouTube videos and surf Facebook all day, it could be enough... but for a future software engineer? are you high? )
3) 8GB memory ( with 4GB you could most likely run whatever you want in Parallels without any serious issues... but do yourself a favor and get 8GB, cause it won't be long until you'll be hitting your head to the wall with 4GB of memory )

Summing it up: 13" MBA 2012, 128GB SSD, 8GB Memory ( go any lower than that on your own risk )

Again... I'm not saying that it's impossible to manage on the "bare minimum", but as a future software engineer, you are not really the "typical user" and sooner or later, you'll want as much CPU power, memory and disk space as your money can buy... Even if you are doing basic stuff now, you'll eventually end up installing a crap-load of tools, use a crap-load of frameworks, etc. ( don't be fooled... this so called "eventually" is right around the corner ).

 

K-

2012 13" 8gb RAM

 

I agree with Barna Biro.

When I got my 2012 13" Air, around 100gb of the 128gb were available to use. I would say 64gb would be pushing it, even if you were a light user. If you plan on keeping this laptop for an extended period of time, 128gb seems like the best option at a decent upgrade price.

One of my deciding factors in getting the 13" was the sd slot. This will allow me to augment the on board storage with sd & microsd storage for additional media and backup purposes, while maintaining a light footprint. With the 11", if you run out, your only other super-portable option is swapping out the built in drive with a larger third-party custom-made ssd that will likely remain fairly expensive considering it's such a specialized product.

The biggest factor is the ram, though. I'm a web developer, so I imagine I'm going through a similar workflow that you'll be going through, and I wouldn't even consider 2gb. 4gb is minimum for sanity purposes, but I jumped at 8gb without even giving it a second thought. This component is set in stone, so it's important to make sure you've got enough power to cover your bases. Also, you're going to get more battery life out of the 13", and that would widen your options on the move.

 

Base 13" model

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When looking at the models with small capacity SSDs, don't forget to consider the fact that you'll lose quite a lot of disk performance if it's around 3/4 or more full. It's best to keep an SSD at around half capacity, if you can.

I cannot see how you could possibly live with only 64 GBs. 128 GBs would be the minimum that I would look at for your uses. Don't forget that you need space for Mountain Lion, swap files, temporary files and so forth. 64 GBs just won't cut it. There is really no point in wasting money on the extra CPU power, since you've another more powerful machine.

 

If that's what you need it for, then just go for the cheapest you can find... to be honest, buying a MBA for what you need seems like a total waste. You in essence just need a shiny block of paper notes that can occasionally compile and run code...

NOTE: You can always install TeamViewer on your iPad and connect to your home computer to write and run some code when those rare occasions occur. Else, there will surely be other people around with notebooks who can send the experiment source code after classes...

It's your decision in the end, but to me, you just seem to feel the need to throw some money on a product that will be "overqualified" for the job. Personally, I'd just stick with the iPad and use TeamViewer when "really, really needed" ( you can always get a bluetooth keyboard for the iPad to make typing more pleasant and fast ).

Again... your money, your decision. As long as you're happy...

 

Based on what you posted, if I were you, I would buy the 2012 11" 64 ssd and see if you can manage the screen size. If not, returned it w/i the 14 day window and get a 13". The only way to know is to test drive it.