Using the 11 inch and 13 inch from an amateur's point of view

[vader_slri]

I do have one question about the pic (shown below) that shows the System Preferences window open on both models. That window looks wider on the 11" than the 13, and the icons and text look larger. There's an extra preference row across the bottom on the 11", but that doesn't explain the extra width, with 8 icons across on both windows. That window is not resizable, so what's accounting for that? The 11" has a higher PPI (135) than the 13" (127), so everything should be a tad smaller. Maybe someone can shed some light on that.

The 11" screen is 1366 pixels wide.
The 13" screen is 1440 pixels wide.

Assuming the SysPref window is a set number of pixels wide, the pictures make perfect sense.

 

[nebulos]

The 11" screen is 1366 pixels wide.
The 13" screen is 1440 pixels wide.

Assuming the SysPref window is a set number of pixels wide, the pictures make perfect sense.

you might be forgetting that the screens are different sizes. fixing a particular window of width X pixels, the percent of horizontal pixels occupied on the 11 will be bigger (see below), but the 11 screen is smaller, and if you work out the numbers, the PPI on the 11 is higher, as is well known, so the same window should look smaller on the 11.


... as for the precise percentages,

fix a window which is X pixels wide.

let A be the percent of the width of the screen this takes up on the 11".
let B be the percent of the width of the screen this takes up on the 13".

then A/B = (X/1366)/(X/1440) = 1440/1366 = 1.05

so, A = (1.05)B

in other words, 5% difference, so almost the same.


... for the heights, however, the factor is 1.17, or a 17% difference. sadly, the 11" is short.

 

[mutsaers-vr.nl]

Sure, I am not even able to open 2 word documents at 100% on a 24" 16:10 imac !!!!!

This photo was also a big deal to me and made me realize 13" is the right size for me (I had been on the fence about 11 and 13 inches as well). It appears that the preferences window in the 13" only takes up 25% of the screen, while the same window takes up almost 50% of the screen in the 11". The extra real estate seems like a big deal if thats the size these windows open in a normal setting.

I'd also like to see two word documents open side by side on an 11 inch? I'm able to open two documents side by side at 100% on a 13-inch just fine, but would help be an extra deciding factor see this on an 11-inch as well..

 

[ovrlrd]

ovrlrd -- Ahhh, a light bulb is going off. The 13" isn't widescreen, is it? I think that's why I feel such a jarring difference in the two screens. I was also switching between the 13" MBA and my 13" widescreen HP, and still couldn't quite place my finger on what was so different between the two. In that case, those pesky black bars make quite a bit of sense, and would decide me even further for the 11". I've used widescreen for so long that it's really the ratio that I prefer.

The 13" is 16:10 ratio, while the 11" is 16:9

They are both widescreen, just one is slightly wider than the other (the 11" has a wider aspect ratio, though physically the 13" is a tiny bit wider in size).

The 13" has more space vertically, though they have pretty much the same space horizontally.

 

[claudeM]

I'd also like to see two word documents open side by side on an 11 inch?

Here you go:

 

[vader_slri]

you might be forgetting that the screens are different sizes. fixing a particular window of width X pixels, the percent of horizontal pixels occupied on the 11 will be bigger (see below), but the 11 screen is smaller, and if you work out the numbers, the PPI on the 11 is higher, as is well known, so the same window should look smaller on the 11.


... as for the precise percentages,

fix a window which is X pixels wide.

let A be the percent of the width of the screen this takes up on the 11".
let B be the percent of the width of the screen this takes up on the 13".

then A/B = (X/1366)/(X/1440) = 1440/1366 = 1.05

so, A = (1.05)B

in other words, 5% difference, so almost the same.


... for the heights, however, the factor is 1.17, or a 17% difference. sadly, the 11" is short.

My point was that the SysPrefs window on the 13" takes up about half the width of the screen but on the 11", the same window takes up more than half the width of the screen, which is consistent with the horizontal pixels available, and consistent with what we see in the photos. Window height is hard to visually compare because of the extra row displayed on the 11" screen.

Anyway, your explanation works too.

 

[nebulos]

My point was that the SysPrefs window on the 13" takes up about half the width of the screen but on the 11", the same window takes up more than half the width of the screen, which is consistent with the horizontal pixels available, and consistent with what we see in the photos. Window height is hard to visually compare because of the extra row displayed on the 11" screen.

Anyway, your explanation works too.

i gotcha.

what people were saying, and what it seemed to me, is that the window actually looks bigger, overall, on the 11. if you do a caveman type measurement with your fingers on your own screen at home while looking at the pic, the window is, i'd say, clearly bigger on the 11.

anyways, this is probably something really silly to have gone on so long about.

... but if that window really isn't resize-able, i think the mystery persists ???




... i guess what i was saying with the close percentages is that that shouldn't really account for the perceived difference (in the horizontal direction). but i thought it was also worth noting in general, and for example, for those deciding between the two machines:

the same size window will take up about as much (~5% difference) of the screen on the 11 as on the 13, in the horizontal direction. in the vertical direction, the same window takes up a bit more space on the 11 (~ 17% difference).

 

[neko girl]

One thing I would say about the 11, is it is wonderful to use on an airplane. The small size seems to make a real difference..

 

[cityathrt]

To be fair, it wasn't a 100% comparison because I had that extra row on the 11". I deleted that icon, and it shrank the window considerably. It looks more like it's taking up 25% of the 11" screen now, versus the almost 50% before.

 

[nebulos]

To be fair, it wasn't a 100% comparison because I had that extra row on the 11". I deleted that icon, and it shrank the window considerably. It looks more like it's taking up 25% of the 11" screen now, versus the almost 50% before.

okay, well, if the window is resize-able, then no mystery at all.

someone said that window was not resize-able; maybe that's true in Snow Leopard.

 

[melmo]

The side by side Word document screenshot is making my decision even harder. It looks really usable with the two pages open on the 11 incher!

 

[ritmomundo]

Nice comparison OP.

When I was deciding on an ultraportable, it was pretty much a no-brainer for me. Coming from my old Dell 12.1 inch, I knew the 11.6" model would be perfect. And since I was already used to looking at things on a small screen, it wasn't much of an adjustment. In fact, the MBA ended up replacing my MBP as well (I've still got my desktop powerhouse for big projects). So now I've got only the 2 machines (one OSX Lion and one Win7), and I prefer it that way.

 

[nph]

I ust ordered the 13 inch base from Amazon. For me it was the reading, although the difference is slight I ended up squinting a little more on the 11 in the Apple store and I also had to lean in closer. Like most say, on a plane it would be wonderful but I dont travel that much and that is when I bring my iPad anyways...


I also have the older rev B MBA where I find the size just right.
Now with the resolution of the 15 inch it only gets better!
Had they not increased the resolution I would have gone with the 11.

 

[vader_slri]

what people were saying, and what it seemed to me, is that the window actually looks bigger, overall, on the 11. if you do a caveman type measurement with your fingers on your own screen at home while looking at the pic, the window is, i'd say, clearly bigger on the 11.

Oh now I see where the confusion is. I don't think you can really "measure" directly on the photo as you described for a couple of reasons: (1) the 11" screen is closer to the camera lens than the 13" so will appear bigger, and (2) there is lens distortion at the right edge of the photo where the 11" screen is situated, making it seem longer than it is. The 13" screen is more centred in the photo so shows less distortion.

 

[groovyone789]

Just to give another take from a general college student... By the way, I use this mainly for music/word/excel/powerpoint/browsing/videos and occasional photo editing.

I was struggling between the two MBA sizes back when I had my 15" MBP. Now I use the 13" MBA for my only laptop. When I was deciding between the two, I really liked how I could sit up straight when using the 13". I found myself hunched over sometimes on the 11" trying to see something well. This seemed especially evident when having two Word documents open, or a document and a web page. I know the size isn't that different but the larger screen feels like it has more real-estate closer to eye level. I'm 6'2" so maybe the difference just seems magnified to me. (By the way, has anyone figured out how to do the old CONTROL+2-finger-scroll to zoom???? I miss that)

Also the larger palm rests on the 13" really make a difference for large hands so my palms aren't resting on the knife-blade edge.

One other thing to mention, as a college student, the extra two hours of battery life are crucial. You may say it's only two hours, but that's a full 40% more than the 11" is rated for. It's hard to find many outlets in lecture halls and it's really nice to not have to spend time every single day anchored to a wall somewhere and haul the power brick around (you really add weight when you have to start lugging that around).

The added battery life and increased portability has made my MBA my daily laptop and I sold my MBP. I also just upgraded to the 2011 MBA and didn't hesitate when deciding between the 11" and the 13". That's just me though. I know many other people have different uses and circumstances. I'm just trying to explain the rationale behind another amateur user.