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For those 13" owners who are bothered with the fan noise, you really should check out coolbook. I've been running it since I first learned about it and its been fantastic. Battery lasts longer, MBA runs a lot cooler and fan speed has NEVER hit full speed since I started running it.

Absolutely, Coolbook was the solution for my 13" MBA too.
 
Coolbook

I'd have been sold on the 11" if it didn't have nearly 4" worth of bezel. I currently have a 13" MBA and I really hope the next true redesign addresses the bezel issue. I'd love to have a 13" screen on a MBA that has the footprint of the 11" That's really the only thing that will get me to upgrade my MBA. Sandy Bridge refresh is nice, but not reason enough for me to upgrade.

For those 13" owners who are bothered with the fan noise, you really should check out coolbook. I've been running it since I first learned about it and its been fantastic. Battery lasts longer, MBA runs a lot cooler and fan speed has NEVER hit full speed since I started running it.

It is a shame that Coolbook will not work with the SB version of the MBA when it comes out....
 
I'd have been sold on the 11" if it didn't have nearly 4" worth of bezel. I currently have a 13" MBA and I really hope the next true redesign addresses the bezel issue. I'd love to have a 13" screen on a MBA that has the footprint of the 11" That's really the only thing that will get me to upgrade my MBA. Sandy Bridge refresh is nice, but not reason enough for me to upgrade.

The bezel is what kept the weight and cost low and the battery life decent, while still allowing a full size keyboard with 2 USB connectors next to it. That's a trade-off I like.

A smaller bezel would have meant a thicker heavier or more fragile display, and more power suction from a bigger backlight, or a goofy-sized shrunken keyboard. No.
 
The bezel is what kept the weight and cost low and the battery life decent, while still allowing a full size keyboard with 2 USB connectors next to it. That's a trade-off I like.

A smaller bezel would have meant a thicker heavier or more fragile display, and more power suction from a bigger backlight, or a goofy-sized shrunken keyboard. No.

Are you just making this up as you go along? The lid on the 13" MBA is no thicker than the 11" AND it has thinner bezels. I also fail to see how thinner bezels would have any effect on the keyboard size or the number of USB ports.
 
Are you just making this up as you go along? The lid on the 13" MBA is no thicker than the 11" AND it has thinner bezels. I also fail to see how thinner bezels would have any effect on the keyboard size or the number of USB ports.

From a mechanical strength standpoint, the wider bezel may be necessary. It would be a nightmare for Apple to release such a thin laptop screen if users had to worry about it cracking under normal use. With time, new thin screens may be developed that need less support.

I can't imagine Apple would have made the bezel any bigger than necessary. Maybe with the SB or IB release they will expand the screen sizes (with smaller bezels). That is my hope! That would call for an immediate upgrade from my standpoint. :)
 
I'm under the spell of this little 11" siren as well.

She's just so cute, I want to cry.

Then I want to burn things.

At 16:9, she's a bit short, but her hyper-waif body seems to redeem almost anything.

All she needs is a brain transplant, and I believe Igor has dug one up that will do nicely; He's just taking forever!

After that, if she can pass my quiz, I'm taking her back to my dungeon to do terrible, terrible, wonderful things to her.

Your post is a tad creepy. LOL
 
Are you just making this up as you go along? The lid on the 13" MBA is no thicker than the 11" AND it has thinner bezels. I also fail to see how thinner bezels would have any effect on the keyboard size or the number of USB ports.

Just weight an MBA 13, and figure out why it weighs more and costs more.

And if you shrunk the bezel while still using a standard sized display (same cost), the keyboard would stick out the sides, which would look pretty whacky.
 
Just weight an MBA 13, and figure out why it weighs more and costs more.

And if you shrunk the bezel while still using a standard sized display (same cost), the keyboard would stick out the sides, which would look pretty whacky.

I was pretty clear that I wanted a bezel shrink to accommodate a larger screen not to have a smaller laptop.
 
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Anyone bought the 11" Air even though they knew the 13" may of been a better choice and far as productivity and spec's are concerned?

I had both, I choose the 13" MBA for 'practical reasons' ... I'm on my computer a LOT, a larger screen typically means more productivity, more power can come in handy, as can the larger HD and SD slot .... and the 13" isn't really that much less portable than the 11".

Decision made, right? Wrong.

I really miss the 11. What is it that is so damn compelling? For me it's not the price difference ... it's just that perfect size I guess ... so super easy to grab and go, do work on, it just works and is inviting to use, perhaps the most inviting notebook I've ever used.

Anyone else feel the same way or have the same experience?

If so what size did you end up with and why?

Over a year later the same still holds true for me, I love the 11" MacBook Air...

I know the larger 13" screen is better for productivity and the battery life is better but the 11" Air is still my favorite.

I guess it's because I work all over, office, home office, den, couch, deck, car that along with travel its super small size wins yet is such a pleasure to type on.
 
I think it's just got 'personal' feel about it that larger computer and other devices might not have. To be honest, it's kind of "cute". I wish I had one even though I have a 15" MBP.
 
I'm a road warrior so the 11 is absolutely the perfect size for hotel work. When I get home I just connect it to a 27 inch monitor and a 500 G hard drive for backup and it becomes a great desktop system. Coupled with a Waterfield sleeve ,it just fits in any bag that I'm packing and is one-handed on the bed or on the desk. It's just absolutely perfect for what I use it for.
 
After having the 11in for ~6 months and then a 13in for ~3 months, still unsure which I like better. Definitely missing the 11in =\
 
I'm a road warrior so the 11 is absolutely the perfect size for hotel work. When I get home I just connect it to a 27 inch monitor and a 500 G hard drive for backup and it becomes a great desktop system. Coupled with a Waterfield sleeve ,it just fits in any bag that I'm packing and is one-handed on the bed or on the desk. It's just absolutely perfect for what I use it for.

Hey Glen, how are you finding the Sattleback brief, how's the weight and does it soften up? Still use your Marc Andrew bag? it looked very nice.

Right now I'm going the backpack route, a Tom Bihn Synapse, very functional, perfect size really like it. Would like to find a higher end, functional, perhaps leather backpack but very hard to find, most are huge.
 
Hey Glen, how are you finding the Sattleback brief, how's the weight and does it soften up? Still use your Marc Andrew bag? it looked very nice.

Right now I'm going the backpack route, a Tom Bihn Synapse, very functional, perfect size really like it. Would like to find a higher end, functional, perhaps leather backpack but very hard to find, most are huge.


It's heavy, but no matter for me. I go from plane to car to meeting. Every day the saddleback gets softer and more pliable. This perhaps the finest piece of leather i've owned (read why on their site) . I have about 10 cases or so, so far the saddleback is the most interesting, super high quality case I own...
Look at their large satchel or messenger bag too....I'll probably buy the messenger this fall for a road job that won't require my projector....
 
Toss an SD card slot on to the 11" and I'd consider it over the 13". But quite frankly I need more than 128 gb but don't want to pay an extra $300 to get 256 gb. $45 gets me a 64 gb SDXC card that's sufficient to house my iTunes library and videos that I want to watch on the go (the rest will stay on my external hdd at home).

Also to me, coming from a 15.6" screen on my current laptop, the 11" is potentially too small since it will be my only computer. I do have an external monitor so I could sacrifice some size for portability, but it is truly more "portable" given that it has 30% less battery life?

It's tough. Throw an SD card slot on there for me and it's more competitive. If money was no issue, there's a good chance I'd go for an 11". Unfortunately that's not the case for another two years.
 
I really wanted the 11", but my Air has a life on the road, and the smaller screen size (and battery) killed of that idea. I often connect remotely onto servers using Team viewer or Webex (I use a VMWARE Fusion image for work) and I could not live with scrolling up and down all day long.

home_office.jpg


If you are at home with an external monitor most of the time and occasionally go out and about then the 11" is fine, but if you want the lightest workhorse for the road then it's got to be the 13"
 
The 13 MBA is obviously heavier than the 11, but that is a small compromise. It's also a full pound lighter than the 12.1 PB that I schlepped to work every day for 8 years before buying the 13. As it stands, I now end up schlepping the iPad to work most days anyway, in place of the MBA.

Without the iPad in the picture I think the 11 becomes more attractive. The iPad seems to sort of cover that market sector to some degree, and since most days the iPad is enough for me at work, the heavier factor of the MBA 13 becomes a moot point. But I would still choose the 13 if I could have only one. If you can have both an iPad and an MBA, it starts to make less sense to think about getting the 11.

The 11 upgraded to 128/4G is really not much less in price, either, than the 13 which has these as stock items.
 
It all depend on your usage, but if you're planning to use the MBA extensively I would definately go for the 13'. My 11' is just too small for prolonged work sessions, and the 16:9 screen doesn't help. I much prefer to work with a 16:10, but for the 11' (only) the 16:9 does makes sense - making the 11' as small and light as possible.

My next MBA will definately be 13'. The difference between the MBA and MBP 13' is rather noticable actually, especially concerning weight.
 
Love my 11" but also had eye strain every now and then. Solution was purchase of 24" ACD and now I have a desktop at home with bluetooth KB and trackpad. On the road I am fine with the 11" and yes, it is the greatest laptop I have ever owned.
 
The 11",3 of them!

Anyone bought the 11" Air even though they knew the 13" may of been a better choice and far as productivity and spec's are concerned?

I had both, I choose the 13" MBA for 'practical reasons' ... I'm on my computer a LOT, a larger screen typically means more productivity, more power can come in handy, as can the larger HD and SD slot .... and the 13" isn't really that much less portable than the 11".

Decision made, right? Wrong.

I really miss the 11. What is it that is so damn compelling? For me it's not the price difference ... it's just that perfect size I guess ... so super easy to grab and go, do work on, it just works and is inviting to use, perhaps the most inviting notebook I've ever used.

Anyone else feel the same way or have the same experience?

If so what size did you end up with and why?

For all the reasons you list, we adore our 2010 MBA' with NVIDIA Graphics:cool:
 
I really wanted the 11", but my Air has a life on the road, and the smaller screen size (and battery) killed of that idea. I often connect remotely onto servers using Team viewer or Webex (I use a VMWARE Fusion image for work) and I could not live with scrolling up and down all day long.

Image

If you are at home with an external monitor most of the time and occasionally go out and about then the 11" is fine, but if you want the lightest workhorse for the road then it's got to be the 13"

how does one go about hooking up this many monitors to a single macbook air? whats the adapter that you use? I don't know any that allows triple...I have seen a Thunderbolt to dual HDMI adapter...but thats about it
 
I am a minimalist at heart in all aspects of my life so when I could gin down my entire digital foot print to an MBA 11 with an STM XS Jacket I was sold :cool:
 
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