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Which laptop size for the "Work From Home" folks?

If you can't decide...

The next step is to try them at home for at least a day each. Try the 11" first. If you love it, and don't mind the screen size, then you are done. Otherwise try the 13".

Why do it in that order? Chances are you are more familiar with what a larger size laptop feels like, but not the 11" MBA. Once you try the 11" MBA and decides that it works for you, there is less of a compelling reason to try a 13". On the other hand, if you try the 13", you will be second guessing what the 11" feels like.

That's exactly what I did. I originally wanted a 13" for its vertical resolution, but really wasn't sure whether the 11" screen would be fine, and I really like its form factor. After a day, I kept wishing there were more vertical screen space and realized that I didn't mind the MBA being larger. I switched to the 13" and it turned out to be the right size for me. In addition the larger screen and higher resolution, I actually prefer the larger MBA and I love the bigger trackpad. The extra battery life is a bonus.
 
meistervu said:
The next step is to try them at home for at least a day each. Try the 11" first. If you love it, and don't mind the screen size, then you are done. Otherwise try the 13".

Why do it in that order? Chances are you are more familiar with what a larger size laptop feels like, but not the 11" MBA. Once you try the 11" MBA and decides that it works for you, there is less of a compelling reason to try a 13". On the other hand, if you try the 13", you will be second guessing what the 11" feels like.
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Well, I hope to come to some conclusion before buying, but I suppose you have a point.

Also, you're right -- my current laptop is 16.4" and weighs about 6-ish pounds.

Thanks for the suggestion.

P.S. -- I just noticed your signature. I had the original Palm Pilot, way back when. I loved it! :)
 
Sounds Good said:
Well, I hope to come to some conclusion before buying, but I suppose you have a point.

P.S. -- I just noticed your signature. I had the original Palm Pilot, way back when. I loved it! :)
Click to expand...

I know what you meant. I came to a couple of conclusions before taking the plunge, and I was wrong on many counts. First I thought I couldn't live with the low vertical res of the 11", then I convinced myself that I could, and that the 11" would feel better and that the 11" was "too big." This come from a guy who last portable was a 17". Half of what I decided was wrong for me. While the 11" portability was amazing, the 13" is tiny and is a feather compared to my old portable, and on my lap and in a back pack, the difference is not that big of a deal to me.

Yes, the the original Palm Pilot was a revolutionary device which changed everything.
 
sounds good said:
hi guys,

i know many of you have owned both sizes of mba, so i'm looking for your opinions and insight on this particular scenario...

I work from home, and my laptop is usually hooked up to a 24" monitor (and a wireless keyboard and mouse). When not hooked up, i float around the house from kitchen table to coffee table to whatever. I don't travel much these days, so my laptop doesn't leave the house too often.

Now... With that in mind, what size laptop would you guys suggest (11.6 or 13.3) and why?

All thoughts and shared information would be appreciated.

Thanks! :)
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13"
 
Sounds Good said:
...When not hooked up, I float around the house from kitchen table to coffee table to whatever....
Click to expand...

"Feyd! Where's my laptop!?!"

And put me down for the 13" form factor, presuming you're going to walk around the house with it and use it from room to room. If you think you'll be mostly at a desk or table, 11" with external monitor would be a good combination of maximum screen space when you need it, maximum portability when you don't.

Then again, for me, the 11" doesn't seem to compromise as much when reading or typing primarily text. The size, ratio, pixel density, etc of the screen combined with the scrollpad and tap to zoom works pretty well. Viewing images-still pictures-not video seems to be a bit compromised on the tiny Air.

...now I've got that 'dunn......dunn......dunn..dunn' theme stuck in my head!
 

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I can also add some input...

I originally wanted an 11" because I thought it would work perfectly and fit my form perfectly...plus the price was lower. However, I went in to Apple last night to purchase my MBA and I tried both the 11" and the 13" and I must say, the 13" definitley stole my heart. I also do a lot of remote work from home and the extra 1.6" will help with that. It is still just as portable and versatile.

Hope you enjoy your MBA!:D
 
The thing that is making this decision so difficult for me is the footprint size. I prefer the screen size of the 13. I prefer the 13's 900 vertical resolution over the 11's 768. I prefer the 13's 16:10 screen ratio over the 11's 16:9. I'd rather have the 13's SD card slot. BUT... I just love the small footprint size of the 11, and it keeps tugging at me.

And thoughts on this ^ from those of you that have had both sizes?

Thanks again, I appreciate your comments.
 
By the sounds of things the 13" is going to serve you best. Also, without the two side by side the 13" is a very small thin computer.

You have given more reasons to buy the 13" over the 11" so that's the way to go. For long hours of use you'll be glad you did.
 
if i were you, i'll certainly go for 13". Can't really do any work stuff on 11's tiny screen. Used to have a sony vaio, 10" screen. it looks cool, but it's just horrible to do any thing apart from web browsing : (
 
I own both an 11" Ultimate 2010 MBA and a 13" base 2010 MBA.

I carry the 11" more than I use it. But when flying (as I do frequently) the 11" is worth its weight in gold because I don't have to strip it out of a bag going through TSA security. Everyone else is hauling out their laptops; mine stays in the bag and sails through x-ray without a problem.

If you're not going to be traveling or toting the computer around town, I'd honestly go with the 13". I really enjoy the 13" screen; the resolution is equal to the 15" MBP. Performance from the 13" will not disappoint; connected to my 24" ACD, feels very snappy indeed.

If I had to choose between one or the other (and fortunately, I don't) I'd probably pick the 11" because form matters to me more than function when I'm on the road. If you're not on the road, stick with the 13" - it makes more sense all the way around.
 
11" cuz I mostly don't use the screen

I have my 11/4/256 in clamshell mode with a 30" cinema display attached. When visiting places I work with, I use one of their monitors (the small mini display port to DVI dongle) and keyboards. For my desk, I'm waiting on the Thunderbolt display to get external ports, including the oh-so-necessary gigabit Ethernet. Flying solo, I find that the 11" screen real estate *is* without question ))cramped((. However, I find the 13" cramped as well. Considering myself equally disabled by both resolutions, I chose for the positive attributes of lightness and attractiveness. That is, the Air for me is a computing-brick, and since the 1.8GHz/4/256 is the same between models, weight and looks were the only real factors. The 11" screen *is* usable, but deficient for anything that requires peripheral vision.

It's also an experiment as I move from "big iron" PCs for development work to sufficient Air-power for portable development auditing work. I still need the full development suite, including Adobe, but I can tolerate not having all of my apps open at the same time. 4GB is a barrier and I routinely have a thin sliver of green in my RAM pie, but I can still build medium-sized Flex apps and edit 200GB Photoshop files. I haven't had it long enough yet to work really big projects. I expect next year's Air to rise just enough to continue to be capable.
 
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kustardking said:
Flying solo, I find that the 11" screen real estate *is* without question ))cramped((. *However, I find the 13" cramped as well. *Considering myself equally disabled by both resolutions, I chose for the positive attributes of lightness and attractiveness.
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Very interesting. Thanks for that perspective.
 
DieterRams said:
Thanks for describing your experience. Although I'm a little surprised you didn't mention anything about the size of the keyboard and its palm rest or the smaller trackpad, given that you are 6'1" tall. What I mean is that I assume you'd perhaps have larger hands and, from my own testing in the store, even I had to curl my fingers a bit inwards to both keep my fingers on keyboard homerow (F and J) and to keep my palm/wrists above the edge so that it didn't cut into them (I'm 5'11"). And the trackpad is shorter/more stout than any other Macbook so I noticed I had to narrow the gap between my fingers and thumb to mouse around and click, versus even the 13" MBA. What about you?
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I didn't find the keyboard too cramped, though the palm rest area was definitely an annoyance. I usually use my Magic Mouse on top of the right palm rest area, and the 11" had noticeably less space to travel than the 13".

Touchpad wasn't too noticeable. I only ever use the touchpad to scroll pages, view documents/photos, and navigate around generally. Anything intensive, I use the Magic Mouse.
 
I just bought a large piece of posterboard. I'm gonna cut out the correct dimensions for the 11" and 13", then see how each size looks and feels on places I'd actually use the laptop.

Yes, I've officially lost my marbles. :)
 
I've worked a few days from home on my 13" (Remote Desktop + web-based tools) and I think it's a pretty ideal compromise. It has the resolution (and thus screen real estate) of a 15" MBP, but is still incredibly thin and light.

That's not to say the 11" wouldn't work, but I don't know how I'd feel losing the pixels, not to mention the physical space.
 
Apple DOES accept returns

Sounds Good said:
I just bought a large piece of posterboard. I'm gonna cut out the correct dimensions for the 11" and 13", then see how each size looks and feels on places I'd actually use the laptop.

Yes, I've officially lost my marbles. :)
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I recommend buying one, living with it for real, and then exchanging it for the other model, living with it, and then keeping it if you like it, or getting the original config if you liked that more. You CAN do this. In fact, it took me three tries before I got the Air I wanted (with the Samsung SSD). Or, if your finances can stand a one-month bubble, just buy both and return the one you don't favor.

Seriously, either way, just get one and return it if you don't like it. Apple doesn't have a restocking fee anymore. My suspicion is that Apple recognizes buyer's remorse is deeper with their stuff since you can't as readily alter your purchase to suit after the fact (as you can in the PC world).
 
I'd go smaller and use a display. I actually need both 20" displays that I use for work so the size of the laptop is inconsequential to me.
 
I currently own the 2010 13" 128 SSD MBA. I take delivery on the new 11" i5 128 SSD tomorrow. I have been using my 13" daily for 6 months. After a few days of use I will give some feed back on my finding for use. I have had a laptop for the last 9 years but it has always been the 13" size.

Till this weekend then
 
jmoore5196 said:
I own both an 11" Ultimate 2010 MBA and a 13" base 2010 MBA.

I carry the 11" more than I use it. But when flying (as I do frequently) the 11" is worth its weight in gold because I don't have to strip it out of a bag going through TSA security. Everyone else is hauling out their laptops; mine stays in the bag and sails through x-ray without a problem.

If you're not going to be traveling or toting the computer around town, I'd honestly go with the 13". I really enjoy the 13" screen; the resolution is equal to the 15" MBP. Performance from the 13" will not disappoint; connected to my 24" ACD, feels very snappy indeed.

If I had to choose between one or the other (and fortunately, I don't) I'd probably pick the 11" because form matters to me more than function when I'm on the road. If you're not on the road, stick with the 13" - it makes more sense all the way around.
Click to expand...

Damn you for making sense. The 13" may be better for me practically since I don't travel much at all but the 11" is so attractive in its little package and small weight/footprint. I just know I'll enjoy using it on one leg, moving it around my apartment here and there, using it in bed, closing it up and carrying it like a little book, etc. Sigh... I'm stuck. I'm just concerned about its palm rest size cutting into my wrist/palm and the shorter trackpad, and of course the screen size. And the 13" just is as big as a 'regular' laptop, not as attractive... and I'd never use the SD card slot anyway.
 
DieterRams said:
I meant compared to the 11" ;)
Click to expand...

i was just teasing! :D I know, the 11" is amazing. When I put the 11" on top of the 13" at the Apple store, the 13" looked HUGE!!! But having the 13" for the last couple of weeks it is soooo thin and so attractive its amazing. It fits anywhere. It gives you a full computer experience in a package that fits in a large envelope.

I just got done playing a round of Civ4 and Jedi Knight II, and thoroughly enjoying it on the 13" screen. You can't go wrong either way, really. :apple:
 
ZBoater said:
i was just teasing! :D I know, the 11" is amazing. When I put the 11" on top of the 13" at the Apple store, the 13" looked HUGE!!! But having the 13" for the last couple of weeks it is soooo thin and so attractive its amazing. It fits anywhere. It gives you a full computer experience in a package that fits in a large envelope.

I just got done playing a round of Civ4 and Jedi Knight II, and thoroughly enjoying it on the 13" screen. You can't go wrong either way, really. :apple:
Click to expand...

Exactly, I've done the same and placed them on top of each other and yes, the 11" is significantly smaller in comparison. I hate that because it makes the decision so much harder. Especially when I pick it up and place it in my left hand palm to hold it up in front of me - sooo light and such a small footprint! Just so darn fun, almost cute. It's like the practical choice is the 13" but the fun choice is the 11". Which do I want: the safe girl or the hot chick?
 
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