Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

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

amitdoc2b said:
And what will the OP do that 20% of the time when the larger screen could benefit them if thats their only computer? Plus the size difference looks big to you because you have both side by side.. if you didn't, either one would be small. Before you owned an 11" did you own just the 13"? Did it seem huge and inconvenient? If so, why did you purchase the 13" MBA in the first place instead of a 13" MBP? Do you see my point? I think the OP would "wow" to either one... don't tell me you didn't say "wow" to your first MBA if it was a 13" before you owned them both...they are both compact, slim, and convenient.. one just does a better job at handling everything more than the other thanks to real estate, extra battery, and an additional slot.. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

1) The larger screen would be more beneficial. I think he isn't thinking clearly and, simply, getting excited and just asking everybody here when he clearly wants the 11.

2) I have the 13 inch MBP and the thing is damn small; when closed, it's as thick as my index finger. That's very thin.

3) I lived with a netbook for 2 years before I got this Mac. 11 inch screen. Yes I thought the laptop was small but, overall, I always hooked it up to a monitor when at home. If I didn't, I felt constrained when looking at the screen.

Although the MBA is small and fast, as a main computer, it isn't going to be your best choice. Processor and spec wise, if you get the 4 gig RAM model, you'll be able to do everything, however, the machine will slow if you run VMs at the same time and, if you multitask heavily, you'll run out of RAM quickly.

4) The benefits of either MBA are size and thinness. Now if you don't have the MB in your bag, you won't really be able to tell the difference when the thing is on a table. The MBP is thin, again, and is upgradable, so you have to weigh in if you'll want to upgrade it in the future or not.

5) All in all, getting an 11 inch as your only computer isn't very wise. I think that it's a great machine and all, but I would only get it if I had a more powerful machine at home, but that's just me.
 
IngerMan said:
I had the Macbook unibody for about a year, then I switched to the 2010 13" MBA. Yesterday I took delivery of my 2011 MBA 11".

I have been on the fence about the 11" and knowing that until you get some actual real use is the only way to judge.

I must say I am pleasantly surprised at how big the 11.6" screen feels compared to the 13.3" It may have a lot to do with lion, shrinking the dock.

But honestly I am really liking this size of screen and form factor for around the house and taking it with me daily. For me it is a much bigger screen then when I would stand at it at the apple store.

I love this size and I have upper 40's eyes. I don't see going back to the 13" for me, for a non desktop laptop.
Click to expand...

Is this your primary and only machine? What kind of work do you do on it? Do you use an external monitor?

----------
Young Spade said:
5) All in all, getting an 11 inch as your only computer isn't very wise. I think that it's a great machine and all, but I would only get it if I had a more powerful machine at home, but that's just me.
Click to expand...

What about an 11" as your only computer with an external monitor?
 
Sounds Good said:
Keep in mind that I've got a 24" external monitor. So regardless of 11" or 13", I'll be able to access a 24" screen whenever I want or need to.

Just wanted to re-mention that.
Click to expand...

Haha yea I remember, I sort of integrated this for the others looking to get an 11/13 and using it as their only computer with no screen. This way it helps everyone out. If a 2.5 hour battery doesn't bother you, then go for the 11" if you like hooking things up to a monitor most of the time when doing your main work.

----------

DieterRams: that poster speaking about 40's eyes mentioned at the end the 11" is good as a "non-desktop" computer... did you read that at the end? But in regards to your question to young spades, an i5 is good as a main computer if hooked to a monitor, the bigger issue is squinting at an 11" screen all year rather than the power.
 
13 inch MBA should be your choice. I tried 11 inch one... two small making my eyes stressful
 
Quote "Is this your primary and only machine? What kind of work do you do on it? Do you use an external monitor?"

My laptop has been my primary machine in terms of use since I switched to the MBA's. But I do have a 20" iMac.

I work in sales and create power points and sales presentations for customers weekly.

I do amateur photography and iMovies. I plan on doing it on this little puppy since it is much faster then my iMac 2007. I might hook up the screen to my iMac for the editing.

I wanted this for Thunderbolt and the 11" form factor. My next plan in a year or 2 is to ditch the iMac and add a Dell 23" screen, maybe coupled with the Mac Mini.
 
Inger, I've got the Dell U2410 which is pretty darn nice for photo editing -- and often available at a great price! :)
 
Sounds Good said:
Inger, I've got the Dell U2410 which is pretty darn nice for photo editing -- and often available at a great price! :)
Click to expand...

Thank you, I hear a lot of good things about the Dell "U" panels. If Thunderbolt drives come down I may ditch the iMac and go solo with the MBA / Dell screen / Thunder bolt external drives//
 
For the record, the 11" is my main computer and only computer. Since I have gotten it I have yet to feel the screen or keyboard were too small or uncomfortable. The battery life has also been much better than what I was used to with my dell which generally got around 1:30-2:00 hrs. The touch pad is much bigger than the one I had on my dell too.

For my use the battery last all day, though its different than your use. I'm on the road all day, I do service calls and sales, so the portability was a big factor. Since I'm also constantly driving from one place to another, I also never spend a lengthy amount of time on it, probably around 5-6 15-30 min. sessions a day. And when I get home I still have 1-2hrs of use left on my battery before I have to charge it. I guess that adds up to 4-5 hrs use on a single charge, it actually outlasts my Verizon mifi in battery. When I use it, while working its generally word processing and web browsing with e-mail. When at home I'm web browsing, using iTunes, and netflix/hulu. For my taste and what I use it for, the 11" is perfect.

I had a 13" computer before this, and contemplated the 13" air for a short time. But to me the half inch in thickness and pound and a half in weight wasn't enough to justify getting that one instead of the 13" pro. I decided if I needed the extra screen real estate, I would be better off getting the more powerful pro. But then when using the 11" I knew it was the perfect machine for me, the portability is incredible. I now carry my computer with me every where I go, something I never used to do because I hated having to carry around a backpack, with the air I can just grab it and go.

Like I said, both of you have been given several reasons why the 13" is the better choice for you, yet you still seek justification for the 11". Just get the 11" and try it out, if you don't you'll always want one in the back of your mind. Where as if you get it now and you end up not liking it, you can swap it out and get the 13" and be happy you got the right laptop for you.
 
You know what's funny? I fully expected most people to say that since I work from home and often hook up to an external monitor, that the clear choice was to get the 11" MBA (mostly due to the easy access to the external monitor). I was surprised to find that many of you suggested the 13" size for my particular situation -- so part of me has been genuinely trying to understand WHY you feel the 13 would be better for me. I'm now giving serious thought to the 13", but have not yet been able to cross the 11" off my list.

Making a purchase like this while knowing that I might return it doesn't sit well with me... but I might have to do it.

In any case, I truly appreciate the help/input/criticism ;) I've received. Thank you all!
 
Sounds Good said:
You know what's funny? I fully expected most people to say that since I work from home and often hook up to an external monitor, that the clear choice was to get the 11" MBA (mostly due to the easy access to the external monitor). I was surprised to find that many of you suggested the 13" size for my particular situation -- so part of me has been genuinely trying to understand WHY you feel the 13 would be better for me. I'm now giving serious thought to the 13", but have not yet been able to cross the 11" off my list.

Making a purchase like this while knowing that I might return it doesn't sit well with me... but I might have to do it.

In any case, I truly appreciate the help/input/criticism ;) I've received. Thank you all!
Click to expand...

I honestly don't think you would return it once you start using it unless you find the screen too small for when your not hooked up to your Dell screen.
 
Hi all, I want to add my 0.02 in this thread.

A little history:
I have had a 17" MBP (the one with the high-res screen of 1900x1200, before unibody was there), then a non-unibody 15", then a unibody MBP 13", than a Macbook air 13" and now a MBA 11".
The only reason I didn't get the MBA11" at once, was because there was no 256Gb version last year and I needed the 256Gb.
So I've come down from a quite huge laptop to a tiny little thing that just isn't a netbook, but it's getting close.

My uses:
I'm a consultant B2B and I advice clients with grant's and incentives. Therefore I visit a lot of companies in an area of about 200x350km. I travel quite a lot, I would say an average of 2 days per week, but in busy times I travel every day. 95% is done by by car, sometimes by train. I write small reports and minutes from the meetings I have with the managing and technical directors and I write large reports that are often in a fixed format or even "locked down" in a PDF.
All my correspondence I receive on paper is scanned and OCR-ed with Acrobat. For one grant, I need to use windows, so I also have parallels with XP.

Odd:
I carry my laptop with me all the time. I've done this before with an iPad, but the lack of a keyboard and a file system was to big for me. I often have clients that are in a meeting with their accountant and they are missing some document. I can email it right away to them and I found this to be working much better with a laptop than with an iPad.

Considerations to choose the 11":
When I'm on the road, the 11" is superb in size and weight. It has more than enough power, for al my daily uses, although it might take some more time when I'm OCR-ing 50 or a 100 PDF-documents, that is a rare chore that can take all the time it needs (I just walk away, do something else and leave it, but you could work on, the laptop might just lag a little bit at times).
The keyboard is great, hand rests are big enough (I don't have small hands), trackpad is more than sufficient, although the 13" was a little bigger, real estate is big enough for simple use, reading is good, full screen is a nice app for this device. Hanging in a hammock, I find this thing easier to use than the iPad (it stands on my belly and the screen hovers above me).
I don't have a big screen yet, but I plan to buy the ACD thunderbolt when it comes out. That way I'll have a big screen when I'm home and doing some DTP on big reports, and I sometimes work on two documents at the same time. That is not as easy on an 11" screen.

One disadvantage I found is that the battery life is considerable less, when compared to the 13". This is less of a problem for me, when I'm at a client, it never takes more than 2 hours and it easily lasts that. When I have multiple clients, I have a hyperemac car charger that saves the day. When I'm really out all day, out of reach of wall sockets and car-batteries, I can always use the 60Wh Hypermac battery.

It has become a bit bigger post that I envisioned, but I hope my considerations and insights might help you to buy the better version, be it either 11" or 13".
but most of all, what ever you choose, don't forget to enjoy it and use it to the maximum!
 
If this thread had existed before I made my decision...

it probably wouldn't have changed a thing for me. While it's nice to read other people perspectives, they would not have helped me.

I first only considered the 13" because of 1440x900. Then fell in love with the idea of the 11" (external monitor justification, plus the idea that I will adjust to the short x768). Bought the 11" and used it for a day. Wanted more vertical resolution. Bought the 13". Love it.

One thing that surprised me after trying both was that I actually prefer the 13" size on my lap, and that the slight size increase did not matter to me that much. So I didn't have to compromise in exchange for the larger screen and longer battery of the 13".

For someone like me, it's impossible to know until you try for a day. I would suggest starting with the 11" and then the 13" in that order. Chances are you will not find the 13" too big as it's smaller than most fully functional laptop, but you may find the 11" too small. So, if you find the 11" not too small, you are done.

Another thought: had the 13" not existed, I would have gotten a 11" and be reasonably happy with it. I suspected that it's the case with many people who bought the 13". It's great to have choices.
 
I know what you mean, Meistervu. Rest assured that the final decision will be mine. But listening to other people's opinions -- especially those that have owned both sizes -- helps me to see other perspectives that I otherwise wouldn't have. In fact, I believe that's one of the best things about this and other similar forums.
 
Sounds Good said:
I know what you mean, Meistervu. Rest assured that the final decision will be mine. But listening to other people's opinions -- especially those that have owned both sizes -- helps me to see other perspectives that I otherwise wouldn't have. In fact, I believe that's one of the best things about this and other similar forums.
Click to expand...

I've been out of the meat of the topic for a little while and I feel liek getting back in.

To recap, a couple of questions for you

1) Why not the baseline MacBook Pro? It's better, overall, cheaper, has a better processor, and is upgradable (to an SSD drive at that).

2) I think that... while you like the 11 inch form factor, after a while, that lust for design will wear away. kind of like getting a new car/house. You treat it like it's the most important thing you have ever owned for a month or few, then, after a while, you start eating and drinking in it (because that's what everybody does) and leave key items in there you might need later (change, pens, papers, napkins, etc.).

What I'm trying to say is that after a few months, you might get tired of looking at that small screen. Has anybody here who is voting for the 11 inch actually have and used it for a few months at least? I would be willing to bet most people just got it when it came out and the "awesome effect" is still lingering.
 
Young Spade said:
1) Why not the baseline MacBook Pro? It's better, overall, cheaper, has a better processor, and is upgradable (to an SSD drive at that).

2) I think that... while you like the 11 inch form factor, after a while, that lust for design will wear away.
Click to expand...
Answers:

1. I want something slimmer and (mostly) lighter than the MacBook Pro. And the MacBook Air is one of the main reasons why I'm even considering a move to Mac. Otherwise I'd just buy another Windows machine.

2. I'm concerned about the EXACT same thing. I don't think that 14 days will be enough time to know for sure. Hence my major hesitation.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_5 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8L1 Safari/6533.18.5)

First off I need to say that this has been an amazingly good thread. By some ironic twist of fate it has managed to avoid the fanboyism that is so prevalent any time the which is better topic comes up.

Before the 2011 MBA came out I was leaning towards the 11". But one thing kept on gnawing at me, 16:9, 16.9 I hate 16.9! I have a pair of Dell U2311 monitors in addition to my 30" ACD. The Dells are fantastic monitors considering their IPS and the price I got them at. The only thing I dislike about them is the 16.9 aspect ratio. It might be great for movies but I find it to be sub par for anything else.

Another thing to take into consideration is that the 13" is only 'big' compared to the 11", compared to anything else it's a portabily god. I have no problem carrying around my MBA 13" and use it far more sitting on the couch or in bed than I do at a table. If I traveled more frequently the smaller footprint of the 11" would outweigh my preference for a 16.10 aspect ratio, but as long as 'travel' for me is the no further than Hickory Tavern the 13" is ideal.

The only situation inwhich I can see the 11" as being the clear winner is if you fly a lot. A secondary consideration for me is that I have almost freakishly large hands*. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with the smaller keyboard and trackpad.


* unfortunately the correlation between hand size and the size of your junk is greatly exagerated.
 
reputationZed said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_5 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8L1 Safari/6533.18.5)

A secondary consideration for me is that I have almost freakishly large hands*. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with the smaller keyboard and trackpad.


* unfortunately the correlation between hand size and the size of your junk is greatly exagerated.
Click to expand...

I agree, I have unbelievably small hands and there appears to be a negative correlation to that! :cool:
 
Young Spade said:
I've been out of the meat of the topic for a little while and I feel liek getting back in.

To recap, a couple of questions for you

1) Why not the baseline MacBook Pro? It's better, overall, cheaper, has a better processor, and is upgradable (to an SSD drive at that).

2) I think that... while you like the 11 inch form factor, after a while, that lust for design will wear away. kind of like getting a new car/house. You treat it like it's the most important thing you have ever owned for a month or few, then, after a while, you start eating and drinking in it (because that's what everybody does) and leave key items in there you might need later (change, pens, papers, napkins, etc.).

What I'm trying to say is that after a few months, you might get tired of looking at that small screen. Has anybody here who is voting for the 11 inch actually have and used it for a few months at least? I would be willing to bet most people just got it when it came out and the "awesome effect" is still lingering.
Click to expand...

That would be me, had the 2010 11" and 13" MBA loved them both.

Sensibly I would be more productive on the 13" with more screen real estate, less scrolling.

In reality I love the 11", I find myself using that more than my 13" these days ... easy to take everywhere, can have on my lap regardless of what position I'm sitting in, it's a really cool little computer.

You'll be happy with either size I'd think, I don't hate the smaller 11" screen, nor do I hate the larger footprint of the 13" ...
 
entatlrg said:
That would be me, had the 2010 11" and 13" MBA loved them both.

Sensibly I would be more productive on the 13" with more screen real estate, less scrolling.

In reality I love the 11", I find myself using that more than my 13" these days ... easy to take everywhere, can have on my lap regardless of what position I'm sitting in, it's a really cool little computer.

You'll be happy with either size I'd think, I don't hate the smaller 11" screen, nor do I hate the larger footprint of the 13" ...
Click to expand...

But... you have both though...so you don't have to "deal" with the negatives of either one. Get what I'm saying? If you want a larger screen, you just pick up the 13. If you want to lay around you get the 11.

Having both and being content is great, but it doesn't help when you can only have one... Not saying I don't value that bit of information but I think it would just confuse the OP into not knowing what to get again :/
 
Young Spade said:
But... you have both though...so you don't have to "deal" with the negatives of either one. Get what I'm saying? If you want a larger screen, you just pick up the 13. If you want to lay around you get the 11.

Having both and being content is great, but it doesn't help when you can only have one... Not saying I don't value that bit of information but I think it would just confuse the OP into not knowing what to get again :/
Click to expand...

Yes, but the op does have the 24" monitor that they plan to hook up to when they need more screen real-estate.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back