[YET AGAIN] 11 or 13 inch?

[hansiedejong]

Hi,

I know you guys get spoiled with the '11 or 13 inch' questions. Well, here's one again, but I do have a story to it;

I currently own a 2009 13'' MacBook Pro with a Core 2 Duo processor (2.26GHz, 2GB RAM) which makes life hard at the moment. I really need to buy a new Mac soon. FCP X won't boot in about 200 - 300 seconds. This Mac is getting slow. Fact.

I will visit NYC this August and because of the EURUSD benefits at Apple I will finally buy a new Mac over there. I think the MacBook Air will be the one. Thin, nice and elegant design with the benefit of having an SSD.

I'm not a power user. Using Twitter, Safari, Sparrow, Messages and iTunes daily (OS X Lion). Sometimes Pages for school. And very sometimes Keynote or Numbers. Last weeks getting more into the video editing world with Final Cut Pro X. Lovely application. That's it.

So as I currently use a 13'', I tend to the 11''. I just love the looks and the fact that it is so portable. Are there 11 inchers working the same way I do over here? Or is 13 inch the way to go in my situation?

Situation: Using my Mac for around 2-3 hours daily. From 8AM to around 3PM I'm in school (without Mac). Pretty much a 'desk user', taking the notebook with me in the garden when the weather is nice and on trips to NYC or Paris for example (in the airplane). Having too a new iPad, and an iPhone 4S which is always with me.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Dangerous Theory]

[YET AGAIN] Make your own choices. You're the one being affected by spending your own money, no one else.

 

[mattopotamus]

really you are going to get the same answer....you need to play with them yourself and see if you can work on the 11". Some people it does not bother at all....others, it is complete hell. You will know in the first 5 minutes if it is something that will work for you. For me, it does not affect anything i do.

 

[JBST]

completely agree. I was struggling between the two before visiting the store a couple of times. or borrow a 11 from a friend etc. IpPlayed around with the 11" and found the screen very acceptable! Hence went for the 11 myself

 

[anthdci]

personally I think the 11" is too small and the 13" is perfect. But that is my circumstances. Yours will be different.

 

[mattopotamus]

completely agree. I was struggling between the two before visiting the store a couple of times. or borrow a 11 from a friend etc. IpPlayed around with the 11" and found the screen very acceptable! Hence went for the 11 myself

personally I think the 11" is too small and the 13" is perfect. But that is my circumstances. Yours will be different.

perfect examples

 

[islanders]

It really is personal preference and what you want to do with it. To me and most people either one is small for video editing but for some people it may be perfect because they have a different use. The 11 fit in my camera bag and didn't weigh a thing, however I don't really need it on location. The point is the only difference is the 13 is two inches larger and about .6 pounds heavier and both are capable of running the same apps. I'm going for the 13 but that doesn't mean the 11 is that much different for what I need it for. Most of the time the 11 is a great little machine, but I'm anticipating the 13 screen will be a better fit for me and the larger foot print won't be an issue.

 

[robdrj45]

If I already had an Ipad, I would not get an 11'' Air unless I really needed both power and ultra portability. I know they're two different machines, but their screen sizes are just too similar. IMO, the 13'' Air is the one to get.

 

[notjustjay]

Well, size is a personal preference but there are some other differences. Obviously the cost and weight are different. But the 11" Air has a shorter battery life and no SD card slot and a smaller screen resolution.

Since SD card slots and battery life are both important to me, I would choose the 13".

 

[jojoba]

To me, I found that a 11" would overlap too much with my iPad. I also wanted more screen estate. I still find the 13" very portable. But as everyone else said, this is down to personal work flows and preferences.

 

[th1nk]

I think the ratio of bezel to screen on the 11" is too high, that's why I went with the 13". also better battery life is a plus.

 

[dona83]

The 11" Air has about the same pixel real estate as the 13" MBP, about 2% more though you lose 32 pixels in height.

I love using my wife's 11" Air. The screen is crisp and bright, everything is easy to read.

I also wonder why these threads keep popping up. Go to your nearest retailer and try them both out.