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Your Thoughts on MBA 11" (and What You Do)

T

thriii

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 14, 2007
366
0
I know there are lots of threads comparing the 13 and the 11", but I'm more curious about those that had an 11" or have an 11" and how they use it. I currently have the previous 13" MBA and I'm really considering switching to the 11" MBA. I'm in Marketing and Web Design so I do a lot of coding and editing through photoshop and just wondering what are peoples experiences with the 11"

Another question I have, if you do have a 11" do you have an Ipad? I know they aren't the same, but screen sizes are similar so just wondering about reasons to use one over the other as I don't currently own an iPad but am thinking about it for november


:D
 
thriii said:
I know there are lots of threads comparing the 13 and the 11", but I'm more curious about those that had an 11" or have an 11" and how they use it. I currently have the previous 13" MBA and I'm really considering switching to the 11" MBA. I'm in Marketing and Web Design so I do a lot of coding and editing through photoshop and just wondering what are peoples experiences with the 11"

Another question I have, if you do have a 11" do you have an Ipad? I know they aren't the same, but screen sizes are similar so just wondering about reasons to use one over the other as I don't currently own an iPad but am thinking about it for november


:D
Click to expand...

I'm a college student and I got the 11". I got the 11" because it's smaller and more portable despite some people saying the 13" is still small and portable it's still not the same. I use it to watch movies/shows, listen to music, document viewing/editing and web browsing. It does all of that almost perfectly. Sometimes I do wish I had extra space for documents but it's not that bad. I had a late 2010 11" ultimate and now I have a mid 2012 11" ultimate.

I don't have an iPad but I recently got a Nexus 7.
 
I went from a 13" pro to a 11" air. I love the size and that's why I chose the 11" over the 13". I don't miss my pro at all.When I bought my air I picked up an external HD and the external disk drive to supplement the air.

----------

...as far as the iPad goes,it's a nice oversized iPhone. It's not a computer.
 
3bs said:
I'm a college student and I got the 11". I got the 11" because it's smaller and more portable despite some people saying the 13" is still small and portable it's still not the same. I use it to watch movies/shows, listen to music, document viewing/editing and web browsing. It does all of that almost perfectly. Sometimes I do wish I had extra space for documents but it's not that bad. I had a late 2010 11" ultimate and now I have a mid 2012 11" ultimate.

I don't have an iPad but I recently got a Nexus 7.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I'm leaning more towards the 11", hearing other peoples experiences really does help.

I'm hoping that there really is an Ipad mini as it would be the same size as the Nexus 7 which seems great for a tablet


CatsTide said:
I went from a 13" pro to a 11" air. I love the size and that's why I chose the 11" over the 13". I don't miss my pro at all.When I bought my air I picked up an external HD and the external disk drive to supplement the air.

----------

...as far as the iPad goes,it's a nice oversized iPhone. It's not a computer.
Click to expand...

Which external HD do you have? I was thinking about upgrading the SSD in the MBA to the 256GB option but still would need some external HD for my documents/movies/etc.
 
I highly suggest a USB 3.0 external hard drive or flash drive. I got the Patriot Supersonic Magnum 64GB 3.0 flash drive and it's really fast.
 
Got both the 11" and an iPad2, am also a web designer/developer.

I watch movies with the iPad connected to a 23" dell using the hdmi av adaptor, music using speakers connected via airplay to airport express. Read and write using various apps. General web surfing.

Here's the part you might be interested in.

I code (html, css, php) on the iPad using this app called Gusto that allows local storage edits, also allows uploading to a server via FTP/SFTP, and opening files from Dropbox. I connect to my server via an app called vSSH to send git commands. I sketch mockups using the Wacom Bamboo Paper app, tweak it with Photoshop Touch and upload direct to Dropbox.

I actually use my iPad for basically everything, even work, and only switch on the Air when I need to do more heavy duty stuff (photoshop, illustrator, cross browser testing, more intensive coding).

I opted for the 11" because it basically weighs the same as an iPad. The battery life may not be as great as the 13", but since I use the iPad most of the time, it's not much of a concern. I don't consider the small screen a problem, in fact I think fonts look more crisp on it compared to the 13" and if I need a bigger screen I have multiple screens at home and in the office.

I also carry a 1TB WD elements HDD. It's USB3 so it's mighty fast, however it does add a little bit of weight so I'm actually considering just leaving it at home/office and buy a couple 64Gb USB3 flash memories the next time I'm back in Japan.

My music/movie collection is kept on a seperate HDD at home anyway and I only keep a small 'favourites' playlist on the Air/iPad.
 
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I replaced an iPad with an MBA 11, primarily for use in bed, but also for travel (including being out for the day in town).

I love my iPad and iPhone, but primarily for consumption or convenience. My MBA sits on my stomach in bed - I can use both hands for typing on a real keyboard, instead of balancing it with one and typing with the other.
 
I guess I kinda do things in reverse. I use the Air as a powered up version of the iPad rather than the iPad as a powered down version of a laptop like most other people.

But that also stems from the fact that I was working without my own computer for a period of time and thus had to find ways to continue doing my work with only the iPad when I'm away from the office. Thus, when I got the Air, it naturally became an extension of that workflow.

IMO, I prefer this workflow. The iPad is fast and light, I can pass it to people easily and most of all, the battery bloody lasts.
 
iamsen47 said:
Got both the 11" and an iPad2, am also a web designer/developer.

I watch movies with the iPad connected to a 23" dell using the hdmi av adaptor, music using speakers connected via airplay to airport express. Read and write using various apps. General web surfing.

Here's the part you might be interested in.

I code (html, css, php) on the iPad using this app called Gusto that allows local storage edits, also allows uploading to a server via FTP/SFTP, and opening files from Dropbox. I connect to my server via an app called vSSH to send git commands. I sketch mockups using the Wacom Bamboo Paper app, tweak it with Photoshop Touch and upload direct to Dropbox.

I actually use my iPad for basically everything, even work, and only switch on the Air when I need to do more heavy duty stuff (photoshop, illustrator, cross browser testing, more intensive coding).

I opted for the 11" because it basically weighs the same as an iPad. The battery life may not be as great as the 13", but since I use the iPad most of the time, it's not much of a concern. I don't consider the small screen a problem, in fact I think fonts look more crisp on it compared to the 13" and if I need a bigger screen I have multiple screens at home and in the office.

I also carry a 1TB WD elements HDD. It's USB3 so it's mighty fast, however it does add a little bit of weight so I'm actually considering just leaving it at home/office and buy a couple 64Gb USB3 flash memories the next time I'm back in Japan.

My music/movie collection is kept on a seperate HDD at home anyway and I only keep a small 'favourites' playlist on the Air/iPad.
Click to expand...

This helps out a lot, I didn't know all that could be done with just an ipad which makes it seem a lot more useful than I thought.

With your ipad do you find it difficult to type as fast as you could with the macbook air? I'll have to look up all the apps mentioned, your workflow sounds very interesting
 
thriii said:
This helps out a lot, I didn't know all that could be done with just an ipad which makes it seem a lot more useful than I thought.

With your ipad do you find it difficult to type as fast as you could with the macbook air? I'll have to look up all the apps mentioned, your workflow sounds very interesting
Click to expand...

If you're actually coding on an iPad (Diet Coda, etc), I'd strongly suggest a physical Bluetooth keyboard. It's harder to get used to finding symbols ("{}[]", etc) on the virtual keyboard.
 
if I ever have to code on an iPad, even if it allows me, would drive me boingo. When I code, I cannot wait to see what the result is, so I type very fast, trying to do that on a virtual keyboard, furgitaboutit.

To me 11" Air does everything. The only thing lacking for me is the 5 hours batt life, meaning some days it won't go the full day 4rme.

But if I have the $, get both. What the hey.
 
I've been using my MacBook Air 11" for almost a year now. I love it so much, and it's served me very well. I previously had the 13" MacBook Pro, but this Air outperforms the one it replaced.

I use it for:
• taking notes in class in Pages and Word
• Evernote
• Mail
• Web browsing / Netflix / YouTube
• my 30GB iPhoto Library
• iTunes music and syncing with my iPhone
• editing photos in Photoshop CS5.1
• video editing in Avid, Final Cut, and occasionally Premiere, After Effects, and Motion


• I keep most things on-board on my 256 SSD. I do however upload home videos to YouTube, so I can delete them and save space.
• I keep movies and other videos on one External drive to keep space free on my mac.
• I backup my Mac on another external drive.
• And finally I have one more external which is being used for class projects right now, though I'm not sure what I'll end up using it for in the future. Possibly just projects or another backup.

I'm currently using 132GB on my Mac, with 117GB free.

Some things I don't like:
• For some reason, Safari will crash on my constantly. This happens almost every day, and I don't know if it has to do with me only having 4GB of RAM, or perhaps its the latest safari update. I do want to switch to Chrome, but I like having my Top Sites and bookmarks set, and I just feel like I should have everything in the Apple ecosystem, but who knows I might start using Chrome exclusively.
• The battery life lasts me through my classes for taking notes, though I still wish it had better battery life, because I do worry sometimes if I'm going to need a charger. I never do though.
• I can see that eventually (possibly in a year) I'll need more RAM, SSD space, and since I'm editing video, I might end up getting a 13 inch air down the line if they offer a Retina display. I love the 11inch form factor right now that i'm a student and constantly moving around, but a larger screen might make more sense once I graduate. I don't know if I could move to something like the 15inch Retina form factor though.
 
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True about typing on the iPad. Which is why I got Apple's bluetooth keyboard. If you're thinking of emulating my flow, I definitely recommend getting one, or even any other regular sized keyboard instead of the hybrid keyboard cases. I find those a little too cramped to type on.

One of the nicer things about Gusto, besides storing files locally, is that the preview function works very well.

I was drawn to Diet Coda initially but no offline editing was too big a handicap for me, especially now that I'm outside of Japan and internet access is not as readily available here.

Also, there are also times I wish the trackpad or even just a regular mouse would work on it. It is kinda a drag working without a mouse.
 
I use my Air alongside my iPad, so battery life is not a big issue. I get 7hrs realistically on the iPad (depending on the brightness setting I use) and roughly 4hrs on the Air, a combined up time of 11hrs of productivity/entertainment/media consumption.

The iPad with a keyboard to me is no replacement for an Air. They compliment each other nicely but neither one can replace the other. One of the reason I enjoy the 11" Air is it's similarity in physical form factor to that of an iPad. Both are compact enough that I can carry both at the same time without it being a big hassle.

I use my Air to do light gaming, use it as a video/photo store while I am on the road, and simplistic video/photo editing tool. When I feel like doing a whole lot of typing I would lean towards the Air. If I just want to consume media and browse the web the iPad is perfect for that.

The 13" Air, while being light, has pretty much the same length/width dimensions of the 13" MBP. And while I find it portable in terms of weight it still sits on the table taking up the same space as the MBP. Portable in weight only. I wanted something that's portable in weight and more compact in terms of length/width dimensions. The 11" Air fits the bill nicely.

Some say those who pick the 11" over the 13" is due to pricing. Personally for me that's not the case, as both can be relatively inexpensive and can get quite expensive depending on configuration. Those who consider an Air in the first place, if they're willing to go Windows only can find a pretty well spec'd Windows laptop in the $1000 range imo, so to say the 11" Air is a poor man's Air is not an accurate of 11" Air owners.

At first glance I even criticized the 11" Air as a toy and not a real computing tool. The bezel looked huge and too small for any real productivity. Boy was I ever wrong. Some people can adjust better than others regarding screen size and resolution, and I am apparently one of them. I am glad I went in with an open mind and found myself a gem :) There's just something about the 11" Air that speaks volumes louder than the 13" Air.
 
thriii said:
I know there are lots of threads comparing the 13 and the 11", but I'm more curious about those that had an 11" or have an 11" and how they use it. I currently have the previous 13" MBA and I'm really considering switching to the 11" MBA. I'm in Marketing and Web Design so I do a lot of coding and editing through photoshop and just wondering what are peoples experiences with the 11"

Another question I have, if you do have a 11" do you have an Ipad? I know they aren't the same, but screen sizes are similar so just wondering about reasons to use one over the other as I don't currently own an iPad but am thinking about it for november


:D
Click to expand...

I am a photography buff and been tossing in my mind about the 11 vs the 13. I have a 13 2010 MBA with 2gb and want to upgrade. My thinking that the 11 will be find since I also use a monitor when at home.

I have the iPad 2, so some of the editing I would like to do is limited due to final image sizes allowed by some apps.
 
Best $20 investment I ever made. 32GB SanDisk USB. It's so tiny that I can barely even see it on my 2012 MBA.

aK3H6.jpg


UasSG.jpg
 
I'm a designer, and I can't see the difference between 13" and 11". It just seems small at first, but it will feel like the 13" as time passes by.

It's never too small.
 
Blackberryroid said:
I'm a designer, and I can't see the difference between 13" and 11". It just seems small at first, but it will feel like the 13" as time passes by.

It's never too small.
Click to expand...

I Agree. I just got myself a ultimate mid 2012 11" MBA. At first i wanted the 13" for more screen space but I couldn't justify the price difference for the ultimate 13" so i went for the 11".

You adapt and i am loving the 11"
 
didnt plan on getting this many responses! pretty sure im going to end up getting the 11" over the 13", going to the apple to store check them out in a couple days

thanks for the help!
 
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