11-inch or 13-inch MacBook Air?

I just ordered the 13" MBA with upgraded RAM. Delivers this coming Thursday. I wrestled with my decision between the 11 and 13, but decided on the 13 for the processor speed for the most part. I'm a lover of smaller laptops, (currently own a 13" HP laptop and a late 2006 black Macbook). But when I sized the two in the store, I actually didn't like the wide ratio on 11 - being true 16:9. it's a selling point for some, but I'm not a true fan of widescreen laptops - I prefer more square displays. For surfing the web, I'm still finding way too many sites which waste most of the widescreen space, and you end up scrolling more. Besides, I've got an iPad when the 'weight' of the Mac air becomes too much 🙂.

Enjoy

How can we stand the excruciating decision between the 11 and 13 inch MBA. I've gone back and forth on this endlessly. So, finally with the friday special it was time to decide. Heres what tilted me to the 13 inch with all the extras. I have 2 mb pro's (15 and 17) (08's) and they are great. I have a 64 gig ipad (love it and its size). But there are those times Im caught in the middle and after playing with the 11 and 13 versions, I decided that OVER TIME I would want the larger screen. Truth be told, I love the 11 inch version for its sheer beautiful size and design, but at the end of the day, thinking I would hopefully be using this for years, I decided to be practical and go for the bigger screen. If I just need to browse or play I've got the ipad running os 4.2, but if I need lightweight power, then the MBA will do it--I need the 256 drive and the ability to run numbers or pages at full power when Im travelling so there you are. Not totally logical, but I've got my order in.

For me the debate is seriously over. The 11" does everything I need, no slow down, no heat, no problems at all. After using it for about 3 weeks the screen is fine, just as wide as 13" just not as high so no biggy to me. Everyone just loves scrutinizing 2", as well they should and in my opinion you get an air for portability. So 2" over 11" is too much, especially when the 11" performs without any issues whatsoever, not to mention nooooooooooooo heat issues like the last versions of air! I have netflix running right now while another app is open and I am browsing web and can't feel heat from the keyboard and fans not even close to going off. DEBATE OVER. Everything before this machine is obsolete (because we all know the technology found here will spread to more powerful models of mac) in my opinion, just my opinion.

Steven,

I assume you have made your decision by now. Either of them are great computers. I too replaced my late 2008 Macbook with the latest Air. After much deliberation 11.6 v 13.3 etc., I ended up getting the high-end 13.3. Why - I felt the 11 inch screen height too restrictive for me and the 2 hrs additional battery life is most welcome. I prefer the dock on the bottom as opposed to the side, so it is a personal working style for me. I also wanted the 256GB SSD. BTW - I thought I'd miss the backlit keyboard more than I actually do.

I am very happy with the purchase. An outstanding notebook.

Ridiculous...11" dock on bottom no prob.

After all the dock MINIMIZE FEATURE

For me, it wasn't just the weight difference, but the physical size... the footprint. I just wanted something really small, and significantly smaller than my MBP.

I'll tell you what, I'm loving my MBA 13". However, if Apple came out with a 15" MBA, I'd be on that thing like white on rice. I think the MBA and MBP will merge someday as physical drive media goes out the window. If my 15" MBP had no super-drive, was thinner/lighter, and had SSD, I'd have kept it rather than sell it.

I've had 13" screens, 15" screens and 17" screens. 15" is my preference, but the MBA with the same resolution as my 15" MBP is a fine substitute for an actual 15" screen.

Message to Steve: Want more of my money? 15" MBA and it's yours.

Bryan

I had the same debate, but the 11 won out for portability reasons. I love that I can slip this thing in my purse and not even feel the weight of it. The weight of the 13 isn't much of a difference, but it wouldn't fit in my purse.

I bought an iPad a few months ago, and I love it, but this pretty much makes it redundant for what I wanted it for, so I'm selling it now. I'm a writer, so I was carrying a bluetooth keyboard with me (iPad + bt keyboard = seriously bulkier than it should have to be). But I went through 3 keyboards and they all broke, and I'm not carting around the Apple wireless keyboard (it was not meant to be hauled around everywhere). So I couldn't use my iPad the way I had initially planned. That was a failed mission. Enter the MBA 11".

I upgraded to 4G ram because, why not? It's a hundred bucks that will make it boot faster. Mine goes from black screen to online in eight seconds. Faster than the iPad, actually, which is funny. 64G is plenty of space for a novelist who has a beautiful 27" iMac at home, so I didn't bother with the 128. And I tested the 1.4GHz model in the store with about 10 different apps open -- more than I will ever use at once -- and it was unfazed, so I didn't bother with the 1.6, either.

So what I have is a small but definitely more than fast machine that I can carry in almost any bag without feeling the added weight, with a battery life that certainly keeps me satisfied throughout the day (with the standby battery conservation, I can go all day without charging it, so I don't bring my charger with me). I had a netbook before, but I hate Windows like Hitler hated humanity, so I sold it pretty quickly and kept lugging my MacBook around.

Now I'm selling my MacBook and my iPad and with the extra cash from those two I'm going to buy myself 64G iPod Touch.

Well, I received my 13 the other day, been using it for just about a week now - and I love it. Its hands down the most responsive system I've never used, (Mac, Linux, Windows, etc). The only time I see any lag is if the system is doing something really heavy. Standard use, this thing just flies. I've used my Black Macbook less than my other systems over the last few years - this has me using this more than any other system (which makes it fun for me getting used to full time Mac).

Makes it a pleasure to use.

Enjoy.

Best bet is to go yo the store and compare them side by side .I bought the 11.6 MBA without looking at it .I wound up swapping it out for the 13.3.I did not care for the 11.6 -16 by 9 viewing, Its all personal preference .Some people love the 11.6 and some love the 13.3.

I agree with the guy who questioned: if you're keeping your MB 2008 version, why not get the 11 inch MBA and view it as a second computer.
I've gotten the 11 MBA with upgraded processor and RAM and am loving it. My next computer likely will NOT be replacing my 2007 MBPro Santa Rosa but a 21 inch iMac, which would be faster, more hard drive space, and so forth than the fastest MBPro on the current market. For about $2500 I can have two computers: a MBA and a iMac instead of one top of the line MBPro...

I'm typing this on the 13" MBA at the Palm Desert, CA Apple Store. I'm comparing the two models, side by side. I really like the diminutive size of the 11.6", but I like the screen real estate of the 13.3" more. I think I'm going to buy the 13, with the 128GB SSD and 2GB RAM...
Sly

WOW. These two MBAs are AWESOME!!!
Sly