MBA 11 or 13 for Portability?

Hey guys,

A friend of mine who's starting college, has a 17inch macbook pro 2011 model, and he says he wants to go for a secondary portable laptop. The 17inch one will be his primary laptop (it will reside in his dorm), however he feels that having a secondary lighter one for taking into lectures will be quite convenient.

SO basically he asked me whether he should go for a high end 11inch or a low end 13inch air. He is NOT planning on gaming on the machine but rather just doing some browsing, logging on to uni's blackboard service, typing project reports using word or pages and most importantly taking notes during lectures.

Can anyone of you guys please advice me as to what type of macbook air he should go for?

thanks in advance.

the high end 11inch being referred to here is the one with 128gb SSD and 4gb of RAM and the low end 13inch is the one that is the cheapest on the online apple store.

 

The 13" MBA would allow for more screen real-estate... which is about all you get as extra with it, especially given that you are comparing the high-end 11" MBA with the base-line MBA 13". Personally I would rather have a 13", simply because it is the right size for me. I plan to get a MBP 13 once I start working on my PhD this Feb. The 15" is a little too big to lug around all the time.

Between, why don't you/your friend consider the 13"MBP? It will give you a lot more storage, a more powerful CPU (the ones in the MBA are kept under check, unless I'm mistaken) and also the ODD. An ODD comes in pretty handy from time to time, IMO. Apart from that the MBA is about THE BEST portable out there... no matter whether you choose the 11" or 13" version.

It all comes down to whether or not you are comfortable with the 11" screen size. It's a tad too small for me, the same way the 15" is a tad too big. 13" is the sweet-spot in between !

 

If this will simply be a secondary notebook that won't be used for anything intensive, I would consider a refurbished or used MBA or MBP 13. Heck, you could even go with a standard MacBook. This one is $500 and would be more than enough for what your friend is looking to do.

rant

I will say I find it a bit odd that Apple puts a 1440x900 screen in the 13-inch MacBook Air but a 1280x800 one in the 13-inch MacBook Pro. My ideal MacBook Pro would be a 13-inch with the Air's high-res screen and a discreet GPU. I'm still disappointed that Apple went with Intel HD graphics on the current model. Even the early-2011 15-inch MBP's Radeon HD 6490 would be fine.

/rant

 

I doubt Apple will ever bring out MBP 13" with dedicated GPU. Even the older ones had a shared memory although it was a Nvidia unit.

The refurbished MBP/MBA is a good idea though. Save a couple of hundred bucks, and get a fully functional MAC with decent specs. Although I doubt even a refurb MBP 15" will come for less than the price of a new baseline MBP 13"...

 

thanks for the replies guys. think the 13 inch sounds pretty much fine. But here's the thing - will it be really that portable especially when you are carrying several books with you in the same bag?

 

Yes, it really is that portable. A bike rider posted that he had a macbook air in his bag while riding through down and totally forgot about the laptop.

 

Yeah! It pretty much is the most compact and sturdy ultra-portable around! Plus unlike most ultra-portables from other manufacturers, the MBA/MBP has an aluminum case, which means you don't run the risk of some plasticky part getting caught somewhere and getting ripped apart! Even the MBP 13" is unbelievably maneuverable, even though it is slightly heavier than the MBA 13"! But then you get that much more extra with the Pro line-up!

 

As a teacher, I chose the 13inch MBP, as I needed a notebook to work on as well as using it in class. The MBA is lighter, smaller and has a better screen. In school however, I need the harddisk space, the ethernet port and the possibility to upgrade my notebook later.

The only thing I don't like about the MBP is the low resolution screen. Everything else is just perfect now.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. Much appreciated . Will share all your views with my friend so that he can decide.

thanks again

 

My very point. The Air is awesome, but it has its limitations when it comes to upgradeability, ports, and storage. Also, in an academic environment the lack of an ODD can cause some serious inconvenience once in a while. The MBP 13" is the best choice here, despite the relatively low res screen. By itself however, the screen is simply outstanding, and top of its class, and will wipe the floor with any 13" screen any day!

 

I agree the MBP 13" is a better choice here as well. I disagree on screen though. the Sony Z1 and Z2 have better screens as does the X220 IPS screen ( even if its 786 )

now dont flame me again, but strangely for portability I found sacrificing OSX and a bit of weight made the X220 much better for portability for me as a business traveller etc. heres why ... I have 9.5-13 hours of battery so in most cases I dont need to even take my charger, if I attach the slice ( same weight as a MBA charger ) I push 24 hrs and certantly dont need to take it with me at all. I have a 256 SSD and a 1T mechanical drive so no external drive to pack for extra storage. and I also have no adaptors to lose and a full port load.

 

Don't worry, you won't get flamed .

The keypoints were 'sacrifing OSX' and 'a bit of weight' . With the Sony as with the X220 IPS you are back to windows, which I daresay will impact performance. I myself was a PC guy till recently, and have used a XPS M1530, Studio 1547, Inspiron 15, Studio XPS 1647 and a Sony as well. And even my XPS 1647 slowed down after a few months, and within a year was in no state to throw any kind of competition at the MBP 13.

As for the screen... well I still find the screen on the mac better. The only screen I've found comparable to the MBP is the RGB LED on my xps 1647, but then Dell charged ginormous amounts for that!

 

I know there is the issue of registry in windows, but even OS X gets 'slowed down' as you install programs, as it happened to me with a lot of beach balls. SSD was the trick to that as I get fewer beachballs and the startup time is awesome even compared to my Win 7 machine, though the main bottleneck is the RAID setup in my vaio.

 

@leopardhunter007

There are quite a few screens that are equal or better than the ones found in Macbook Pros/Airs.

First you've got the IPS/Dreamcolor panels from Lenovo X220s and HP Elitebooks. Then there are the R+GBLED panels from the Dell XPS 15 and the high quality TN panels from the Vaio Z series. These produce better colors than the current mac lines.

 

the DC2 screen in the elitebooks is the main reason I now do 100% of my photo editing on CS in windows. it calibrates better than an ACD 27"

as for slowdowns.. I started using windows more about a year ago and never had a slowdown or issue, but my husband also insisted I go business class units without bloatware etc.

buy again to the OP i still think MBP 13" for storage space etc is better for school etc.

 

A high school student here and I have had no issues using the MBA in school.
Honestly, only difference between the 11in and 13in is which screen you like best
They practically weigh the same and are the same in terms of portability.

 

If you have a good backpack, then even a 15 incher MBP shouldn't tire you down.

 

Slowdown in OS X exists, but compared to windows, it's next to nil. Yeah, beachballs can be a problem... but here's the point. Put a mac and and windows system through exactly the same kind of environment for the exactly same amount of time, and in the end the slowdown will be a lot less, if any at all, with OS X. With windows, I always took care of the units like an OCD, but they will inevitably slow down significantly in a couple of months.

 

Right... I meantioned the RGBLED panels from the XPS myself. Awesome dispalys those, but then they are relatively expensive upgrades, while the default screen in todays' XPS line-up is about the worst 15" screens available in the market now. Compared to that, even the default mac screens are among the best out there, and if you spend a few extra bucks for the matte upgrade in the 15"/17" MBP, you get the best of both worlds. Although I prefer the glossy screen myself. I don't usually find myself in situation where I have to sit under lighting conditions that will render the screens un-readable. And the few times I have to use it outdoors, are not worth sacrificing the benefits of the glossy screen.

Business class machines generally come with less bloatware, but even then they will suffer the ultimate bottle-neck of being windows units. My dad had a precision, and with all the top of the line config, windows would still crash, hang, slow down, and churn up errors every now and then. I have never had my mac show me an error, or crash on me even once in the last three years I have been using it. I know even macs crash, but way too less comparatively. Windows is a great OS, and PCs generally have higher configs for similar price points, but macs are just that much more stable and reliable. And a mac can perform on the similar level as a PC with way less hardware configs. Like I said, my one year old MBP 13" outperformed my 9 months old XPS 1647 with 1 gig of dedicated graphics and 6 gigs of RAM.

 

I had an Acer 3830TG before, having 1366x768 resolution and a cool Nvidia GT540m. Seemed like a cool machine regarding the specs. But it was constantly throttling in almost all games. Playing Starcraft II with 1.2 Ghz wasn't funny at all.

One of the worst things was the screen. If I moved my head 5 centimetres in a direction, I already had to adjust the screen, because it went half-black. It was the worst screen I've ever seen. The MBP screen in comparison is really awesome.

 

The MBP will beat that PC in everything, except game compatibility. But if I wanted to game, I would get myself a 360 or PSIII.

I bet you don't have the problem with viewing angles in the MBP, do you?

 

Windows is open in the sense that you can pretty much install anything. This comes with a drawback that you have to have programs set up to maintain your computer.

I have both an SSD and regular HDD drive set up, and windows 7 doesn't slow down that much unlike XP, which people like for some reason.

 

hmmm... XP! That would be nostalgia... I guess

Windows 7 is leaps and bounds ahead of Vista, agreed. OSX is not closed, in that sense. There are just more third party s/w available for windows, while Apple has gone the MAS way... as simple as that. Both have their share of strengths, but MS seems to alter between screw-ups and home-runs...

 

I havent reinstalled since i bought my first macbook in 2006.
I guess that does say something about the OS.

I upgraded L to SL recently and its working without a glitch. For almost 6 years.

 

It does ... It says that even OS X Leopard was miles ahead of what MS is thinking, even today !
SL was awesome. I am yet to buy my next MAC, so I haven't tried Lion hands on yet. I am hoping Apple releases the early 2012 edition of the MBP line-up by end of February or at least early March. I can't push back any further, since I'll be starting my PhD... and all these talks about a design update ! I am worried that I'll buy one, and in about a month's time Apple will release the new line-up. I guess that's why their address is 1 Infinite Loop...

 

You must not have installed a lot of programs or used it like windows like using flash etc. I know I am not alone as some other people on this site have had the slowing down of their system from the new state as well.

I am just waiting for HLDan to come declare us a troll for mentioning any ill about OS X!

 

Now that's being presumptuous No one is declaring you a troll...

And I installed as many programs on my old MAC for over four years as any MAC and/or PC user. Yes, it did make a difference, but hardly noticeable ones. Comparatively, inspite of thorough and regular maintenance, my Studio XPS 1647 slowed down considerably within a year. Add to that the numerous times I've had to re-install the OS or format the entire HDD just to keep it from turning into a sloth.

 

My advice would be to get the 13.3" version. In terms of portability, there is very little difference and it is well worth getting the larger version as there is far more screen real estate, allowing for greater productivity. Both laptops are incredibly small and light - heck! I carry my MacBook Pro 13" to school and back everyday, and hardly notice it is there!

 

Seconded!

 

Hehe but you haven't met the person I mentioned here yet!

Overall, I have AV installed on both my Mac and windows laptop, but I measure it based on the OSes' performance on an SSD. Both Windows and OS X (on their own machines, though my Mac also has a win 7 VM) are stable, though OS X might come on top in stability but sometimes it is harder to troubleshoot some issues in oS X.

 

I assume by AV you meant anti-virus... Do you really need one in OS X? I mean, I know there are AVs for X out there, and that OS X can pretty much be hacked and attacked as much as Windows, if someone with the resources wanted to... but somehow in my 8 years of using OS X full-time, I've never had any problems.

 

I tried with ClamXav, but it was a hog, so I switched to Sophos which is like non-existant on your computer resources. This is to say I was running a hard drive at that time.

I'd rather be safe than sorry, as I do use both windows and mac, and as we know, things have started to pop up for Macs.

 

Agreed! Things are definitely getting murkier this side of the iron curtain too