12/23/11

11 inch VS 13 inch MacBook Air


Storage, computing, connections, battery, and size. I tackle these topics in the video. I'd also like to note that I've used both the 11 and 13 as my main computers.

Storage. 64 GB is not enough as a main computer you don't download any media or create media like audio and video. Keep in mind that an iPhone's backup take up a lot of space. 128 GB seems to hit the sweet spot right now, but I did have to trim down my media and photos. An external thunderbolt drive would be nice. If you're a content creator or a power user, 256 GB is a must.

Computing. I don't really care much about what the processing speed number is. I care weather or not its an i7 or i5. The i7 is more for power users and content creators while the i5 is for  normal users. Most non pro apps out there would run on the slowest processor speed for the Air.

Connections. The main difference between the two's connection is the SD card slot. It's very convenient, but that's all its for. You can always buy a USB to SD card converter. What excites me most is the thunderbolt port on both of them. My dream computer setup would be a decked out 13 Air, a Thunderbolt Display, and a fast external drive. This is a power user's setup and not necessarily a pro's.

Battery. The difference in battery life is from 5 to 7. This may not seem like much, but it was definitely noticeable. I could go all day with the 13 Air while I had to top up with the 11. I would like to see the future iteration of the Air lineup to have around 10 hours of battery life. I didn't appreciate the 30 day standby time until I sold the Airs. It's nice to just shut the lid and have pretty much the same charge when you wake up.

Size and storage are the main factors when choosing and Air. Through the magic of mathematics, I found that the physical properties like surface area, weight, and number of pixels rose by about 21% when going from the 11 to the 13. 21% may not seem like much, but it made all the difference to me. I was far more likely to open the 11 in the bus as opposed to the 13. I brought the 11 absolutely everywhere I went. While there were times when the 13 stayed home.

Overall, I'd buy the Air for mobility and as a second computer while the 13 has a good balance between portability and power.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyefP3b9HkY

1 comment:

  1. Great share. Sure an 11 inch MacBook Air is for mobility.

    ReplyDelete