In this well-reasoned article, Pietro Montalcino shares his thoughts on the decision that led to his buying an 11in 13in MacBook Air instead of the 15in retina Pro. I must say I didn’t go into such depth when making my own personal decision between the two machines, but I arrived at the same conclusion. I went for the smaller 11in Air.
I was looking at things far more subjectively, and it all boiled down to weight and, even more so, to size. The retina Pro feels much lighter than the standard 15in MBP, but the thin profile seems to emphasise the large surface. Someone called it a tea tray, but a very expensive and very capable tray at that.
Despite this, I do see a retina 15in model, or its Revision Two version, in my future. I need to replace the 27in iMac within the next six months and I see the new rPro as a very competent and attractive desktop replacement.
It has the advantage that it can be moved easily and can be taken on longer trips when the bigger screen is likely to be helpful. In the meantime, the 11in Air is the perfect companion for shorter trips and for just slinging in the day bag when lots of typing is in the offing. I don’t feel shortchanged at all.
(Via Macography.net)
I'm a great fan of the form factor of the 11in Air. It's hardly bigger than an iPad but gives the full OSX experience and is amazingly fast. I thought about the 13in model but it only makes sense if you really need the bigger screen. Both models are absolute stunners for the money.
Ah, sorry Pietro. I have a severe case of 11inch Air-itis and must have misread your original post when you got the computer.
Hi Michael,
Thanks for the ping back. Just a clarification for your readers. I've eventually purchased a MacBook Air 13" not the 11" model 🙂
Thanks again and looking forward to reading your next posts.
Best regards,
Pietro
great article. why did you pick 11 or 13 inch air?