MacBook Air
Why the 11-inch model is the best laptop?
I originally published this article in July 2013 with the headline “Going back to non-retina — Why I’m going to downgrade back to MacBook Air”.
The angle used to be that the new MacBook Pro with Retina display had caused me more irritation than satisfaction with some of the apps still not updated to retina-grade graphics, and even though the MacBook Pro has a fairly good GPU at scaled resolutions it didn’t run smootly enough — which spoiled the experience I hoped for. Not to mention the state of the web even today — not quite there yet in understanding how to handle high resolutions.
I admit the Air isn’t for everyone. To me there’s no difference when plugged in a Thunderbolt display for those high-res needs. But with longer battery life in a more convenient and lightweight package for less money it’s a no-brainer.
Also the fullscreen app support in OS X makes the MacBook Air perhaps even a more productive tool than the Pro. How come? — On the Pro fullscreen apps are kind of pointless. You end up with a lot of empty space and since the scaled resolutions are problematic in non-fullscreen mode there is still one and a half windows that can fit the screen. So as I already said, you end up with disappointment.
In the end what I did was get a new MacBook Air. Top of the line model with AppleCare is still under two grand. I went for the 11-inch for third time last year — in contrast to the 13-inch, the smaller display actually looks better. I guess the pixels are smaller or something. But it doesn’t look as poor and dated when compared to Retina. And because it’s so much shorter, it’s oh-so-comfortable to use on a plane or the train — where the Pro just sucks.
But there’s more. Recently I noticed that when under pressure — when I have to do a quick and dirty fix for example — I plug out the monitor and hide in a quiet corner somewhere in the office with just my laptop. It feels very focused. All its tiny screen fits right in my sight. It’s a very determined little tool — all I need to get the job done. I can’t really put my finger on it so I’ll call it a feeling. The Air feels like it has a soul.
The rumors are Apple is going to replace it soon with a possibly 12-inch Retina model with an even tinier footprint and improved power management, and a choise between three colors — that’s just perfect. They can just stop making other laptops. It won’t get any better then that.
My setup is a 2014 11-inch MacBook Air with i7 and 8 gigs of ram plugged in Apple Thunderbolt Display or LG 21:9 UltraWide. Paired with an iPhone 6 Plus.
