I often hear people ask whether they should get the 11″ or 13″ MacBook Air. I’ve owned both, so I wanted to give a run down about why I upgraded from the 11″ to the 13″, but why my first choice wasn’t necessarily a bad one.

Nine months ago I needed a machine to complement my desktop computer. Something I could just play on (web browsing, writing documents, emails, view photos), but also something which could handle a week or two away for work purposes (at the time, text editors, one or two localization text tools and the separate interface builder app). I opted for the 11″ and was not disappointed.

The MacBook Air 11″ was the most special machine I’ve ever owned

After a few days working with the MacBook Air 11″ I knew this machine was special. It’s like the netbook that never was: small, light, sturdy, capable. You get a feel for the machine just by walking into your nearest Apple Store, but it’s not until you have it in your back pack or satchel that you realise just how little it weighs. Or when you’re cramped on some horrible budget airline and it fits perfectly on the tray table in front of you, just how small it is.

I’ve had people say to me how much they like my computer (weird, but never happened before. Wait a minute, was she trying to chat me up?! damn). And I’ve been smug sitting in a coffee shop with my aluminium wonder, next to all those horrible Toshiba mammoths.

What I often couldn’t understand about the 11″ is that it’s the cheapest machine you can buy from Apple but always felt the most expensive. You felt like you were in a club of mini-supercomputers that could handle everything you needed it to.

My needs changed

So, why did I upgrade to the 13″? Well my needs changed. I’ve taken up learning Objective-C and have two apps on the app store, so I need to run the full Xcode environment more often. Applingua’s client work now includes a number of screenshot localizations in Photoshop. And I’m spending far more time abroad, away from my Desktop iMac.

There are some things I just cannot recommend on the 11″. If you’re a developer, unless you are going to be hooked to an external display, forget coding on the 11″. Xcode and the included interface builder is just not fun on such a small screen. If you use Photoshop or are serious about graphic design, forget the 11″.

MacBook Air 11″ vs MacBook Air 13″

You can read my reviews of the 11″ and the 13″ here and here, respectively. The crux of it is, the 11″ wins on portability, the 13″ on screen real estate. You can pretty much configure them exactly the same now on the online store, so I won’t go into performance differences.

But there is no overall winner. I strongly believe it depends on your needs.

If you need a portable second machine or you are someone who just surfs the internet, manages and uploads photos online and writes essays or documents (pretty much the vast majority of computer users), I would, without a doubt, recommend the 11″. If you’re a non-comp-sci student, speaking from bad back experience, get the 11″.

If you’re looking for one, more portable, machine and you’re a coder or designer or use CAD tools or anything like that, get the 13″. You need the screen resolution.