I use the maxed out 11" as my primary computer. My usage is about 60% at desk, plugged into external, keyboard, closed clamshell, and 40% portable. The only complaint is the smaller 128 ssd, but it just forced me to get rid of stuff I really didn't need. The less glossy screen is great and the smaller size when I'm portable forces me to focus more. My typical software usage is Photoshop, Illustrator, TextMate, Terminal, iTunes, Chrome, and VMWare Fusion. It only really gets hot if I'm viewing flash content. Battery life isn't bad, but it's not amazing, 4 to 5 hours of mixed use.

The portable size is amazing. From time to time you'll catch me caressing it and whispering sweet nothings to it. I can bring it everywhere with me and I don't need a huge bag to lug it around. I use a protective sleeve, which offers a bit more protection than the other types of sleeves. http://www.hardcandycases.com/bubble-sleeve-macbook-air-case...

re: Flash content: I was playing with an last-gen 11" MBA in the Apple Store a couple months ago, and saw that it wasn't capable of playing the YouTube video of All of the Lights <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAfFfqiYLp0>; at 1080p without dropping frames. Obviously this is completely arbitrary because the MBA can't display 1080p, but I was a little concerned about it.

Have you had problems with HD Flash/Netflix?

No problems. I actually have an HDMI to display port adapter from monoprice and I use it to watch Netflix on my LCD TV every now and then. Plays it fine with no stutter or dropping frames. The fans do kick on though.

No

I'm using the 2010 11" as my primary computer, and have been really happy with it. But then again, I mostly hack CoffeeScript and PHP with vim on Linux, so how much power do I need ;-)

http://bergie.iki.fi/blog/11-macbook_air-the_best_computer_i...

Do you use an external monitor at home/work, or always just the built-in display?

Just built-in, and no external mouse or keyboard either. I want my working environment to be the same regardless of whether I'm at the office or in an airplane

I bought the 11" for my wife and now I want one.

The savings in space and weight are significant when you're moving around. The 11" really isn't much bigger than an iPad. I have some pockets it can fit in.

The tradeoff is a smaller screen when you're on the road. The small screen has high-res and is quite usable but I'd rather dock to something for long-term coding work. But external monitors are cheap, so unless your work pattern involves constantly moving from new desk to new desk it's not hard to just park a monitor at every one of your desks.

Echoing the sentiments of the other 11" owners, I love my 11" MBA. It's not perfect but it's close enough for the time being.

I just bought a brand new 11" with a bigger SSD and the i7 and the only thing I wish was different was the amount of RAM. If it had 8GB RAM, then it would easily be the best computer I've ever owned.

Agreed. I have a 2nd-gen 11" MBA, and I've been really happy with it as a primary (and only) machine. I can even do Android dev on it, thought Eclipse tends to stretch it a bit thin sometimes.

The new ones are so close to perfect. I share your disappointment in the lack of an 8GB RAM option. I'm also a little worried about the Intel graphics, though I hear the HD 3000 is comparable to the nvidia 310M, which presumably is only a slight step back from the 320M in the 2nd-gen Air.

The battery life is 40% longer on the 13", which to me is enough to swing the balance. The size is only about an inch different in two dimensions and 1/2 pound.

I have a previous generation 13" and I find I use the SD port often, which is missing on the 11".