^ Well. I find it interesting, what you said.
Now it really had been a ultra portable with a 8~10" screen and weighing less than a 1Kg, the price difference would have been somewhat justified.
Had it been a 9 incher with Intel Atom, you think people would see it justified? With Acers priced at around ~300. NO!
I also feel that its the thickness thats more important. Rather than space. People will still be carrying bags for their computers. And a thinner profile helps here. Plus it doesnt compromise on keyboard, it doesnt compromise on trackpad, it doesnt compromise on screen. And its much lighter than the normal PC laptops. So yeah, it makes for a good and rich netbook experience.
That said, it needs to cut down weight a bit more. Though I doubt if thats possible. It needs to feature one more USB port. Thats just for silencing whiners, I got no problems. Thats it!
I feel that MBA is exactly where it ought to be. Yeah, I would want a price decrease (who wouldnt?), but thats doesnt mean its wrongly priced.
R&D costs money. And something so radical will cost money.
I have read baout Lenovo's and Fujitsu's and Sony's that are similar to or more expensive than MBA, without much reason or innovation. Havent you?
People are still buying it. MBA hasnt failed. It has been the world thinnest laptop for long, I dont know if it is currently.
People do see a possibility for a "PC netbook" ish netbook that everybody wonders about. But I guarantee that it would NOT come cheap. No! It will be done in the Apple way. It will be one of its kind, and its gonna cost higher. You might not want to spend that much amount on it. But people will.
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And its not daylight robbery. No-one's forcing you to buy one.