I am just curious, why are so many people assuming that Windows 8 pro is going to take up exactly half of the SSD space? It doesn't do that in current releases (I am talking Windows 8, not RT), so we have no real reason to expect that much space to be used up.
But anyway, it's Apples to oranges. First off, the resolution on this screen is higher than a MBA. Also, it is a touch screen device, something that you cannot find yet from Apple. Am I saying t is a BETTER product? No, I don't know yet. And you are welcome to prefer the MBA, even before this is released if you wish. But your comparisons are a bit off.
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I thought this too, at first. But then when you consider what is under the hood, it's a bit of an easier pill to swallow. Notice I say a bit, because the average consumer is likely going to look at those battery specs and say "forget it". It doesn't matter how good the rest of the specs are.
Fortunately, the average consumer also has the RT tablet to choose from. And, as was pointed out to me in another thread, this device doesn't seem to be targeted for the average consumer at all.
Anyway, a more power efficient chip is just around the horizon. I am still considering an RT tablet, but may hold out for the second gen pro, assuming we see one made. All specs are pretty impressive, but the battery life kills it for me. These days I am around a plug pretty much always, but I don't want to have to be.