And let me rephrase as "Why would they ship iOS MacBook Airs" ? What aren't you getting of the Windows ARM strategy ?
Windows 8 ARM (Windows RT) = iOS
Windows 8 x86 = Mac OS X
What would be the point of shipping a laptop iOS device with the iPad doing so well ?
Microsoft seems to think that a tablet with a keyboard is a good idea. Maybe Apple will too.
At that point it's up to them if they want to call it an iPad Plus or a Macbook Light. This is really a marketing choice, not a technical one.
That's what's silly about this whole thread...people treating a marketing name thing like it's some big technical discussion. So maybe Apple throws a keyboard on an iPad, gives it modified software that's not like iOS and calls it a Macbook?
Microsoft is doin' it, Apple might too.
...the title of the thread?
The title says they're "considering" it. Well, yeah, I could have told you that a year ago. They'd be stupid to not consider it.
Everything beyond that is speculation, though. So remember that, the actual stuff people are freaking out about is all made up.
The "considering" part is real but decidedly non-scary because, yeah, of course they are.