... If the existing keyboard were duplicated, but the new case were to end one quarter inch to the left of that, and one quarter inch to the right of it... then the case COULD be smaller while the keyboard ain't.
And with a screen of 11.6", I haven't calculated the measurements... but maybe the bezel space around the screen then grows a tiny bit.
The result?
Smaller, lighter, smaller screen and same keyboard -- all co-existing in one design. Not impossible.
There is nothing sillier than a discussion with 2 or more people chasing each other around in circles of misunderstanding, as if having those 4 things in one design, were somehow impossible.
Of course if Jobs would just let Ive do his job... Ive would probably look at the ways the Air's design progress is blocked by things beyond Apple's control... then look at the things where progress is not blocked by such forces.... and decide to upgrade ALL the weak areas that he readily can: RAM, SSD, jacks, hinges,
white donut problem, trackpad-button-hits-bezel problem, heat disposal, etc.
Fix all that "little stuff", and they'll have a product that's a good choice for millions more people.
This would mean easing up on the penny pinching... and forgetting the negative thinking of Jobs's "Design is about saying 'No'." It's not about maximising rationales to say "No." to things; it's about multidimensional and complex problem-solving.
