I dunno - I read this comparison, and I can't help feel that the author's mind was already made up - a determination to endorse the new Air, regardless.
The Air was never meant to compete with the Pro - what it could do and people got it knowing it's limitations. Earlier ones (even my 'old' 2011 11") could still do some miraculous things with picture, video and sound manipulation, but its popularity grew from its ability to day-to-day notebook use - Office, internet, video and audio playback - in a mobile and (for Apple) inexpensive full MacOS experience. It had a good keyboard, a decent enough screen to see what you were doing in building a letter, report, term paper or spreadsheet, and all the ports you might need to connect up to peripherals at hand.
The comparison (as do many reviews) goes straight to the retina screen - obviously lovely to look at, but is it really necessary to fulfill the tasks users ask of an Air? And, what, maybe next year when 4K screens are the lust-worthy product - people will sneer at the retina. Speed? Depends on who you talk to / the review you read as to whether there is an improvement - and again, what's the point, given what is often asked of the Air? A smaller, black bezel around the screen: cosmetics. The keyboard: v3 of the butterfly, and what doesn't die, people dislike for 'feel'. Ports: Begone MagSafe and Welcome to Dongles and Adapters to fit the peripherals in the real world!
Oh, and and you get to pay $200 more than last year's model for all this? Or, as I like to point out - this spring (even / or especially because I was following the rumors of a New Air this fall), I upgraded to a 2017 Air 8/256, bought through the Apple Refurb Store - and what now turns out to be more than $CDN500 less than I would pay for an equivalent New Air. Do I feel I lost out? Absolutely not. Oh, and all of my peripherals plugged in (and were instantly recognized) with nary an additional dongle purchased.
I just don't see the New Air necessarily becoming the instant hit the 'old' one was - certainly the MacBook (at roughly the same cost as the new) never took hold as the de facto coffee shop office workhorse - why would this be different?
I expect folks who actually do work on these notebooks will hold onto their old one even longer than they normally would. For the Macolyte though, it is new and sparkly and comes in three colours!
