I realized a couple of years ago how much money I had wasted on CPU horsepower because I was not realistic about what I had been going to use my computers for.
I always had to have the latest, greatest and fastest, both laptop and desktop - but all I do is Excel!! WTF!! The most bloated app I have on my aging PB 1.67 is Entourage (please don't flame me, I need basic Exchange compat). It still runs great!
So I stopped buying the latest and greatest, and only started buying gadgets/computers that for some reason had an outside value to me personally, or only upgraded when the performance actually started to degrade. While I am not a designer myself, I do hold alot of value in the effort to design well. Not just the shape but also the materials used, ergonomics and long term value.
As I said before, my PB still runs great, the only reason why I want to replace it is to have the newer arch (intel) as we are far enough along in it's lifecycle I expect support for the PPC models to start to drift. The plastic shell of the basic Macbooks does not appeal to me and I do not expect it to wear well. The MBP's are well designed, but they are heavy and hot (remember "heavy" is relative to an individual's perspective). The MBA is "just right". It has the Al shell, it's smaller, it's lighter and in my perspective will be a considerable upgrade to my old PB.
So to all you detractors, remember that "value" is in the perspective of the buyer and criticizing those of use who did order a MBA is no different than making fun of someone's clothing choices. Don't you worry your little heads about how other people spend their money. You only sound like gossipy high schoolers complaining about the "rich kids". Sure some people may regret their purchases, but the majority of us who have decided to make this leap have done so with our eyes open and reasonable understand of what we are getting.
Oh and by the way; for those that expect the MBA to tank and that it is a horrible business move by Apple, remember that if SJ had not come back when he did, making the decisions he has, Apple would no longer be in existence.
