Actually, I find the MBA is about as close to being properly priced as they ever have been. They've had a major price reduction. I would say it's down to maybe 100-200 more expensive. The only reason why is that I believe what we're paying for now is the SSD. That seems to be the major determining factor for a similarly priced machine in which it may have a better video-card (like the alienware MX11), but also has no shred of SSD in it. Once you start throwing SSD at it, though, and woah that MX11 price goes up.
Actually, if you go online to purchase the MBA, it seems the SSD is the main thing driving the costs up. The rest of the hardware upgrades are much less of a markup.
I also tend to think of it as a way that you pay a little for iLife. And if that is the kind of stuff you plan to work with, it's a decent deal since PC equivalents (of that quality) will cost you good money.
The iPad is definitely at a more entry-to-Mac price. True, it's iOS, but it's so simple to use. People who fear computers could use it, and that's even in comparison to a Mac. That's saying a lot.
But regardless of what it is, the iPad is both smaller, and a touchscreen computer. That's 2 wow factors for the price of one. From the outside, the typical (not familiar with mac) person isn't going to know the difference between iOS or OSX without closer examination.
