Thanks for all of the input guys...You've brought up several things I hadn't considered yet.

Originally Posted By: DWallach

I own one of these with the SSD disk.

Pros:

Reasonable battery life.

Staggering screen brightness...[snip]..I hate, hate, hate these damn glossy screens, but on the MBA it's not so bad.


Thanks...good to know about the screen brightness helping with the glossy screen. Also, I'd forgotten to check battery life, but that sounds pretty good.

Originally Posted By: DWallach

Cons:

Compared to my Thinkpad, the keyboard sucks...[snip]

The single USB plug is occasionally annoying, but less than you'd think.

I keep forgetting to bring along the damn Micro-DVI dongles...[snip]

The screen resolution is great for me...[snip]

Surprising annoyance: [it has]...an edge comparable to the edge of a wooden clipboard.


I'm not picky about keyboards, and when I played with it at the Apple store, it didn't bother me too much, so I'm ok with that one.
USB...discussed in original post.
I'll keep the Micro-DVI dongle in the laptop backpack I carry, so that won't be a problem.
I just checked, and we're actually already using 1280x800 on the 15" widescreen Dell (my wife uses it too and doesn't like the higher resolutions), so I'm guessing that on a 13.3" screen, that will be fine.
It will be carried in the backpack unless it's going further than across the room, so I'm not worried about the sharp edges.


Originally Posted By: mlord

* Only one (mouse-like) button.
* Low-res screen.
* No ethernet.
* Only one USB port.
* Crappy keyboard.
* No (standard) VGA output.
* No optical drive.
* Heavy (for a subnote), despite the missing features.

Too many strikes for most uses, I'd think.


One mouse button: Thanks for bringing that up. I'll try to get used to the two finger click. Also, I'll have a bluetooth mouse with me for extended sessions.
Screen: already covered
Ethernet: I'll either get the dongle, or carry a small wireless ethernet bridge...I haven't decided which yet, but I'm leaning toward the bridge for the extra mobility.
One USB: already covered
Keyboard: already covered
VGA: will carry dongle in bag
Optical drive: This is another one I've been on the fence on. Sometimes I do like to grab a couple DVD's for watching on flights or in hotels. As far as software installation goes, I can do that when I have my desktop handy at home or download. I may just get the superdrive and keep it in the bag for the occasions when I need it.
Heavy: Hopefully that means it's also fairly sturdy...we'll have to see.


Originally Posted By: tman

It is first generation Apple hardware. That is a big enough reason for me \:\)
- Trevor


Yeah, but it's basically all the same components that are in the MacBook, just stuffed in a smaller case. I can live with that.

Originally Posted By: andy

Can't ever see myself owning a Mac Air though, I'd prefer a Lenovo X61.


Unfortunately, I am buying through a corporate office, and if I don't go Apple, I'm limited to Dell, otherwise I'd check that out.

In the end, I think I'm still loving the form factor, and Dell doesn't have anything that I would want more. Also, I tried to get my wife to use Ubuntu earlier this year, and while she gave it a good chance (over a month) she ended up getting me to re-install XP. I figure OSX is the next closest thing to a real OS that I can get her to use.
_________________________
~ John