Laize, nothing personal, but you make the same mistake many so-called Apple analysts do, which is to assume that you and your peers are Apple's target market -- and that if they're not churning out what you're after -- what you want next -- then they're somehow stumbling and falling short of the mark.
A sea change is underway. A sea change is always underway in electronics, whether it be in the realm of computers, smartphones, or digital cameras, whatever. It's the nature of the beast.
At the risk of being labeled a mindless fanboy, there's a Steve Jobs quote that bears repeating. To paraphrase: "Skate to where the puck will be, not where it was."
You're living in the desktop PC era, because that's when you grew up. The future is not.
There's a reason why Apple dropped Computer from its name.
Similarly, your SSD vs HD argument misses the point. It's not just a matter of simple pricing. You also need to factor in speed and reliability vs mere storage size concerns. The ultimate laptop involves both -- an SSD for the OS and programs, a HD for file storage.
Does it currently cost more? OK, it currently costs more. Is it worth it? That's an individual call.
Those friends of yours with the massive movie database are also out and about on a daily basis -- their kids even more so. You don't need to carry a large database with you.
In fact, if streaming music and videos is indeed the future, physical storage space becomes even less of an issue than the CPU, the OS and the battery.
Again -- and again at the risk of being labeled a mindless fanboy -- I urge you to do some shoe leather due diligence. If you have an Apple Store near you, it would behoove you to personally check it out on occasion so that you can see for yourself what is going on at ground level.
You might be surprised.
Or not.
All the same to me.
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