There are currently rumors that Apple is planning to release a larger iPad, at 12.2″ or 12.9″, with an optional stylus. If we interpolate the weight from the difference between the Air and the mini, we arrive at 650g to 700g, compared to the 437g of the Air 2. So we are back at the weight of the original, which was best used sitting on a chair, with the iPad ideally lying flat on a table. While I see some usage for this “Air Plus”, I feel that for most the Air will remain a better compromise between screen size and weight. The main benefit of the 12″ size could well be that it allows enough space to effectively support multitasking, which could make it into a viable alternative to a MacBook Air.
Actually the Air Plus will closely resemble the Surface 3, which has its fans, for example for being an excellent drawing surface. Both these computers, as well as a super light MacBook Air, will compete to become the standard choice for normal computer users, and it will be interesting to see how their software will develop, and if touch based text entry will become good enough to replace the keyboards.