To be honest here. I carried a 5.5lbs PowerBook G4 around to college for a couple years. I hated it. I'm not a big guy by any stretch of the imagination (5'7", 120lbs) but as soon as I added books, paper, folders of hand outs and homework to the list of things I was carrying.. I really wanted the laptop to be lighter.

My last year of college was spent carrying a 2010 Air around with me instead of the PowerBook and it was a signficiant difference in weight.

You just have to realize that a laptop isn't the only thing people carry around. So 4.6lbs isn't a big deal, but when you add it all up then the number starts to increase. Extra savings is beneficial.

Try holding one up to read at night while lying down.

Or try taking pictures/movie on the device for extended periods.

1.5 lbs is a lot for one arm to keep held in place all the time. The tablet form factor makes it inviting, but the weight makes you feel it.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking this.