@cjmillsnun On your figures, almost 9 years after the Sony was released the Air is still only .15" thinner than the Sony at their hinges. While the 2011 Air may be fractionally thinner than the 2003 X505, the 11" Air is still more than 1/2lb heavier than the X505.
@dragonny4master As to where the concept originally came from, it seems to me that the Air copied its wedge style and chiclet keyboard from the thin Sony Vaio X505 which came out in 2003. You can see the X505 by searching YouTube for "Sony VAIO X505 Extreme World's Thinnest".
Thanks. So many memories!