Macbook Air or Macbook Pro

Question

Yes, I know you hear this question a million times a day but I think it's different per person. Here's some information about me: Firstly, I am comparing the 13" MBA (128gb) model with the 13" MBP model but I did have a question regarding the 11" MBA that I will get to in a moment.
I plan on starting college this Fall so portability is a small factor, where obviously the Air has the edge. However, I don't see a major difference with the pro.
I understand the importance of a solid state drive and starting up quickly will also play a small role. Again, I know the Air has the edge here but are the start up times on a pro really that bad?
I play video games. Mainly World of Warcraft, and I don't require maximum settings.
Heat is an issue, I don't like my legs getting hot an uncomfortable while I'm trying to relax and browse the web
I am decent with Photoshop and Illustrator however I doubt I will ever be using them too avidly, but the possibility is there.
I mostly use the internet for social networking, but I do also watch quite a bit of TV and I am looking in to signing up for Netflix.
My friend has a MBP that has lasted over 6 years (Phenominal for a laptop IMO) can I expect the same life span with the MBA?
Should I look in to purchasing the insurance with either of the variants, or should I expect a reliable machine for a while. (Note that I am not computer illiterate and I can solve simple problems on my own.
Is upgrading to the i7 on a MPA worth the money?
I stream most of my music off of the internet through services such as Grooveshark, so space isn't much of an issue but some programs will be there (Like WoW which takes up 30+GB) Is an external drive a reliable solution to this problem? Any reccomendations on portable HDD's?
Price is something to consider, but lightly.
Important final note: I have an 8 core rig sitting at home to do anything that requires a lot of memory/power. This will mostly be for daily use around the house when I'm not in my room locked away and when I get to college for writing papers.
Regarding the 11" MBA I was just wondering of the 128gb model of it is much different from the 13" does the .1 GHz clock speed really make any difference? I'm also trying to avoid the whole "Netbook" feel, netbooks feel flimsy and cheap and I simply don't want to spend this kind of money on something that isn't going to make me feel like I have a reliable machine. Also I see it's upgradable to 256gb SDD, which I don't see as being worth it in the long run if I have a relable external.
I know, wall of text but I am seriously torn between which of these 3 laptops I should get with my iPhone
One final question, does Apple offer a cloud service for MBA/P I could use in place of an external HDD?

Answer 1

Ill try to go through these, one by one, since I have owned BOTH the Air and the Pro and am quite familiar with both laptops. 
1.  I am in college.  I MUCH prefer the Air to the Pro for its portability.  The Air is TWO POUNDS lighter than the Pro.  This may not seem like much to you, but when you have your computer AND a bunch of books, notebooks, pens, calculator, markers, and other things in your bag, two pounds is a WORLD of difference.  When the Pro was in my backpack, I could tell it was there.  I LITERALLY cannot tell the difference of the weight of my bag when my Air is in it and when it is not.  Portability?  Air wins HANDS DOWN.
2.  Huge difference in speed of startup.  Although it may not bother you either way.  My Air starts in about 17 seconds.  My Pro started in about 45.  This is complete startup, from power button push to usuable desktop.  You REALLY notice the speed difference when opening and closing apps and programs though.  The SSD drive makes a world of difference.  You CAN however, upgrade the Pro drive to an SSD, and get the same performance as long as you get a good SSD drive.  The Air also shuts down in about 3 seconds.  The Pro is about 15-20.
3.  For WoW, the Air will suffice, but the computer will get FAIRLY hot while playing.  The graphics are integrated in the i5 processor.  The computer gets noticably warm when doing things like watching movies and such.  You shouldnt have a problem actually PLAYING the game though, as the graphics on the Air and the Pro are essentially the same.  The SSD drive makes a world of difference here as well.  Load times are absurdly low.
4.  The Air rarely gets more than warm.  Just browsing the web wont heat it up at all.  Same with the Pro.  The only time I have EVER heard the fan on either is when I am watching full screen video on something such as Netflix, and even then, its barely audible.  It shouldnt be a problem for you, unless you use the computer on a bed or something.  You really need to have it on a flat surface when youre using it.  Or your legs, as long as its not completely covered on the bottom, you should be fine.  BOTH computers will behave similarly.
5. Photoshop and Illustrator will run fine.  I wouldnt plan on doing HUGE projects with it, since the Air is limited to the 4GB of RAM.  The Pro can take up to 16GB of RAM I believe, even though the specs only say up to 8GB.  I could be off on this, but I really remember reading about people installing 16GB in their Pros and it recognizing all of it.
6.  Netflix runs great on BOTH computers.  I have had not ONE issue with it on my Air.  Netflix depends more on the quality of your internet connection.  I have FiOS here at home, so I never have any problems.  The network at school is pretty crappy, but I have never had any problems streaming there either, on EITHER computer.
7. I would expect ANY Apple laptop to outlast virtually ANY Windows computer.  I have had excellent experiences with ALL my Apple laptops.  Any MINOR problems that i HAVE had, have been taken care of by Apple without issues.  I would expect the lifetime of the Air to be superb as well.
8.  The extended Apple Care is EXCELLENT.  If you have the extra money for it, then you should purchase it.  While the laptops are built far better than a Windows computer in general, things DO happen.  If and when things go wrong, it can get expensive REALLY fast.  A new motherboard would likely cost nearly the same as a new Air, and the Pro isnt much better in that respect.  If you can afford it, buy it just for the peace of mind.  It DOES NOT cover user damage however.
9.  NO.
10.  I would definitely look into an external HDD for putting WoW on.  It would be better than hogging up 1/4 of your HDD space internally.  You could also store movies and music, etc on the drive for when you are away from a WiFi spot.
11.  The Air and the Pro cost NEARLY the same amount of money.  Especially if you decide you want an SSD drive in the Pro. 
12.  Either computer will serve you extremely well in this use case.
As far as the 11 inch Air, I also had thought of purchasing the 11 inch.  I went with the 13 inch Air for a couple reasons.  The 11 inch Air, configured with 4GB of RAM and the 128GB SSD, was ONLY $100 LESS than the 13 inch Air.  The clock speed PROBABLY wont make much of a difference.  But the way I see it, if you are going to spend THAT much money for the 11 inch Air, why not spend $100 more and get the faster proc, the bigger/higher resolution screen, and the SD card reader?  The 11 inch Air is nice, but the upgraded one just isnt worth the extra money, when you can get the better 13 inch version, for just a bit more.  The extra screen real estate is REALLY nice to have, especially if you are going to be watching movies and such.  The 13 only weighs .5 lbs MORE than the 11.  You wont even be able to tell the difference.
Apple doesnt really have Cloud for Mac yet, but its supposed to be coming in the next OS, Mountain Lion.  Hope this helps.