MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro? HELP

I know everybody asks this, but there are as many answers for one as there are for the other.
My wife is a clinical nursing instructor and is in desparate need of a new laptop. The only thing she really does on a computer is browse the internet and grade papers. Literally, if she used anything other than Safari, Pages/Word, Skype, and iTunes, I would be shocked. I could see her getting into editting family photos, videos, etc but only with the basic Apple apps for that - nothing like Adobe products.
With this little demand, it seems as though the Air would be the choice. However, the portability isn't a need because she won't be taking the laptop to the hospital with her and if she really needs that, we have an iPad.
I would like the laptop to last as long as possible (the $1200 price tag) is somewhat painful. But I switched to Mac in grad school and once you go Mac, you never go back. I couldn't bear the thought of buying a Windows - esp Windows 8 - laptop. My thought though is that the Pro would last longer bc it has beefier hardware that would stand up to software upgrades and heavier, more demanding software that is bound to come in the next few years. But as I said before, with the software she'll actually be using, will it ever get to a point where it would really tax the processor and memory of the Air?
These are the questions I struggle with. I think she would like the Air better because of the weight, mass, etc but the logical part of my brain says the Pro.
HELP. Please.

You should also ask this in the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air forums. This is the forum for the white and black plastic MacBooks that were discontinued in 2010. You should also post this question there to increase your chances of getting an answer.
https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro
https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_air

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