Thanks for the reply. I understand that the Elite (if it ever comes to be a product) is in a whole different league than the 5n1 or the Atlas 7/8 and the comparable competitors When I buy, I will be evaluating the Elite against the Davis Vantage Pro2, not the "all in one" integrated sensor arrays, especially considering the "leaked" price of $599 for the Elite. That is probably where my main interest is, and I truly wish Acurite would give us some indication of product details, prices and availabilty. I am a very patient person if I have some information to work with, but Acurite's refusal to provide detailed information about the Atlas series is getting pretty old.
It is good to know that the build quality of the 7/8 series is that much better than the 5n1, so thanks for making that distinction. I guess time will tell (after 2 or 3 years of service) if that adds sufficient value to that series to distinguish it from the 5n1 series. That said, it still makes me wonder if Acurite will continue to sell and support the 5n1 series for very long after the Atlas 7/8 is released since functionally they appear to be more or less equivalent. I suppose a substantial price differential could work for them to keep both model series viable. But using your car analogy... think about Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Chevy. We know how that turned out.
With all the bad press with Acurite, I would go with the Ambient Falcon except for one thing ... no aspirating fan option. Knowing my siting options, I think it would be a big mistake to buy something that doesn't have at least a daytime fan. I know Davis has the best brand reputation, but in my opinion it is overpriced and terribly outdated in its convoluted configurations for uplinks, fan and display. So unless they come out with something new, Davis is crossed off my list. That is why I still wait to see what opportunities the Atlas will provide.
I am more than willing to pay the price (within reason of course) if I can get a high quality product with the features I want. The Atlas looks promising, but like I said ... how long should I wait when month after month Acurite gives us nothing for information about the product. "Coming Soon" displayed on their web site for 14 months without incremental details just doesn't cut it.