I really wanted to get this baby, but it turned out that Mac OSs are not compatible with some of the software we are required to use for school. Installing Windows on a Mac didn't seem to make a lot of sense, so I bought a good old PC.

But I am still hoping that my next laptop is a MacBook.

I lusted after this baby for a long time. I really needed a laptop but the desktops offer so much value for the money. I finally bit the bullet. I'm still learning the new features in Leopard and I haven't used the MacBook much yet but I wouldn't trade it for anything - except possibly a MacBook Pro.

As for Miss Chickie's comments about the dirt factor, a friend of mine was using his outside an Apple store. A sales rep. stopped him and offered to replace the outer case and cleaned it up for him. Can't beat that service. Miss Chickie, you may want to hang outside an Apple store and see what happens. ; )

Isn't it actually an iBook, not a MacBook? Anyway, I have an iBook and I love it. No black marks on my keyboard and I've owned it 2+ years.

I bought this in June and although it is very user friendly and fun to use, it's looking worn and dirty and there is nothing I can do about it. The keyboard has black marks from the palms of my hands yet I'm an incessant hand washer so it's not like I'm touching it with dirty fingers. Friends of mine have experienced the same problem. Considering how expensive they are I would expect it to look better longer. For usability I still prefer a Mac, , but next time I would go for the pro. Alex has it and it has a much better keyboard.