Hey Big-C,
I know exactly what you're going thru! I moved from a Ti 667 DVI to a Ti 1Ghz this past summer, but when the 15" AlBooks came out I had to have one. I sold my Ti and bought an Al 15" 1.25/512/80/SD/AE and I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this thing! As nice as the Ti is, the Al is a much more sturdy feeling machine all around. I use my PB at both my home office and my business office and I always worried about taking my Ti on the road even though I have a great Kensington Saddlebag. The hinges had me worried and I also got tired of dealing with the ports in the back. True, they keep the cables out of sight, but realistically, that's a minor difference when compared to the convenience of having them that much closer and more accessible on the sides plus not dealing with that little door flap when you're using your PB on your lap.
This might sound a little strange, but I've been thinking lately about selling my 15" and going with a 12". I really don't do a ton of huge graaphics intensive stuff, mostly just still image editing for my business and web work, e-mail and mostly iApps. The 1.25 15" is just more than I need, but the aluminum construction and the new keyboard plus all the other refinements have definitely hit the target with being a far superior desing, no matter what size, 12", 15" or 17"
Hope this helps!