[Scotttheking]

I've been using 15" PBs for the last 4-5 years, starting with a 500MHz and now up to a 1.5Ghz model.
When I first bought the 500, battery life was realistically 5 hours, the weight wasn't bad, and the size wasn't bad. Moving to the Al model, the size went up (every dimension), the weight went up, and the battery life went down.
As I look at my changing needs, I realize that I am best suited by either a desktop and subnotebook or a full laptop with an external monitor at home.
However, I still want the laptop to be easily portable. Even the aluminum 15" Powerbook can get annoyingly heavy.

With that in mind I wandered over to Apple's site.
Choices:
subnotebook class:
12" ibook
Pros: Nothing special
Cons: It is a bit thick and heavy. It also looks more like a toy than a professional machine. Does not support monitor spanning, at least out of the box.

12" powerbook
Pros: Could be used as a single machine
Cons: Again, a little thick. Low screen resolution for a pro class machine.

Single machine:
MBP:
Pros: Plenty of power to be a desktop.
Cons: Big!, battery life poor enough to not even be listed, can get hot, and did I mention it is even bigger than my current PB?

Ideally I'd like to see a few more lines. The current notebook line that I'm most attracted to is the X series. Starts at 2.7 pounds, subnotebook, modular, etc. Me likes.

Mostly I'm annoyed that the middle of the line notebook keeps getting bigger and heavier, with nothing a little lower to replace it with. The 15" line has now passed beyond what I'm interested in.
/end lame rant

[ajprice]

I agree with what you're saying, the 12" Powerbook and its albino brother need updating. I think the Intel MacBook will answer most of your problems when it comes out, according to the information/rumours that are around, and by logically applying the change from Powerbook to Macbook Pro to the iBook/MacBook.

The MacBook will probably be a 13" screen, and will probably be thinner and lighter than the iBook is now. I can also see a top of the range (Core Duo, between 1.6 and 1.8 GHz) MacBook replacing the 12" Powerbook, and will probably be faster than any G4 Powerbook. Looking at the addition of monitor spanning to the Intel iMac, the same could happen to the Macbook. Plug one of those into a screen at home and you will be set. All thats left to do now is wait .

As far as whether a Macbook will look like a toy? who knows!

[Salty]

I still hate the name MacBook for the iBook.