[donovan713]

I've only had it on for a few minutes, so not much info.

Picked it up at the Houston store. They got two yesterday (sold those) and three today (sold those too).

I had thought that the backlight on the keyboard was blue (it looks blue in all the ads). It's actually white.

The keyboard feels exactly the same as my 12" but the trackpad button is totally different. The 17 is a feather touch where the 12 takes a little more force than I would like.

This wide aspect track pad is going to take some getting used to.

Had to take my watch off for fear of scratching the surface when typing (had the same problem with my 15, but not my 12).

Doesn't sound much better than the others. You'd think they could have fit a subwoofer in here somewhere ;-)

Guy at Apple store thought I was crazy for not wanting the Apple Care plan. "These are like brand new. Are you sure?"

Sorry to the lady on the phone who thought she was getting one today. You were about three minutes too late.

[SummitWynds]

Congratulations to you!!! Enjoy!

One thing I am noticing is how quiet it is and how cool compared to the Ti's. I am wondering if all the "openings" or grills are a factor. If you notice in the back where the hinge is, the entire area is "grill", then there are the speaker holes, which take up a much bigger area than the Ti, then up front on each side there are 2 more grills. Seems great so far.

[nagromme]

Congratulations.

AppleCare may be a good idea--but you can wait until your year is almost up. No hurry there.

How bright is the backlight?

How does the sound compare to, say, a Lombard PBook G3?

How is fit and finish (warping, gaps, etc.)?

Does it feel like you would damage it if you lifted it by one hand?

How bright is the screen compared to other laptops? (Or to the 17" iMac which has a different backlight?)

Have fun!

[donovan713]

The backlight brightness is adjustable. From barely noticeable in the dark, to bright enough for anybody. I really like the way the letters glow. They look sharp.

Way better than the Lombard (though it's been a while since I heard one). It's actually the best sounding Mac laptop I've heard, but it's still not suitable for listening to music on.

My 12" keyboard has a slight hump in the middle and the seventeen has a slight dip (1/2 mm either way). Both can only be seen with the aid of a straight edge.

All the seams on the 17" are tighter than those on the 12"

I am not comfortable lifting it with one hand. A) Yes, I am afraid the unit will flex. B) I'm afraid I will drop it.

When I first got it I was really pleased with the brightness. I have floor to ceiling windows on two walls in my office, it's a bright sunny day here in Houston, and the screen looks great. Later I noticed that the brightness wasn't even all the way up. It's too bright if I crank it up. I haven't tried using it in direct sunlight yet, but I will.

It appears to be MUCH brighter than the 12", but that just may be an illusion caused by the surface area.

Sorry, but I don't have a 17" iMac to compare to. I'll be at a friends tomorrow night who has one, and I'll compare then.