I went in to futureshop yesterday (very few people) to take a look at laptops from various brands and I couldn't believe how tacky laptops have become over the last couple of years since I purchased my last one. I see trackpads with mirrored surfaces and "chrome" mouse buttons. Everything is glossy plastic. The worst offenders even had colored translucent plastic. They are all way over-designed. It's no wonder that macbooks are so popular. The MBP's are really nice. I need to take a look at the 16" Sony with magnesium casing and Dell XPS before I make a decision though. The Dell is certainly the best value, and the only company that offers a 1900x1200 screen on a 15" notebook.