Hey everyone,

I did some searching on here and reading of past threads about laptop reommendations. The iBook models seem to be recommended just as well as a T40 IBM. None the less I'll be a sophmore in college this coming fall of 2004 so I can't afford the T40 IBM. I'll admit the iBook 14in looks great and packed with features even though I've used PCs all my life. None the less, my budget is less than or equal to $1500 and I'd like the laptop to be portable to carry and travel with (planes/cars). I've also looked at the Averatec 5000 series and the eMachines 5310 model. Basically the laptop will be used for school (MS Word, Powerpoint), Internet (College I'm going to has wireless all over campus so WiFi hookup is key), Instant Messaging, Web Design and Music. But I would hate to buy the iBook only to find out that I can't send/receive MS Word files or that printer hook up is a large task. Is there the ability to run Office applications on an iBook? Right now I use a 750Mhz HP laptop with Windows 98 ME. To get to the point, which model would you all buy: Averatec 5110P, eMachines 5310, iBook 14in, or Dell 8600.

Thanks Everyone,
Lance