"Apple's laptops have a slick "sleep" mode that I haven't seen the equal of anywhere else. Close the lid, and it sleeps. Open it up, and it wakes up instantly leaving you right where you left off."

I agree 100%. Best sleep mode period.

Make sure you avail of the student discount at the Apple Store (physical or online). For example, the 14-inch 1GHz iBook is $100 less with the educational discount.

Also, if portability is a main criterion, I would consider the 12" model. It's a lot easier to lug around. Screen resolution on both 14" and 12" models is 1024x768 albeit with smaller fonts on the 12" model. I'd use the money I save to upgrade to a PowerBook and/or add more memory and drive capacity.

I've had the 12" PB G4 with SuperDrive and 80GB HDD and love it.

[This message has been edited by bp888 (edited Dec 22, 2003).]