Well... I'm definitely looking at this year, because to sustain the Dell another year would take about 500$ in part replacement/upgrades. I'm going on a 2-month exchange to Montreal and would prefer not to bring an external hard drive.

If I go for the Macbook Pro, it seems like I'm leaning towards it just for the screen... so I think I'm going to go for the Macbook. I can't really do any sort of respectable photographic/graphics work on a notebook display anyway, so I think the price differential is better put towards a decent external monitor..?

So Macbook it is... I think. Do the most recent SR Macbook Pros still have yellow-tint LCD issues?

Now, the question is whether to pick up the Macbook now (free iPod and printer discount) or wait until a possible refresh in October. I'd appreciate the refresh, but I'm concerned it will be like the launch of this current body Macbook, with staining/mooing/heat issues and the like. ...and I suppose the specs of the current Macbook are good enough..?