Go for 12" iBook. It is the best possible deal you could find. Amazon is still offering $150 MIR making it to $849!
I ordered my 12" iBook after a lot of research. I wanted something compact, portable , light weight to carry and a battery life of 4 hours minimum.
I am basically from Windows camp, so checked almost every available brand in Windows based laptops Like SONY, HP, FUJITSU, DELL, COMPAQ, TOSHIBA,IBM , Accer, Sharp , eMachines etc these brands offer models in 14",15",17" Screen sizes which are too heavy and oversized and prices are in the range $1100 to $2300 before tax. I can not call them as a notebook or laptop, in fact those are desktop replacement computers.
There are some smaller and compact models from Dell, Fujitsu, SONY, SHARP with 10", 12" and 13" screen sizes but are too expensive and have shorter battery life. Some compact models come without built in CD/DVD Drive.
After looking at the models available in the market and my budget(around $1000), I concluded that iBook 12" is the best option , it has got every thing, processing power, speed, graphics, wireless capabilties, extended battery life, built in combo drive and all this in a very compact, sturdy, eye pleasing , light weight package.
So I decided to switch from Windows to Mac. With this 12" iBook I can move around any where , every where. And when at home I can always connect a big monitor if needed. My wife says that this can double as a nice DVD player too.
Hope this helps.
SuhasG