Well...
DISCLAIMER: While I'm an IT professional, this is still my opinion and nothing more.
My opinion is that the MacBook Pro is the absolute worst option right now for
any buyer. Buying first rev hardware is always risky, especially with a company as relatively small as Apple. Every first rev Apple product I have ever purchased, was either returned or sent in for repair. That's just MY experience...your mileage may vary.
Secondly, you're talking about buying a first rev hardware product, running a first rev
software product, that being x86 Tiger. Yes, it has been in development for years, however it has just finally hit the shelves, and has many bugs and issues, more of which are cropping up each day.
All in all, this is the worst combination of product you could possibly buy, first rev hardware, running first rev software...and the MacBook Pro shows it. They run blazing hot, catch on fire, whine, flicker, and otherwise malfunction.
If you need a Mac now, I'd try to find a new 15" Powerbook from a third party retailer, or if you absolutely must have x86 I would at least wait for the next rev of it. It has great potential, but in my opinion is a disaster waiting to happen, with no real benefits (not until more Universal Binaries come out, anyway).
So, my two cents. And to all those who are happily running MBP's, all the power to you. Rock on.
I'm sure my Powerbook will be replaced with one in 6 months to a year, but no sooner.