what kind of laptop should I get?

First of all, what's the average price difference between an apple laptop and a PC laptop of comprable hardware capability? I'd put Linux on the PC so it wouldn't suck. Second, what kind of laptop should I get? I am not at all familiar with Apple's hardware specs so I have no idea what I need. I really just want a companion to my Linux PC. It needs to do surfing, word processing, wireless connectivity, and maybe some Java development. I need something probably under $1500.

I would definitely go for one of the iBook G4's. Awesome machine for the price and very rugged! Apple's notebooks are more expensive than a PC, but the quality is soooo much better and their lifespan is much longer so in the end you save money.

But really unless you're doing some heavy graphics works or need dual monitor support, the iBook G4 is the choice to go with over the PowerBook since they're almost identical now.

What are your requirements? What are you going to use the laptop for?

I believe what schweb suggested will meet your needs, but your requirements may change that.

I'd recommend going that little bit extra for a Powerbook, the price gap isn't what it used to be and the extra spendage will mean that your investiment just keeps up for that little bit longer.

To be honest, I prefer the White styling of the iBooks, but was won over by the features of the powerbook (built in bluetooth and WiFi, larger hard drive, more capable graphics card). So if you can push the boat out it's worth the money.

Having said that, it's true that if you're not going to be playing gaems or using processor heavy applications then the iBook will suit you perfectly.

Plus on a shallow note, they're absolutely beautiful!

I think the best value PC laptop is still Compaq X1000 series. You can buy one nicely equipped for ~$1200.

You can buy an iBook for that price, but the screen and the resolution will be smaller at 1024x768. Performance will be about the same, but a PC feels quicker than a Mac for some reason.

I think you'll like OS X. It's amazong what Apple has done on top of Unix based kernel. You can do most of what you've been doing on your Linux, plus a lot more you couldn't imagine doing on a Unix box.