I wonder how many really need a lighted keyboard. Learning proper typing / keyboard / hand position is worth the effort for anyone, and means being able to work without ever looking at your keyboard, IMHO.
Express slot? Maybe if you have a need for wireless broadband.
But I think the regular 13" macbook is a very versatile tool, and a pro version at this size will not sell well because of the huge price difference. Remember, though a lot of people on here are power users, most buyers are not. That is where the money is, the majority.
It is funny hearing about someone loving a dell computer so much. I have deal with so many dell pc desktops, laptops, and other hardware. Overall, I would say dell is low quality mass-produced garbage. I have seen several of their laptops die very early deaths, and they are sooo overpriced for the quality you get. Then there are the hassles. Oh no! A new virus is out this morning, everyone scramble to make sure you are protected! LOL. I am forced to use a top notch Dell desktop at work and it is really slow for the big money that was sunk into it. Quirky too. Same for all the other Dells in the office. Most of it isn't their fault though, windows is a very flawed platform. I think I am close to 100 patches now to keep it secure.
The deciding factor in leaving windows behind, for me, was that I could finally get a mac with dvd burning, firewire, and a fast processor, for only a few hundred more than a similar spec windows notebook. That was the tipping point for me, and probably will be for other "typical" users. I don't need high powered graphics capability, and just need a decent computer, without all the windows hassles. I test drove three windows vista laptops, and returned each one for being a quirky, slow, bloated piece of garbage. Vista was the last straw, but the price had to be right to get me to move. I feel many will soon make the same move, for similar reasons, and price WILL matter. The pro version is just that, a tool for professionals who will spend whatever they need to for the right tools, in their line of work.
Kudos to Apple for making the entry level Macbook! With a quick hard drive switch out to 7200 RPM, and a full load of ram, this computer amazes me with blazing startups, and great function.
Home run, out of the ballpark.
The pro models should stay as they are, expensive, well made tools for the professional. The two sections of the product line serve different segments.
The entry level Macbook I own should be the first part of a wave, that will signal (God willing), a tipping point, away from microsoft. Every empire must come to an end. That time is now.
All of this in spite of the fact that I cannot use one for work, because AutoCad, which I need daily, will NEVER be available for the Mac OS. The head of autodesk has made this clear. Sad. Engineering people will still need the dreaded PC for now, but only for work, not home anymore.
