I've had the macbook loaner from work for almost 2 years now and I like it a lot. I'm a hardware snob and it's very hard to find a notebook that isn't full of compromises. Unless price is your foremost concern, it's hard to objectively deny that macbooks are some of the nicest notebooks out there. I use my self-built desktop for heavy lifting anyway, so all I really require from a notebook is long battery life, a decent screen & touchpad, and that it not feel like a cheap piece of crap.