Apple has finally released the new MacBook computers long-rumored to be the iBook’s replacement. This is fortuitous for me, as I’m in the market for a laptop that doesn’t lose my data.

The new computers’ specs are actually quite impressive; I doubt anyone expected 1.83 or 2.0 GHz Core Duo processors to grace the lower line of Apple’s portables, and I didn’t expect a full-size MacBook Pro trackpad to be present. The new “chiclet” style keyboard looks weird (but initial reports seem to find it passable), and the new “glossy” finish on the display sounds a bit sketchy in light areas… but I think I’ll manage. (Rough calculations, and Apple’s marketing—never trustworthy—say that the new machines are 15–20 times faster than my current portable. Hehe.)

(Charging extra money to get a black—instead of white—MacBook, though? HA! That’s one Apple Tax I can sidestep.)

The only thing that’s hard to swallow, for me, is the fact that these machines use Intel Integrated Graphics chips. You can count me firmly in the camp of people who would prefer a real, discrete, graphics card… but you should also count me in the camp of people who don’t really need that in a laptop. This is an important thing for me to come to grips with (am I not a power user?), as not doing so would result in me spending hundreds of extra dollars for something that’s really not going to affect me much.

Yes, I’ll most likely have a copy of Windows on this computer at some point (it’d be the most capable PC I own)… but I’m not going to be playing games on it. (At least, not 3D games… something about a tendency towards motion sickness.) And, besides, the build quality of the MacBook Pros continues to be a bit suspect.

Now I just need some dependable reviewers providing some positive reviews…