[fishfreek]

IMO the option should be either Apple or ANOYONE ELSE. The plain and simple truth is that if Apple didnt almost give their computers away to school systems they would not be around but for a very nitch market in graphics and video design. And even there they are losing their superiority over the IBM compatable machines that RULE the market place and are most fimular with everyone but about .5% of the population.

If the 8600 is like the cheap 8500 I can tell you one thing. Its a heavy beast. Alot of the students at the college i work at got them and they are heavy when they bring them by for service. Dell notebooks overall are very good quality machines that have passed the laptop tourture test for something like 5 years running. No other laptop maker has done this.