Im sitting on my tax check, and as much as I'd like to get an iPad2, a new laptop would be a much better investment. I am willing to spend a grand, maybe $1100. I'd really like a Mac, but the thought of getting only 13 inches of display for that price really bothers me. I had a HP that was good until one electronic component would fail after the other, and my Toshiba was soooo bad I will never consider a machine from them again. I don't care about performance in terms of playing the greatest games, but I need something that could have many windows and media going at the same time without bogging down. I know virtually nothing about new models. I would like something physically durable, I really like how Apple uses alluminum cases, do other companies have something similar?