Some impressions after a couple weeks of exploring my MacBook:

• The Dashboard and its many available widgets are fun. I can see why Gates and His Merry Band of Bloated Software Purveyors decided to incorporate a similar idea into Vista.
• iDVD? Amazing. Seriously. My team DVDs are (I think) more attractive productions, and they’re easier to make. For that part of my work, iDVD went a long way towards justifying the cost of the MacBook.
• For some reason, Firefox does not like to cooperate with certain page elements (flash or java applets). Sometimes they display, sometimes they don’t; typically, they display only if I scroll down so they’re at the very top of the screen. I have no such problems with Safari. Out of curiosity, I may try Mozilla’s Mac-specific Camino browser to see if I like it.
• I don’t know if this is my imagination or not, but it seems to be a bit more mysterious about its inner workings. It seems a bit hesitant to communicate even things like, “Hey, I’m really busy thinking right now, give me a moment.” Really, that’s not much of an issue; it’s just a difference I may not always like. But let’s be honest: it’s not like the countless cryptic messages and error codes of Windows are particularly informative.
• The remote is fantastic. I love it. It may not be a true necessity, but it’s nice to have. Like power steering and elevators.
• The monitor is a bit of a sardine can — this 13-inch display has a slightly higher resolution than does the 15-inch on my Dell — but I knew that would be the case before I bought the ‘Book. From the start, I planned to buy a larger monitor for photo editing purposes (both for photographic accuracy and so my eyes don’t have to focus on small objects for long periods of time); since spring sports will begin soon, that purchase is in the very near future. Most likely purchase: the 20″ Apple Cinema Display (but refurbished, so cheaper).
• On the positive side of the sardine can: it’s small. Very portable. And yet the keyboard is pleasant to use. That, I think, is a major accomplishment.
• The apple on the front lights up. It means nothing for performance, but it’s worth some cool points.

Overall: I like it. No buyer’s remorse here.