@Ken

I'm rather confused. You call me a fanboy, yet you made the same point as I did. The MBP is a laptop. The 917V is a desktop replacement. They can't be compared with each other. I merely pointed out that even the price claim was false.

Besides, the 917V does not include the OS or any bundled software at that price. Which makes it in fact more expensive than the MBP at nearly identical specs. Note, *internal* specs.

Looks to me like they're priced pretty much the same.

Xtreme 917V Fusion
17" WUXGA (1920 x 1200) Super Wide Angle Glass View LCD (In Stock)
Single NVIDIA® GeFORCE Go 7950 GTX PCI-E with 512MB DDR 3 VideoRAM - Standard
Intel® E6600 (2.40 GHz) Core™ 2 Duo CPU - 4MB L2 Cache 1066MHz FSB
2048MB DDR2 667MHz Premium Micron RAM 2 DIMM
NEW! High Speed Transfer 160GB SATA300 HDD 7200 RPM
8X DVD±R/RW Burner with 4X Dual Layer Write Speed Multi Drive - Included
12 Cell Smart Li-Ion Battery - Included
110/220V 180W Auto Switching AC Adapter - Included
Sound Blaster Compatible 3D 8 channel Azalia Sound System
4 Speakers plus Subwoofer Integrated System - Included
No OS Desired - CD with Drivers and Utilities Only
802.11G 54Mbps Internal- Standard (N card available)
Standard 12 Month Parts and Labor Mail-In Coverage
Internal Bluetooth Wireless Mini PCI
TPM Trusted Platform Security Module - Standard
Built-in 1.3M High Resolution Digital Video Camera
7 in 4 Flash Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC) Standard

Price: $3029

MacBook Pro, 17-inch, 2.4GHz
2GB 667 DDR2 - 2x1GB SO-DIMMs
Accessory Kit
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
MacBook Pro 17-inch High-Resolution Glossy Widescreen Display
160GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM and dual-link DVI

Price: $3049

I tried to get the 917V to match the specs of the MBP as well as possible. As you can see, the differences are miniscule: Graphics card flash card reader are the only differences that stand out. If your argument was that you can get better specs from the 917V than from the MBP for the same price, it is void.

Of course the 917V can be far more customized, but we're really looking at two completely different categories of laptops. I would not call the 917V a laptop in the traditional sense at all. It's a portable desktop with an integrated screen. Or would you lug a 12-pound "laptop" with you to school and to work? Slam it on the desk at a conference? Or on the desk in a lecture hall? Didn't think so.

It's been said before, and I'll say it again: Do not compare apples to oranges. No pun intended.

At least the battery life will be decent, as opposed to the now common 2.5+ inch screens that drain the battery in one day.

I would guess the reason is few other manufacturers *try* to be different. Apple wants to stand out, so they point out what makes their products different. Logical, ain't it?

They have a view of how computer usage could be more fun than it is today. They have to work a little to share that view, since it's so different from every other manufacturer.

That describes my gaming addiction perfectly! Tiny rushes of adrenaline, with the excitement "what's around the next corner?" "When do I reach the next level?" "When can I purchase the next item?" and so on. Limitless tiny rewards to keep you going for the next adrenaline rush. And time disappears.

Between 1999 - 2001, I spent over 1500 hours in total playing a MUD (I know because there were counters keeping track of the active online lifespan of your character). And that's a text-based game. I can only try to imagine the addiction I would develop for WoW if I let myself start it. Fortunately I have learned not to. :D

Ah, you people! I'd like to concur with the posters who correctly assumed certain types of video games definitely improve reading skills. RPGs, strategy games, and adventure games contain whole books worth of text. People who like to delve into these games not only read all of the in-game text, but also the manuals. Of course the language in them isn't as diverse as that in novels, but they do at least expand your vocabulary and improve your grammar.

English is my third language, and although I do admit I've also read plenty of English language novels, a lion's share of my specialized vocabulary, related to fantasy, science fiction, Old English, poetical English, etc. has most definitely come from the aforementioned types of games.

There *are* games out there that require critical thinking. There *are* games that require you to read to get ahead in the game. Hell, I'd even claim that MOST games teach you something. As another poster mentioned, hand-to-eye coordination, logical thinking, patience... You name it. There are games that improve our musicality and body coordination (e.g. singing/dancing games) and there are memory games or just plain old brain busters.

So ok, if someone only plays CS or any other game that places emphasis purely on action and has little text, it may affect your school success negatively. But even this is only if you do NOTHING ELSE in your spare time. If you're intellectually inclined when you start gaming, you'll be drawn to games that hone your intellect. Nuff said.

Take your trolls elsewhere.

Uh.. guys? The last price I saw before this was $25 per GB. This was in February I think. The price has now been cut down to less than $16 per GB. That's an improvement to me. If the price continues to drop at this rate, by October you'll get a 32GB drive for $320. And by February 2008 for $210. So quit whining!

Well, still, a TV watcher isn't likely to skip a day of school or call in sick to work because of a certain TV show. ;)