My guess is that they will be after the initial 3G iPhone madness subsides after the days following July 11 and before the rush back to school in September. I have noticed that Fry’s Electronics is pushing MN/MBP with free printers etc, They sometimes do this to induce sales before new products come out.

Back in the day I spent 50% more to buy the 12″ PowerBook over the 12″ iBook and did so only because the iBook keyboard was so bad. I am very happy that the MacBook keyboard turned out to be an advantage rather than a deal-breaker.

I use the Pro for work stuff and have it connected at work with a dual monitor setup. I can get by with the 15″ widescreen for work in a pinch, such as on an airplane. The extras that the Pro affords, including a much better keyboard, make it a winner.

I don’t like the chiclet keyboard either, but the MacBook is the better bargain.

I hated the “chiclet” keyboards of the early 80s with a passion and always considered them an example of form trumping function instead of following it. Maybe if your idea of touch-typing is 30 WPM, then they’re fine, but for someone whose fingers were trained for classic “clicky” keyboards and Selectric typewriters, where the action is firm and the key travel is long, the MacBook design just does not work. The long-term longevity of the design is suspect as well. The MacBook keyboard sits underneath the top plate instead of atop it. What is going to happen when keys start getting sticky – and inevitably, they will – ? There’s no easy way to clean it without taking the computer apart. With the iBook I own now, I can pop off the keyboard and replace the whole unit with very little hassle.

The most common argument I hear from defenders of chiclet keyboards, regardless of manufacturer, is that if you don’t like the keyboard, get an external one. That is, in my opinion, an unacceptable compromise. I do not use my laptop as a desktop replacement – I use it on my lap, at the coffee shop, in my car. I do not have room for an external keyboard. The MacBook Pro keyboard feels nice, although the key travel is still shorter than I’d like. But I cannot even type “The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog” without making a typo on the MacBook or Sony chiclet keyboards.

I do not need the graphics chip or the extra screen space afforded by a MacBook Pro, or any of the other niceties. But my computer is a serious tool for serious work, not a piece of furniture or a style statement. I don’t care how cute or aesthetically pleasing it is; I want it to work without getting in my way. That is why I bought a Mac in the first place, and why I’ll buy a MacBook Pro.