I agree with everything said here, and have just found a last-generation MBP 17 inch that will probably be my next laptop. The new graphics cards are nice, but the losses to get them are too great (firewire port, glossy only, etc...), and the most asked for pro features are missing... No increased RAM, no quad core processor, no high-res screen except on the 17 incher (which kept its screen because it wasn't updated), and no Blu-Ray burner. What was Apple thinking on the Pro? It's really just a fancy MacBook...The new MacBook, on the other hand, looks like a nice machine for its intended market (Apple clearly doesn't expect people to tether $20,000+ digital backs to MacBooks). The only reason FireWire was a mistake on the MacBook (non-Pro)is that it doesn't leave a good way for a student to use Time Machine... Non-students can generally use a Time Capsule at home, which is the best laptop backup idea I've ever heard of, because it is so easy. On the other hand, universities really don't like unauthorized wireless routers (which the Time Capsule is) on their networks AT ALL. That leaves students living on campus using a USB drive, on an operating system that really doesn't like USB drives at all!
-Dan