There's no doubt that OS X PowerBooks are filling a gap left open by the lack of Linux laptops from major vendors. Most techies I know who use PowerBooks on the road have Linux servers at home. And they're doing a great job. I wince to repeat what Blake Stone, the CTO of Borland, said to me when he demonstrated how his 17" PowerBook got on the Net over Bluetooth using a Sony Ericsson cell phone as a bridge to T-Mobile's cell-based Internet service. He said, "OS X is my favorite Linux distribution."

Desktops are appliances. Laptops are instruments. The difference between a Dell desktop and an Apple PowerBook is like that between a Kenmore washer and a Fender Stratocaster.

Managing multiple screens. When I plug an external monitor into the PowerBook, it autodetects it, sets the resolution if necessary and remembers the configuration for next time. Same with projectors. I want the same in a Linux laptop.