MacBook Pro purchase decision

Yesterday I did some side-by-side comparison of:

1. my current laptop - a PowerBook G4
2. the possible Q3 MacBook Pro release
3. the current MBP line

Conclusions:

worth waiting for in a Q3 (Intel Montevina platform) release:

• (very unlikely) radically new display technology, like XO laptop - readable in direct light
• (very unlikely) solid-state drive (SSD) as in the Air
• (possible) hybrid SSD/HD storage
• (possible) BluRay optical drive
• (possible) native WiMax
• (likely) lower power consumption
• (likely) case redesign: lighter, slimmer, novel look

available now and unlikely to improve noticeably:

• Penryn processor
• 2G DDR2 SDRAM
• 512MB Video RAM
• 250GB HD
• 802.11 - our friend Ann had her newish MPB here in our apartment and was able to pull in AirBears - my PowerBook can't do that.
  

I'm down to less than 5% free space on my PowerBook G4, so buying now is urgent, really.
The only things worth waiting for are the lower power consumption (utility) and the case redesign (vanity). I confess the last is compelling, though.

Here is a table I adapted from Apple's site. I used strong emphasis to highlight salient differences.

	My PB G4	Montevina??	15.4-inch: 2.4GHz (MB133LL/A)	15.4-inch: 2.5GHz (MB134LL/A)	17-inch: 2.5GHz (MB166LL/A)
Display	1280x854 TFT widescreen	1900x1200?	1440x900 TFT widescreen	1440x900 TFT widescreen	1680x1050
Processor	PowerPC G4, 1.5 GHz	Penryn	2.4GHz Penryn	2.5GHz Penryn
Memory	1GB DDR SDRAM	DDR3-800 ?	2GB (4G max) (two SO-DIMMs) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
PCI Express graphics	ATI Mobility Radeon 9700, 64MB	?	NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT, 256MB GDDR3, dual-link DVI	512MB
Hard disk drive	75 GB ATA	Hybrid or Solid State ???	200GB Serial ATA; 5400 rpm	250GB Serial ATA; 5400 rpm
Slot-loading optical drive	DVD±R CD-RW	Blu-Ray ??	8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Expansion	-	-	One FireWire 400, one FireWire 800, three USB 2.0 ports, and ExpressCard/34 slot
Video	no iSight	?	Built-in iSight camera, DVI, VGA (DVI to VGA adapter included)
Audio	-	-	Combined optical digital input/audio line in, combined optical digital output/audio line out, stereo speakers, microphone
Ethernet	-	-	Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit)
Wireless	802.11x; built-in Bluetooth	+ WiMax (802.16)?	Built-in AirPort Extreme (802.11n); built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Modem		-	Apple USB Modem (sold separately)
Input		Air style?	Full-size, illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor; Multi-Touch trackpad
Weight		less?	5.4 pounds		6.8 pounds
Footprint			14.1 by 9.6 inches		15.4 by 10.4 inches
Thickness		less?	1.0 inch
Video accessories		-	DVI to VGA adapter (other adapters sold separately)
Hardware accessories		-	85W MagSafe Power Adapter, AC wall plug, power cord, lithium-polymer battery