Hi!
My 2cents on the performance issue: I would at lest wait to see the Asus benchmarked to be sure how much more sheer CPU power it has.
I am using Matlab quite often as well as LaTeX compiling and both runs decently fast on my 15 uMBP 2.66 GHz. I would just like to have 8GB RAM instead of the 4GB I have for several applications being opened (VmWare, Matlab etc.).
Ergonomy: I think it's more important then the sheer CPU performance. I use the MBP relatively often on the ride (train or aircraft) and there the ergonomy of the huge MBP trackpad is unbeaten. Whenever I see those other guys around with their tiny trackpads having their mouse beside on a foldable table in the train I feel with them, this is not the way I could work for some hours.
I personally can compare to HP's 8530's lot's of my colleagues got from the company and being even better speced than my MBP. If I use these machines and the trackpad I ask myself after putting two fingers on "and how should I move now, the trackpad is already nearly fully covered by my fingers".
I do not know about the Asus trackpad, seems not as tiny as the HP's but I would definitely compare such things in advance.
Fortunately, I got my MBP from my company but even if I now would have to by one again I would go for it with my own money. Do you have no option to buy it over student friends? This saves 12%
I have friends who both have the MBP and the UL30A Asus (same case), and of cause the Macbook is unbeatable when it comes to ergonomics.
I'm in a position where the price of the Macbook and Asus are almost the same, the Macbook cost 8500 (danish crowns) and the Asus cost 8000 (danish crowns.)
The Macbook I can get now while the Asus hasn't been released yet, and no real reviews have been made yet, so i'm a bit torn between the two.
