My 2 cents on the dell vs powerbook thing.
First, there aren't many 1:1 comparisons to the powerbook 12". It is definitely a unique combo of features and size that Apple should be proud of. That said, it has the worst LCD I have ever seen on a recent laptop and for that alone I would never buy one, that's important to me. I don't know why apple didn't use the same screen type found in the 15" and 17", but it was a horrible choice.
Now, to Dell.
At the end of 2002, I bought a 1.3ghz 600m, right after they came out. It was the combination I had been waiting for in a PC, a combination Apple already had, but I didn't want an apple cause 1) I need a PC; so sue me, I like WinXP, and was and still am a Windows Sysadmin 2) price and 3) hardware annoyances like a low resolution LCD on the 15" powerbook for its size (I'm also into graphics), and only one mouse button.
At almost the same time, a good friend of mine bought a 1ghz 15" titanium (as it still was at the time) powerbook. Our two laptops were extremely comparable -- 40gig hd, cd-rw drive, radeon 9000, overall weight and size is comparable, etc. Primary differences were the screen (600m is 14" but higher res, 1400x1050), and that I had the truemobile wireless b/g card, he had airport (non-extreme).
My laptop cost just over $2000 with an extra battery for the CD-Rom bay (man I love having 8 hours battery life) and 3 year accidental coverage. I dropped the on site coverage to save money and get accedental care instead. Dell's service on laptops is outstanding shipped, on site is more worth it for desktops.
His cost about $2100 without Applecare through educational discount. He purchased that later.
We have both had to ship in our laptops for service, myself twice, once because of a cracked screen (replaced without question thanks to the accidental coverage. paid for itself right there). The service was identical, 1 day out, 1 day back. Both companies do a great job there.
I am not saying one is better than another here. My laptop was perfect for me. At the same time I really like OSX and am fighting the urge to purchase a new G5 for home, at least until after wwdc (common steve, how about a consumer level headless box again, some of us already own nice lcds).
However, my experience is that when you really find a close match, the PC will tend to be cheaper. Never go by Dell's MSRP. They *always* have a deal or will have one soon that will save you hundreds of dollars. That's something you rarely get with Apple; you always pay the same inflated price for that glowing fruit logo, anywhere, anytime unless used.
But the mac is worth it for it's own reasons. For the price you pay, you do turn heads, you do save yourself from a number of rediculous vulnerabilities (as an admin, I am intelligient enough not to corrupt the crap out of my windows box, but then, I know other admins who aren't), and have an amazing OS that truely brings UNIX to the family desktop for the first time.
And for those comparing against Sony's, well, the price is no surprise, Sony is another company where you pay for the brand. And they are currently worse than Apple about pushing proprietary hardware and software at you.
OK, so I've rambled on in many disjoint directions here, but there is a point. Pick what's right for you, no matter what it is. If it's your money, it doesn't matter what your father says, chances are he'll start talking about how cool your powerbook is in a month. But do your research, try it out.
The pictures on Apple's website won't tell you the 12" has a cheap LCD screen, and the pictures on Dell's won't tell you which of their cheaper models currently have flimsy chassis. Often, the reviews out there won't tell you what you want to know either, because as soon as you place your hands on one, you'll find some annoying bit you never thought of. Find a friend, go to a store, read tons of reviews, consider what you really want and don't want. Then go for it.
And enjoy!
dev*
Go look at the 'books in person with him. You mentioned a camcorder. If he wants to do video editing on the go, a Mac is the way to go. Play with iMovie for awhile. I've been trying to edit video with my PC, and it's painful to say the least. Gah, my G3 was better for this stuff.
