HP Envy 15 (winter 2012)

Pros: Great screen - very crisp, good weight and dimensions for a 15", fast, excellent audio for a laptop.

Cons: Battery life isn't great, even on low brightness. The trackpad buttons are hard to push and the gestures don't offer any shortcut for right-clicking to avoid the buttons (like double finger tap on a Mac).

Summary: I have used Macs for work and liked them, but all of my personal computers have been Windows-based and I wasn't willing to make the switch, especially given the cost of a MacBook. I went in search of a 15" laptop with specs as similar to or better than a 15" MacBook as possible. The Envy 15 won the contest. The dimensions are very similar, fantastic screen (I only notice the "red" issue if I look closely), decent weight for the size, same processor and RAM as a new MacBook for $1000 less. The battery is the only component that really can't compete with the Mac, but it's as good as any other Windows laptop with the same specs. The trackpad isn't great but it's tolerable, and I usually use a wireless mouse anyway. I have no regrets after 6 months!