Below is a link for some of the ways you can bring a PC laptop up to par with an apple (powerbook only, iBooks probably won't do the job):
http://forum.studioathome.com/viewtopic.php?id=3957
The bottom line is: Apple powerbooks offer a high line of quality, and they are able to do almost any process/application (video editing, recording, Photoshop) with ease. One cool thing I've found about Apple powerbooks is that click-and-drag applies to EVERYTHING.
However, a PC laptop that you customize with lots of RAM (dual channel provides a boost, but its not nessesary for everyday uses), a fast HDD, a large processor FSB, and a fast processor will be faster than the apple in whatever field you choose to make it excell in. Forexample, if you customized a PC for audio recording, I think it would be faster and better than an Apple at it, but if you tried to manipulate video on that PC, I think the Apple would surpass it. In other words, the Apple Powerbooks are a good all-around computer. If you don't need that, don't buy it, because you can often get a PC laptop cheaper.
the color is a nice touch though ;-D