Gadget review: Apple MacBook:

[Todd Benjamin, director of Apple portables worldwide,] is clear on this point: Black is cool, and the black-as-coal version is aimed at MacBook fans who want something a little exclusive (and who might miss the now-discontinued diminuitive PowerBook).

“We looked at the user who was buying our 12-in. PowerBook, who wants the smallest laptop Apple makes and wants a professional look,” he said. “It is black throughout. There is not one grey accent that got left on there. It’s a subtle approach that’ll appeal to the professional user. It’s kind of the ultimate MacBook.”

Okay, I’m not quite sure here — on the one hand, he emphasizes the attention to detail (such as the plastic inside USB ports being black, not white or grey), which does understandably cost money; on the other, he’s so unapologetic about the cost, you’d think Apple really has no good reason for the $150 price hike other than making a cooler version for pretentious bastards.

And it’s not like “the user who was buying a 12-inch PowerBook” might want a non-crappy video chip, or a 7200-rpm hard drive, or even more minimum RAM — nah, I’m pretty sure it’s just about the paint job.

He compared the new LCDs to TV screens, many of which also have a shiny coating that brings vibrancy to whatever’s showing. The comparison is apt.

Oh, I’m sure it’s apt: most people certainly use their laptops in the dark, like they watch DVDs on their home cinema; plus, 13 inches is totally the most common form factor for LCD TVs. Yeah.

I’m a bit scared — this guy is just a marketing rep, right, not someone involved in any decision-making?