Irenicus' explaination is very good. I'm just going to add some information here. When someone wants to buy a laptop, there are a few things you need to consider:

1. Why you wan to buy a laptop?

Some people just need to have a computer available when they go to certain places, and won't travel with the laptop MOST OF THE TIME, then you can look for desktop replacement/mainstream. If you need to carry your laptop SOMETIMES, then you can look for thin & light. However, if you are a businessman who need spend most of the time on travelling, perhaps a subnotebook is most suitable choice.

2. What's your budget?

Good brand indeed provide good quality product and good service, and 'good' price. We always cannot reach 'balance' when we come to quality, service, and price. If someone wants to buy a laptop with good quality, good service, slim design, and cheap price, then he/she can just forget about laptop. I bought my laptop 3 months ago, nearly the same period as Irenicus. My budget was below RM5000. I need a notebook as I have to travel from Johor to Kedah and stay there for a period of time. However bringing a desktop is a burden and thus the thought of buying laptop come across my mind. Lastly I choose Toshiba Satellite 2410 (all-in-one model) since I won't travel a lot with this notebook.

Here are a few brands that I recommend :

IBM - a very good choice for business users. Good durability and good service. Expensive.

Fujitsu - another good choice. Good durability and good service. Budget high can go for slim models; budget low then just go for bulky models.

Sony - its subnotebook very stylish and nice. Good design. Expensive.

Toshiba - most of Toshiba models are bulky. Good durability and stable. Expensive.

Other consideration : Dell, Compaq, Asus, BenQ.


3. Do you really need all those hi-end stuff?

Some people wants bluetooth, WiFi, wide screen, bla bla bla... long list here... It really depends on whether you really need it or not. A business user, let say a salesman who just want to use a laptop to show some graphs and documents to his clients, perhaps he just need a celeron notebook that able to run MS Office that's all!

I hope my comments are useful for anyone who wants to buy laptop even though these comments are not complete. I have to leave now, something urgent. See you guys~

Few brands recommended:
1. IBM, Fujitsu, Sony, Toshiba, Dell, BenQ,...
2. Compaq, NEC, Asus,...
3. Acer,...

Don't simply buy a laptop, do some survey before you buy.

If don't want IBM then choose Toshiba lo...