A few questions about the MacBook Pro

Hi I'm new to the forum and have been doing a few bit of reading and picked up quite a lot from you guys
I've just a few questions about a potential 15" MBP buy if any of you could help:

1. I want to buy one now, is it realistically worth waiting until after the Mac expo in Jan to get one? -Does anyone think there are going to be any MAJOR changes worth waiting off for? i.e If it's small speed increases, a move to Penryn, and maybe an extra port - I'm not that bothered. If it's a Blueray drive, 512mb gfx, a big speed upgrade, then I'd probably hold off.

2. Do these things damage easy? I've had a Mitac 8050 for the last 3yrs, it's served me really well and held up like a trooper.

3. Linked to the last point, does anyone know of any more 'rigid' style sleeves for the MBP's? I'm looking at this sort of design but semi-solid?:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Buily-branded-laptop-sleeve-MacBook/dp/B000NH6AP4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=sports&qid=1196717737&sr=8-2
My friend has a sort of solid material sleeve for his Vaio that seems like ideal protection
*EDIT*
I've found the Axion and Vyper covers so bin this question!

4. Maybe a big sway on the decision (maybe not?) one of our suppliers at work is selling the MBP brand new at 20% off retail price and seeing as these things are more expensive in the UK than the US (they're $2600 and $3200 for the 2.2GHz and 2.4GHz models over here!) would you say this would be a major factor? Would it sway you? May friend can get the student discount for me but I think thats maybe 17% max?

5. I'm not really upto speed on the hardware side of things, but I try to read as much before buying things. Does Mac hardware tend to hold the test of time pretty well in the market? When I bought 8050, it had a 1.7GHz Pentium M and 128mb Radeon 9700, which has held up pretty well and has only just started to struggle with the sort of games I sometimes play (Command and Conquer, Pro Evolution) - So it's held up for 3yrs Are then any major major hardware changes due in the next 12 or so months or so that are going to make me regret buying the MBP because performance is going to go through the roof? If it's gone at a similar sort of rate as it has for the last 3yrs I think it would be a worthwhile investment


Sorry for the long first post but any advice is appreciated!


TIA

 

I've found the answer to one of my questions so a bit of a bump

 

Predicting Apple upgrades is really a crap shoot. It looks as though Penryn may be released on January 6, and that the first notebooks with them will land at CES. Considering MacWorld is on January 15, there is a chance they will bump it to Penryn. Having said that, contrary to popular belief, Apple does not usually release upgraded systems at announcements, only brand new ones. There is no reason to think any sort of redesign is in order for the MBP just yet. I would say that is more likely to happen with then next gen GPUs and Montevina releases. In short, if you can wait a monthish it may be a decent bump, but nothing huge.

The machines are rather durable, although not Thinkpad or Toughbook durable. It is a good possibility, if you are hard on it, that it will get scratched and maybe even a dent or two, of course so will any notebook. If you are careful, you should be fine. As for the parts, again, they pretty much use the same parts as everyone else. Apples in the past seem to have a good reputation for holding up for years.

Lastly, the 8600 GT is roughly comparable today to what your 9700 was then. So, yes it should last a few years without too much struggle as long as you keep the settings realistic.