The first thing I noticed: it looks like a HP laptop. So I agree with you.

It's interesting to see the different ways that people respond to design.

When I look at that laptop I immediately think "MacBook". Then as I look at it more some of the details don't seem quite right and it becomes obvious that it is not a MacBook, but probably a copy of one.

Other's that I have talked to about this though don't see anything but the faintest resemblance to a MacBook. I suppose it's all a matter of perspective.

Apple seems to have been the first to use a unibody metal design specifically for a laptop. Since Apple did it first, HP could be considered to have copied by some people.

Then again Porsche Design did the same thing for mobile phones years before Apple or any other consumer electronics company did - my personal opinion is that Porsche did most of the innovation in this area.

> Since Apple did it first

Errm, not really, there was at least the Panasonic toughbook and lots of other ruggedized laptops before it.

I always thought the Toughbook (or at least the ones I've seen) was a multi-panel ruggedized laptop, rather than single chunk of metal.

It's been a long time since I last saw one, I don't even know if they're still being made, but I recall the case being milled out of a chunk of magnesium alloy.

Maybe I'm wrong though, as I said it's long ago.

They're made out of magnesium and are multi-part. The trick is they make the internals somewhat waterproof (at least water passes through quickly) and suspend the entire mobo on rubber shocks.