Value wise, Sony hands down all week long. IMO best quality PC laptops out there. Not high end gaming alienware/Asus stuff but still good for everyday use. My friend has been using his for about 3 year, and it works well. Personally I like Toshiba. Mine has been great for 3 years, but Toshibas are heavy. I also own a macbook thats about 6 months old. Performance is eh. Price is very high. Mac os I dont care about. battery life is great! Weight is good. Screen is nice, but resolution is way too low. Speakers are good. Havent had it long enough to comment on reliabitity and relativity, but relatives had theirs for 4+ years with replacement of battery somewhere in between.