Last night, Nick Bastin and I meandered down to Tyson’s Corner, the big swanky mall down here just over the Virginia border. The Apple Store had at least one 12″ PowerBook sitting out for people to poke, prod, and otherwise coddle. It was pretty cool – basically the same size and shape as an iBook, only made out of what looked like brushed aluminum. Oh, and they put the pulsing sleep light in the catch mechanism, since its usual position wouldn’t have been visible because the 12″ model drops the screen down behind the main chassis (again, like an iBook). In short, it was cute, but utterly impractical for my use. I also forsee the 17″ PowerBook being utterly impractical for my use, as it seems just too darn big. I’ll reserve final judgement for after I’ve seen one in the flesh, though.