What LAPTOP+BRAND to buy

On my mind at the moment, I'm thinking of buying a macbook(I'm going to fully install windows7 on it fyi)

Anyways summary is; Basically I want a laptop for outside/school+work use.
I wanted a thin smooth thin laptop that can fit in my jansport bag(the one a lot of people in highschool uses) since I usually tend to wear that when I go out. I don't want a big/bulky one. Since it's for outside use only, I don't need amazing gaming or multi-task specs. I always want a laptop that has good battery life!

Like I said, at the moment my mind is on the macbook, but I'm sure you all know that apple products are extremely overpriced. It's almost 3x the price of a regular PC laptop.

So any of you have a non-apple macbook laptop brand to suggest?

(EDIT 1: My price range wouldn't matter too much since I have my eyes on the macbook which is roughly around $1600, but I would still prefer the price range of under $750dollars)

You could go with the HP Envy Touchsmart 15, great specs for the money but it's a little bit on the big side but it is pretty thin. Better value in my opinion than the Macbook since the Envy is pretty much a monster in the specs department for about $1000, saving up for one currently

The Acer aspire s7 looks like a good buy right now maybe you should take a look at that.

Samsung.

Quality > Branding

It would help if you had a price range. Laptops aren't too expensive for casual school use unless you want really really good quality. From my experience, HP laptops work fine for school and casual stuff. But over time, my HP laptop after about 4 years of use would have fan problems. The fan becomes quite noisy after about 20 minutes of use.

Tip: Buy a cooling pad for your laptop for longer life use.

I've been through about eight laptops in my time and have repaired more than I can count. Toshiba is bar none the best manufacturer and their Ultrabook lineup is incredible. Unfortunately you're not going to find one on the Toshiba site for less than $700, might be able to at an online retailer like Tiger Direct, NewEgg or NCIX. Below is a list of models that I recommend however.

All Ultrabooks are less than 1" thick, battery life is above average but not absolutely mind blowing. If you want something less expensive I can take a look around.

Satellite U840W-012 Ultra Book

Regularly $1250 CAD, on sale for $800 CAD in Canada only.

3rd Generation Intel® i7-3537U,
Windows 8 Professional,
6GB memory, 256GB SSD,
21:9 Ultra-Wide Cinema Display.

Satellite E45T-AST2N01 Ultrabook

$879.99 USD

This would be my pick if I had access to the U.S. stock and I was looking for a laptop in the low-mid price range.

Intel® Core™ i5-4200U processor
Windows 8
8GB DDR3L memory
1TB (5400RPM) hard drive with 32GB solid state disk cache
1366x768 TruBrite Touchscreen display
Mobile Intel® graphics
Intel® Wireless-N 7260, 2x2 BGN + Bluetooth 4.0 (Wi Di ready)
Premium Raised Tile Keyboard
Integrated HD webcam

Starting at 4.6 lbs

KIRAbook 13 i5-Touch Ultrabook

$1,499.99 USD

Intel® Core™ i5-3337U dual core processor
Windows 8
8GB DDR3 memory
256GB mSATA solid state drive
Mobile Intel® HM76 Express Chipset
2560 x 1440 PixelPureâ„¢ LED backlit display
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 2230, 2x2 BGN + WiDi Ready
HD webcam
Frameless LED Backlit Keyboard
HDMI output

Starting at 2.97 lbs

KIRAbook 13 i7-Touch Ultrabook

$1,799.99 USD

Intel® Core™ i7-3537U dual core processor
Windows 8 Pro
8GB DDR3 memory
256GB mSATA solid state drive
Mobile Intel® HM76 Express Chipset
2560 x 1440 PixelPureâ„¢ LED backlit display
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 2230, 2x2 BGN + WiDi Ready
HD webcam
Frameless LED Backlit Keyboard
HDMI output

Starting at 2.97 lbs

Bumping because I still have a few days left to finally decide.
A friendly reminder that I seriously don't need amazing specs, I just want to have a fancy use for outside/work+school. If anything I only need it to be able to multi-task well with my tons of programs and tabs that I like to keep open at all times.
But much thanks for the suggestions, I really like the Acer Aspire 7's design more than the macbook, but it's expensive and like I said I don't really need the amazing specs.
Thank you so much Nobyl for the detailed reply, but would you happen to be able to find a cheaper price range with decent specs? Like I said it's for outside use only so I'd prefer it to be thin slim and pretty c:
Anyways, thank you all in advanced~

I prefer toshiba ultrabooks.
Or a samsung one for a cheaper price

Don't choose design over practicality or specs, though, since this will not help you in the long run.

>Dont need the dvd drive for work
oh mn u so funi

Macbooks and such are great if you are more on the devving side, and if you prefer a zang of "prestige" if you may. Always have my handy macbook when i use ohotoshop and stuff. if you want everything else, go get samsung's new ultrabook, totally bang for your buck (no pun intended)