New laptop. Commentards, lend me your opinions.

New laptop. Commentards, lend me your opinions.

So folks, the time has come for me to get a new laptop. My 2009 13" MBP is, while still reasonably operable, feeling the weight of its years and I have a nice job which enables me to afford shiny new gear. However, I am not a fanboi and so I am considering the possibility that non-fruity machines may suit my needs. I would like to hear your opinions (please keep the fighting below 110 decibels).

My requirements:

- It will be used primarily for leisure, mostly web browsing, netflix, music. Gaming is done on my desktop.

- I also write some code - mainly python and bash, and it would be useful to be able to run a VM or two.

- I value reliability, performance and build quality

- I have experienced the magic that is flash storage, and it is good.

- Reasonably portable. 15" machines would only be acceptable if comparatively light.

- I am exceptionally attached to the quality of the trackpad and useful related features like hot corners. I haven't yet encountered another manufacturer's offering that compares, though the HP elitebook is pretty nice.

- I am not opposed to Linux per se, but I run a home lab with several penguin-flavoured VMs which fulfill my need for the power and versatility; comfort is more important for this system.

My budget:

- Currently considering things around the £1,000 to £1,200 mark. Higher would be possible but I would have to wait another month or so.

Other concerns:

- I am currently working in Belgium so availability there is preferred. If there was a good offer in the UK I could ship it to family and collect when I visited, however.