Best Way To Multi-track On An Ibook?, mbox or emagic? or something better? Options

[moonmandala]

i'm about to buy a laptop. i'm pretty sure it will be a new ibook and not the powerbook...
i am a musician and basically want to be able to record electric guitar, vocals, keys, maybe some loops and effects
i don't need studio sound but i don't want crap.
it seems like the most popular route to go is an mbox...and i've read the most about that - but what is this emagic ? and is there anything else that works just as well?

my concerns are that the ibook won't have enough juice to do this...does anyone use it with an mbox?
is it going to take me a year to figure out how to multi-track in protools?

any advice or suggestions would be SO appreciated!!!

thank you!