hey!

im a graphic designer in the same boat as you thinking of getting a macbook pro. i just wanted to share my thoughts with you.
there are a couple of differences between the MB and the MBP that make the MBP a batter buy, but hardly any reason why illustrator wouldnt work on a MB!
while the 15" screen is better than the 13" MB's this isnt a real issue if you go with a nice external display. then again, if this is a portable, then you cant draga display with you everywhere! MB: 0 MBP:1
while the MB has a descent video card that will run everything, since illustrator is vector based, and vectors is all about number crunching- the better video card in the MBP is just that BETTER. so while illustrator may run on the MB, itll run better on the MBP, and ohh you can completley forget about gaming or descent speed video editing with the MB. MB:0 MBP:2
PRO. this may not be the best reason to get the MBP, but its still a valid one. You look like more of a professional with the silver MBP, rather than the MB which just screams "college kid!" -not that theres anything wrong with that!
FINAL: MB:0 MBP:3