I just got the Ibiza in Khaki this week. I haven't taken it out yet -- sorta saving it for a big trip I'm taking in the next few weeks (which is why I bought it)
It has a special compartment for laptops that is padded and I think could def. fit books, laptop, etc. though it still gets a bit heavy. The two outside pockets on the "Front" of the bag are a lil hard to access, in my opinion, though they are the length of the bag -- but you could probably stick a bottle of water in there. The outside pocket on the back of the bag is a short one -- good for a phone, keys, etc. -- nothing too big.
Inside, there is one zippered pocket (not huge) and then the compartment for the laptop that has a snap to hold it closed. On the other side of the bag, there are three open pockets (like most HH bags have).
In terms of price, if you live in NYC, you can try to see if the design shop is still having their 50% off everything sale... if not, try checking
amazon, or check the deals thread -- the cheapest I've seen it has been around $99 (though I got it from the billion dollar babes sample sale for $70 including shipping).