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I don't think there's much Microsoft specific stuff I need. I do a bit of coding in VC++ but that's a minor problem. As long as I can surf the net, read emails, watch a DVD, edit audio and video then I'm happy.


I use a Mac at home and a PC at work. Most things just work without much trouble. Firefox is Firefox and emacs is emacs, after all. If you like lots of Unix tools (I spend an awful lot of time dealing with LaTeX), then a Mac is much better than cygwin on a PC. Of course, if you want to run Linux or do some kind of VMware solution, then you get parity on Unix features (although the single-button mouse can make it tricky to deal with X apps that want to use three buttons).

For audio and video editing, there are some amazing tools on the Mac that don't have PC equivalents. This could well be a deciding factor in favor of the Mac. On the flip side, if you're into games, then the PC may blow a Mac out of the water.

If you really intend the computer to be portable, then the decision gets tougher. The 12" PowerBook is a furnace. Plus, Apple hasn't seen fit to sell a sub-three pound notebook, while all of their PC competition sell numerous varieties on the theme. This baffles me, because the difference is quite significant if you do a lot of travelling. On the flip side, if you're not planning to lug it around, the 15" Powerbook seems like the sweet spot in Apple's product line. Big screen, nice keyboard, etc.