bruceyg, the only disadvantage a mac has over the ibm lookalikes is that you can't buy them at a discount. At least, not one that I could find. Best we could do was to buy at Myers (!! yes, Myers) and get them to chuck in say, Microsoft Office for Windows at a discount.
But we've now had a laptop and desktop Apples for over two years and had zero issues. The wireless mouse and keyboard work a treat, I just loved it when my father-in-law (a died-in-the-wool IBM acolyte) peered at the desktop and demanded to know where the tower was, no virus and everything just, well, works. So you don't worry about not being able to get a discount. The savings in the first couple of months in time alone are worth it!
Enjoy it. Oh, and the laptop, with the backlit keyboard, is a delight to use at night.
