I have 5 Mac's and all work great. The switch to Mac from PC is painless. If you would like some help let me know. It is very EASY.

Being a photographer I need a system that works.

Any time a question like this is posted, the fervent MAC supporters will always promote that you switch.  MACs are great computers but they tend to be priced higher than a Windows PC.

If you are just going to use your computer for web browsing, email and simple business applications, you will spend less on a PC.  

I don't use Vista because I had no real reason to switch from XP.  I do have XP running on two machines that have a "Vista" sticker on them.  The motherboard doesn't care about XP or Vista but you could be forced to scramble for an XP driver for things like your video card if load XP on a machine that was built for Vista.  The manufacturers of most video cards are smart enough to produce both drivers so people still running XP can buy/upgrade to a new video card on an older PC.

Bottom line, set a budget based on your personal needs and finances and shop for the best system you can get for that price.  People who have MACs love them but if you are just doing the basics you may spend more for a MAC than a PC.

Macs are seriously great. They rarely crash, and they don't get viruses or spyware. You do not need antivirus software or anti spyware programs.
You can run windows xp on them using a program called parallels if you need windows.
They are great for photography and Video.
They are more expensive, but you get what you pay for.

Doc

It's best to give us some info as far as how much you are willing to spend, what you will be using it for, and if you are looking into a desktop or laptop.

PC's are much cheaper.  You can get a decent PC for half of what you would pay for in a Mac. Software is also pretty expensive. For a laptop, the cheapest Mac laptop is $1099 (13" display).  
The iMac desktops start at aroun $1199 (although you can get a Mac mini for $599, built it doesn't have the monitor).

Macs are pretty popular with the creative comunity, meaning photographers, graphic designers, musicians, people who work with video media, etc.  They are great for that, but it's all at a higher price tag.  If you're just surfing and doing word processing, a PC will do just fine, and for much cheaper.

The main issue with Vista are the compatibilty issues, but vendors are releasing updated drivers for Vista.  Also, it's not as hard to use as people make it out to be, it's just a bit different.

I have both PC and Mac, and I prefer the PC for the cost and the availability of software.

As far as viruses, Macs are just as susceptable to getting viruses as PC.  It's just that Macs still don't have the market share as PC's (~8%), so the people who write viruses don't go out of their way to make them for Mac.  Since there's so many PC's, it does more widespread damage since there's more out there.

As others have said, you need to evaluate your usage, budget and goals. Also, in an honest, self-assessment, what kind of computer user are you? While many Mac users would have you believe they are the answer to everything, that isn't the case. They are the answer for some people, in some situations.

Reasons to get a Mac:
- You work in graphic arts, and all your peers use Macs
- You place a very high value on the external appearance of the computer
- Money isn't an issue

Reasons to get a PC:
- Wider range of software
- Cheaper to buy, cheaper accesories
- Easier document exchange with the largest number of people
- Widest compatibility of components


The biggest issue with PCs isn't the PCs. It is the users. Microsoft can only protect people from themselves to a certain extent. Beyond that, common sense still needs to apply.

As mentioned in another post, Microsoft dominates the PC market, so they are the big target. That applies to hackers and critics alike. If you really think about the Mac message, it is "Microsoft is so big, corporate and uncool. Buy a Mac." That can easily be translated to "Microsoft has been wildly successful because they put out a product that serves the vast majority of people's needs well, at a good price. They have the backing of all the major industry players and a huge market share. We want to grow up to be a lot like them."

Just my $.02.

Vista is great!!!!!!

I'm running Vista & like it better than XP which I still have on my home computer. Just couldn't run a few old, old programs.

If you want XP notebookshop.com will dumb one down for no extra charge.