Timely thread - having been burgled last week, and now being laptop-less, need to decide whether it's a replacement Windows based machine, or splurge on a mac....

One thing that's putting me off is the relative cost of a mac - I generally buy an entry level ish (£450 or thereabouts) and then replace it every 2-3 years. From a cursory look at mac prices, it's going to be pretty much double that.

Might need to call on Dave_C's expertise...