I find that there are many Mac myths out there, especially the "faster" and "better for design" myths. While this may have been true many years ago, this simply is not true now.
Windows 7 is a great OS (in my opinion) and in my situation (large format graphic design focused), I find almost nothing lacking that would temp me to go anywhere else. Honestly, the OS is the only difference between the two. A Mac Pro and a high end PC are nearly identical inside. If anything, a custom built PC has the advantage of installing higher quality components as you are pretty limited with component choices in the Mac.
Everyone has their own opinions and preferences, there is no getting around that. As Choucove said, with all things being equal, the platform and software you are familiar with is usually the better platform for the individual. If you are comfortable on OSX (Mac), then you should probably stick to a Mac unless you need something that is PC exclusive (software usually).
To get a true high-quality, design capable Mac, you are usually looking at a Mac Pro and they are not cheap, but usually are good quality. That is not always the case though. I personally know of a member of this forum who bought two pretty pricey Macs (over $3k each after upgrades) this year only to find out that Photoshop didn't run properly on them (10+ second lag after every command) and to my knowledge, this is an issue to this day. The funny thing is that they bought a RIP system from us (as most RIPs are PC based, with few exceptions) that was faster and more stable than their Mac design systems.
As for the OPs questions, I would stick with a PC. Although you can get
Windows 7 to run on a Mac, it is a pain to have to boot in and out (back and forth) between OSX and
Windows. Also, you can get Flexi and Office for Mac, but please believe me when I tell you that both of those software packages are much better on PC, without a doubt. To be clear, I have a lot of experience in the
computer industry (Mac too). I have been to the Apple store (many times) and always leave without a Mac. I am usually there to get a monitor as they sell a pretty good one if you can afford it.
We build our own laptops and therefor get to pick the components. This has its advantages for sure, but for $1000, you may be limited as to what you get no matter what brand you go with.
Dell, HP, and Apple all have great laptops if you choose the right model, but none of their good models are in the $1000 range. Honestly, if you compare feature for feature and take into account the quality of the hardware inside, the PCs are usually a better value for most people.
One thing to consider that I haven't heard a lot about in this thread is support. Although this isn't usually considered in the initial cost of the product, it ALWAYS is a factor in the life of the
computer. You may save a few hundred $$$ going one way or another initially, but end up paying much more than your initial savings in support, repair, or lost productivity (downtime) if you purchase a system with lower quality hardware. I like the idea of buying “right” the first time and not having to struggle later. This should be a factor no matter which brand you are considering.
I try to not get into the Mac vs PC argument anymore. It is a tough argument and people are often very loyal to one or the other without rational reasoning. There are many good options out there, but as with anything , you usually get what you pay for no matter which brand you choose.
@ Choucove: I have my 8yo daughter running the Ubuntu flavor of Linux. I love the idea that it is so simple (as long as you don't make it complicated) and that is exactly what she needs 99% of the time. It is great because I have it installed on a 6 year old laptop that was way too slow for
Windows, but is very speedy in Ubuntu. Not much malware out there for her to run into that can infect Linux and that is a big plus too. Cheap, fast, and easy.
