BigGov

It also depends on other uses.

Music, Photo Editing, Graphics, etc. - Mac. No Question.

Gaming - Dell, Gateway, Alienware.

Compromise of all of the above - IBM T40 (legit 7 hour battery life, Centrino technology, extremely portable.)

Some problems ya might run into with a Mac are those of just getting used to the Mac OS, and dealing with lower processing power that comes with the Macs.

Also, price range is another big factor. If you have $3,000 you then have the options of the Apple Powerbooks and the higher end PC laptops such as Alienware and higher end IBM's.

Also if portability is a factor, the Alienware idea is out, some of the Macs might be, and you might want to look at the IBM X series.

You can analize this all day, if you want more specifics, decribe more about what you're going to use it for

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One day an Englishman, a Scotsman, and an Irishman walked into a pub together. They each bought a pint of Guinness. Just as they were about to enjoy their creamy beverage, three flies landed in each of their pints. The Englishman pushed his beer away in disgust. The Scotsman fished the fly out of his beer and continued drinking it, as if nothing had happened. The Irishman, too, picked the fly out of his drink but then held it out over the beer and yelled "SPIT IT OUT, SPIT IT OUT, YOU BASTARD!"