If someone else is paying, I guess it doesn’t matter that Apple charges a huge premium for looks. You pay more and get less. I have a ThinkPad R61 running the 64 bit version of Vista Business, and it is rock solid. Stable, never crashes. Apple is a ripoff and they lock you in to their hardware/software combo, eliminating choice. Stay with Vista.
That is literally not true.
While you can buy a PC for less money than a Mac, that's because Apple simply does not compete in the bargain basement. However, when comparing like systems with matching or similar hardware, the Apple is competitive and often less expensive than the PC models.
Sometimes the price difference is dramatic. When the Mac Pro came out, it was $1367 less expensive than a Dell built to duplicate the features (without the software suite) of the Mac. Nine months later the Mac was still around $700 less expensive. The apple all-in-one iMacs are consistently better equipped and less expensive than the PC alternatives.
As to a "lock in of hardware/software" and "eliminating choice," that is absurd since the Mac can run 100% of Windows, Linux, Unix, and Mac OSX software... all at once if you desire.
In one sense you do get less, since the slimmer low-power version of the 14" ThinkPad is about the same size and weight as a fully loaded 15" MacBook Pro. The bulkier, full-powered one is bigger than a fully loaded 17" MacBook Pro, although it does weigh less since the MBP has 50% more screen.