If you want most of the advantages of Linux, a shallower learning curve and the ability to still use Office, the Macintosh is a better deal than Linux. Unless you either need to save every penny you can, or if you want to plunge into the guts of an operating system, you're better off with Apple.
A few months back, I needed a cheap Linux computer and wanted to give Wal*Mart a chance at my business, since I was pleased that they, a mass-market retailer, had introduced Linux computers. Turns out they did and they didn't; you can't buy the computers at stores. This was a great disappointment to me because I needed a computer immediately. I wound up going with Frys' Linux computer, which was actually pretty darn good for $178.
D
To each their own. Macs are just too expensive for my tastes. For the cost of one Mac, I can easily buy three or four comparable speed x86 systems.
Me, I use Linux as both workstations and servers. If I want a BSD-based server, I'd sooner go with OpenBSD than the FreeBSD-based MacOS.