"Religion wars" rage not only between camera brand fanatics but between computer technology jihadists as well. This is a huge waste of time.  Try to avoid engaging. What you already have (unless it is very old indeed) or intend to get will be fine with a bit of care in selection or fine-tuning.

It used to be that Apple/Mac had the lead in multi-media and imaging technology but this has largely evaporated (no death-threats please). Wintel (Windows/Intel) users no longer sit in the back seat. You will obtain excellent results with either system.  The computer doesn't matter.

Apple comes more as a turn-key solution and many imaging software providers have Mac versions (Silkypix, Adobe, for example). There's no doubt Apple has been an innovator and many of the nice things now enjoyed by Wintel-ers are owed to that leadership. Conversely, if it were not for the great popularity of the PC, Apple might still be basing their business on Visicalc. There have been innovations all-round and we are the beneficiaries.

There's much, much more available for Wintel users but Apple enthusiasts will insist the best is already available for their systems and you don't need anything more. Well, God bless them if that's what they want to believe. I prefer the vast software/hardware choices offered to Windows users and, these days, even the attractiveness of the amazing Apple displays is matched or surpassed by many other products.

Don't agonize over system choice. The right Wintel box will prove every bit as good as an Apple but to get it that way may take more effort and expertise in selecting the right components so this is not quite as easy a path to take. Not every flashy monitor is good for photographic work and some graphics adaptors could prove similarly unsuitable. There might be important storage/memory options to consider as well. Just about any newer PC is suitable, however. The main thing to be careful with is the monitor and you should read the reviews to form some idea of which brands and technologies are best for photographic work. Be especially wary of units where the color balance and brightness change significantly with small changes in viewing angle. There are plenty of these in the lower price ranges and are best avoided. Furthermore, most if not all inexpensive monitors (< $500) have a color gamut restricted to sRGB. If you plan preparing pictures in the aRGB (Adobe) color space, you won't be able to see the extra colors. Many photographers are perfectly happy with sRGB so this may not matter. Just be careful to check if this is going to be important to you. 

Apple also used to have a big lead in file transfer technology with the "Firewire" (IEEE 1394) interface. This advantage has also gone away with the advent of USB 2 and external SATA (eSATA). There is no need to seek out Firewire anymore although it remains a great interface and is probably better for real-time video transfers (although I have never had the slightest problem with USB 2 and video). A possible advantage of USB 2 is that it supports longer cables to ease crowding in your work area. eSATA is very fast but can't support long cable runs. It's used only by external disk drives. Firewire and USB support a complete range of peripherals including scanners and printers. Practically all newer Wintel (ditto for Apple) motherboards have both USB and Firewire ports but if yours does not, there are expansion cards available for pocket change.

Get what appeals to you. You really can't go wrong. Just be careful with the monitor if buying Wintel.

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