Apple everytime!
Hi
The base model MacBook will last you longer than the equivalent priced pc. I have a 4 year old G4 iBook which happily runs the latest Leopard OS and is still worth selling on ebay for a few hundred quid, should I wish(which I don't). I doubt a basic 4 year old pc laptop would run Vista or be worth much secondhand.
You won't have to stump up for an antivirus subscription or program.
The Computer comes loaded with all the software you need to play with photos,music, movies, etc. Not add ons but really good software.
If you want to write or read word docs then buy iWork which......
includes three applications:
Pages ’08 for word processing (which can read and save word docs)
Numbers ’08 (which can read and save excel files)
Keynote ’08 (which is superior to powerpoint but again is fully compatible with it)
and it's £55! you may also be able to get a student discount on hardware and software.
Happy Shopping