Once again, thanks for all the advice.
I haven't actually taken the plunge yet, but everyone's comments are very gratefully recieved and have enabled me to narrow the field considerably.
A few friends and colleagues have Mac's of various varieties and they all rave about their simplicity and reliability etc, although looking at various comparison/recommendation sites, very few of them feature any Mac's.
Is that just industry pressure or simply "that those in the know" don't rate them for genuine reasons?