Cameronian,
Basically what Saab said.
That is your main problem. The Mac world has moved on
a lot since then.... for a start, the big Motorola -> Intel transition means that you can now happily run Windows in a window where it belongs thanks to VMWare Fusion (or Parallels if that's your preference). If you want to experiment with Linux, same thing, try it in a Window.
I would say stick with Apple, but perhaps look at the MacBook rather than MacBook Pro range and spend the money saved on maxing out the RAM. Or if she doesn't need a laptop form factor, get a desktop model, with any manufacturer you'll always pay a laptop premium.