I know I'm late to the conversation, but I have a few friends who are "hardcore" computer geeks/nuts what have you and this is what I've taken from the information I have been given.
Macs have come a long way in compatability with software that was originally intended for Windows based machines. This is largely due to Apple dropping their own processors and adopting Intel processors and chipsets which has helped Macs become more versatile as well as affordable. The versatility of their newer operating systems in being able to run Windows means that you can have both worlds.
As for the price premium, some of it is justified and some of it is most likely due to the cool factor they have. A friend of mine who has worked in the computer service industry for quite a few years has told me that Macs do indeed use better parts than "most" generic PCs of the same spec, but the vastness of the price difference isn't completely justified.
As a car nut and possibly a computer enthusiast, my personal preference is towards Windows for a couple of reasons. I don't know Mac OS well enough to get everything out of them nor would I be able to save or recover it in the event it were to give me the Mac equivalent of the blue screen of death. I don't have any "need" for a Mac for things such as video editing or graphics design, and until you are at the upper echelon of those fields, a PC would do just as well. My personal setup is a pretty kick butt quad-core gaming desktop which I intend to last me 4-5 years and another 1-2 with minor upgrades. This is accompanied by a 6-cell netbook which does everything I actually need, aside from gaming and when doing normal internet browsing, essays and taking notes will last 10-12 hours on a charge. Better gaming and mobility for about 2-300 less than what I would have paid for a Mac that would have had satisfactory gaming experience and just enough battery life(-5-6hours). With my accident prone tendencies, I'd feel much better dropping or losing a netbook than a Mac.
I hope I haven't made your decision any harder for you.
