From what it sounds you aren't too tech savvy.
I'd say getting a mac could be both good and bad.
Good: they are simple to use to an extent, and very safe (as far virii and the likes)
They run on a bundled (and free) OS which is very stable and is far less likely to crash than their PC counterpart.
If you are buying a Macbook, you'll now be able to impress all the "hip chicks" at your local starbucks.
Bad: Software compatibility, and in the end, being able to do less.
Value IMO is a big shortfall with Mac. I understand to an extent we are comparing apples and oranges with this, and the fact that there are so many competitors in the clone (PC) market makes it an unfair fight. ...But yeah PC's are more worth the money for what they are capable of. (Sans the aesthtic)
I have a PC that's like 7 years old, and with only 50 dollars invest in that time (an extra GB of RAM) it's still runs fine. I can hac--"Flash" xbox's with it, I can edit photos, I can unlock iphones, I can back-up and make copies of dvd's xbox games, and I can still play MOST games as long as they don't require more than my on-board vidoe card.
I think Mac has design and aesthetic down. However that isn't why I buy a computer. I buy it for functionality and honestly, there isn't anything I could do on a Mac, that I wouldn't be able to do on a PC (at a thrid of the price) You simply can't make that argument conversely.
Mac has it's niche. I think that Mac lovers begat more Mac lovers. That power of hysteria has afforded the folks at Apple a lot of money to design really pretty gadgets that work really well. I love Mac, but my overall suggestion would be to roll with PC, and Windows 7.
G'luck