The problem I found with an Apple out cruising is that you just can't find parts or people to work on them if something goes wrong beyond your own expertise. On the other hand, there are people all over the place in any decent sized city who can work on standard PCs and have all the parts. Right now I'm really enjoying Ubuntu running on an old Dell and also on an ancient Toshiba. So far, just about every piece of open source software I have used is far superior to the similar stuff I've used on Apples and PCs, and I use all the latest standard office type stuff and publishing stuff at work every day. Plus, I love the simplicity and speed of Open Cpn on Ubuntu. Try some Linux variation on any generic PC platform and I bet you will be favorably impressed, and you can still get the hardware fixed anywhere.