I read this post some time ago in MacWorld claiming that buying a Mac laptop is a reasonable choice, even if you plan to run Windows. It has the same hardware as Windows PCs and Apple gives you BootCamp which allows installing Windows side-by-side with the Mac OS. When I read it, I couldn't agree more. This was a main argument when I got my Mac. There's no risk here. Well, I changed my mind. I love my Mac and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for the best machine. However, if you need a Windows machine, don't buy it from Apple.
The reason is clear: When it comes to Macs, Apple's main concern is Mac OS users. You don't want to buy from a company which disregards your needs and considers you a second class citizen. Especially when you can just as easy get a machine from a company that (potentially) gives you all the attention you will need (Lenovo, HP, ...).
Here's the example: I installed Windows Vista on my Mac with BootCamp and it worked perfectly. Installation was smooth, performance is blazing fast, nothing to complain. Then I bought a Dell 20" wide LCD monitor. It works beautifully on the Mac. On Windows, well, that's a different story. The graphic driver cannot show the correct resolution. So the image is too big, unfocused and distorted.
My MacBook Pro uses a top-of-the-line nvidia GeForce 8600M GT, so, if it was a regular a windows machine, I would simply download the latest drivers from nvidia's web site. However, on a Mac, the drivers would not install and you have to use the drivers provided by Apple. I'm not the only user complaining about it, there are many posts in Apple's support forums regarding this issue.
Now, back to my initial claim, Apple does not care enough to deal with the problem. True, BootCamp is still in beta stages. Nevertheless, Apple is strongly advertising BootCamp's abilities as a selling point for new Macs. Beta or no Beta, the bottom line is that it doesn't work. They explain. If it was a laptop from a different known manufacturer, I'm betting I wouldn't have the problem to begin with. From the same reason I don't have a problem on my laptop when using Mac OS, and if such a problem occurs, Apple quickly releases system updates to solve them. The resources invested in fixing BootCamp bugs are far less than the ones invested in fixing Mac OS bugs.
The lesson is very simple: If you want proper service, be part of the mainstream. To give another example to this conclusion: this is why many companies don't care that their sites don't support Firefox. This is why most countries don't provide facilities for people with disabilities. Being a minority sucks.
Being a minority also means you're special.
