Not an expert on the subject, but have recently gone through a serious review of offerings for a purchase of ten machines for my company.
For sheer reliability and ease of use (after an initial learning curve) it is hard to beat a MacBook Pro. Yes the OS is different, but today you can do anything you want on a Mac that you can do on a PC, including all of the Office Suite software. I have two personally, an old G4 that is 5 years old and has been passed down to my son; its NEVER failed to work properly and never crashed, froze or otherwise caused me a problem.
If you absolutely, positively, must have a PC based laptop you have to refine your search by answering some basic questions:
How durable does it need to be? You can get nicely priced laptops in plastic cases which will perform, but may be less than durable if you travel a lot or use it in rugged locations.
Basic computing or serious gaming or video editing? As components get better and faster to keep pace with gaming demands, deals can be had by buying last years technology if all you are going is basic personal and business computing. things like an i7 processor or super fast video cards will drive the price up several hundred dollars.
How much faith are you willing to place in a reputation? Dell has an up and down reputation. A few years ago their laptops were junk and customer service terrible. Before that they were state of the art. Now the professional IT people feel they are back on top of their game after having their lunch eaten.
Warranty and service. Apple has created a remarkable network of stores that also provide training and warranty support. If you don't go Mac or don't live near one, consider Best Buy. they are everywhere and if you buy their extended warranty package the Geek Squad is at your service. This beats having to deal with a Sony, Toshiba or HP rep over the phone, or worse yet, via email.
