I'm getting a Mac at work

The unibody MacBook has made Apple hardware about the same price as the Windows PCs we've been buying here at Computerworld. My system is up in the replacement cycle. Decision time: Go with the tried and true? Or try the Shiny New Thing -- knowing that there's going to be a learning curve, and I'm going to be frustrated (and less productive) for awhile by not feeling like a power user.

Most in the newsroom have been moving to Mac this fall if they're getting new machines. I ended up telling my boss -- Mac-loving editor-in-chief Scot Finnie -- that he could decide for me.

And so a MacBook is coming my way.

I'm actually eager to work on Leopard. Many others claim it's the best OS out there, and I'd like to see for myself, not just testing for a couple of months as I did with Linux, but using it for real longer term.

I've balked at buying a Mac at home for several reasons:

* I don't want to be locked into one company's hardware (at work, this is my employer's issue, not mine);

* I don't want to have to buy new versions of my existing software (once again, my employer's problem here);

* I'm concerned about connecting with some old computers on my home network (our IT crew takes care of that at the office);

* I'm worried how long it will take to get up to speed so I feel like I can do more than basic tasks (here at work, I sit next to Mac guru Ken Mingis, who's promised me tech support -- and already loaned me two books about OS X).

I'll be blogging from time to time on how it goes, and looking forward to hearing advice from readers as well as my colleagues on how to best make the transition. Thanks in advance!