I'm Thinking of Getting a Mac...

Hey, folks. I'm going to bring up something I've been thinking for the past month or two. I've been using Ubuntu (dualbooted with Windows) for a couple months. While Ubuntu is good for basic stuff, Windows is pretty uninspiring. I've been seriously considering getting a MacBook Pro, or an iMac. So, I came here to ask about them from people that use Macs daily.
My only concerns are:
-Cost (Is it too expensive? Or is the price actually good, in the long run?)
-Quality of OSX (is it good? More inspiring than Windows? How customizable is it?)
-Quality of MacBooks/iMacs (Are they durable/reliable?)
I also want to know, what problems have you guys had with yours?

I've tried Ubuntu, and I liked that. But, I'm sick of my PC. I've heard that the GNOME Desktop is similar to OSX's Aqua, and it's got some lovely eyecandy. I've heard that it's excellent for animation, sound editing, web design, movie editing, and a lot more.
Also, a handful of games have been ported to Mac, as well as useful apps like Photoshop, Office, Flash MX, various game engines.
So, how are Macs? Do third party game engines (such as Adventure Game Studio) run well on them? How are third-party apps in general?
I only have a low-level job at McDonald's, but I want a durable, powerful computer that I can get through college with. Something that does animation, artwork, schoolwork, and also games.
What are your thoughts/experiences?

It's all subjective of course, but I guess you're not here for subjectivity...

-Cost (Is it too expensive? Or is the price actually good, in the long run?) - Despite what you may have been told, Macs are more or less the same price, for the same specs, as you get on a PC. What is more expensive is if you upgrade via Apple, as opposed to going to a decent 3rd party supplier. So get your additional HDDs, RAM etc from someone else.
-Quality of OSX (is it good? More inspiring than Windows? How customizable is it?) - OS X is, objectively, more secure than Windows and more stable (as in application crashes are less likely to bring down the system). It is customisable, but not as much as XP IMO, unless you're willing to reall yopen up the command line...-Quality of MacBooks/iMacs (Are they durable/reliable?) - Macbooks have had some quality issues early on: Flickering screens (I got mine fixed just this week), noidey fans and some odd shutdowns) - however these seemed to have been ironed out on later models.

Have you looked at all the information about OS X Tiger on the Apple site? That gives a good overview of everything.

It's main focus is simplicity. Programs live in self contained folders so your hard drive hasn't been spewed on with millions of files. The dock also means programs are easily launched and switching between them is easy. Expose is a system where you can choose windows and look at everything with a single mouse click. No silly add ons such as 'Windows Defender', anti virus or sypware programs.

And you can use Windows on one partition just for playing games if you want.