You do not believe that Windows 7 will 'work flawlessly' in the real world, do you
Time will tell
BTW I was not just talking about operating systems. I was talking about everything else too - hardware, software, bells and whistles, trendy things etc.
Obviously anyone buying Windows now would probably want to wait for 7, especially since this person's ThinkPad is still working - which is why I asked them why they want to get a new laptop anyway, if the old one is still going strong?
Why not wait to see how "flawless" 7 really is, in the real world, wait for the bugs to shake out a bit and stable updates to come out, wait for the initial buying frenzy among Windows fans to subside and then look for a real deal rather than being one of the first to rush in and pay top price.
Personally I don't recommend installing an upgrade over Vista if that is what they have, if it is XP maybe... but there again I would wait til all the bugs shake out. It might end up being easier to just buy it installed and wait a while for the prices to come down!
[The OP is not interested in MACs, so I don't know why you are commenting on them unless you are trying to make the point that PCs are cheaper, which everyone knows anyway. We won't get into why they are cheaper, because everyone knows that anyway too!]