that said, i'd look into getting a mac. my sister, my girlfriend, and myself all switched from pc users. none of us would go back, i love my powerbook. all of the problems that plague pc users don't apply to mac users (for the most part). viruses, spyware, and all the problems those bring don't affect the mac operating system. additionally, if your daughter is planning on studying art, music, film, video, etc., most schools recommend purchasing macs. i know that berkley college of music (boston) now requires all incoming freshman to purchase a mac.
the only problem for some is the lack of games, but i don't see that as a problem. there are a lot of people that asked questions relating to new purchases in the DU Macintosh Users' Group.
apple also has some excellent educational discounts. check them out at:
http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/routingpage.html