I actually think that iPhoto is overrated and i prefer Windows Photo Gallery to iPhoto.
Vista's dvd maker and movie maker software look ok these things do not really interest me so i cannot really pass fair comment on this but i will say that Vista's dvd and movie software look better than what it does on XP.
Of course Paint is not the most advanced piece of software out there but when i bought a Mac i did have to buy myself a paint software package. If Apple supplied something quite basic i would not have done so. The Corel software that i bought cost me 60 pounds. I did not like what was available on the net and also i am not keen on downloading software anyway.
Also, i had to buy myself iWorks for basically the same reason as above and that set me back 50 pounds as well. I don't actually need something to advanced so iWorks which i had to pay for or MS Works which you can get free works very well for me.
I like MacOSX if i could get a Mac laptop that suited my needs i most probably would buy one right now (and install Vista via bootcamp) even though i got a great deal on the XPS M1330 that i bought a few months back.
I think the 1530 is not a developed specification at the moment, and they've introduced the same warnings as the 1330 had for long lead times - the 1330 is definitely the better buy at this stage. Dell had a hole in their range for a premium-ish consumer 15" but I don't think it's been filled well by the 1530, at least so far.
I think you've more or less hit on a point that I've been experiencing myself with the iLife and Apple-specific applications in general. While they may do a certain job well, many of the tools offered are easy to grow out of - and the pro-level tools have analogues in the PC world which makes them just as suitable. For "prosumers", people inbetween the two, Windows seems to be actually the better option if you're prepared to do some research.
iPhoto does a great job in many ways, but there's a whole bunch of things that for example an ACDsee bundle would do a lot better than iPhoto + Pixelmator for $80. iTunes is also a nice tool, but if you want far more control and versatility in your listening and syncing experience with none of the Apple limitations then j.River Media Center does it for $40. Vegas Studio does a better job than iMovie and is more of a prosumer tool than the decidedly consumer iapps for <$100. And for HTPC duties Vista Media Center leaves front Row in the dust. It goes on. For Office-related duties, the only area where Apple shines is as usual in the superficials: Keynote is a better live presentation tool than Powerpoint - for when you have to lie with style. Spend more, and you're inthe realm of the pro-level Apple apps - where Windows has also for the most part reached parity, if not superiority.
To me, what a computer does in terms of productivity, entertainment, entertainment etc applications and how suitable the hardware is for those tasks is far more important than what the OS does. In terms of the hardware, I don't care if the last visual detail has been sweated out if the engineering details have yet to be looked at seriously. And while Apple-ites may argue that fewer quality choices are better, it's just not the case - Windows has in many cases multitudes more options of more flexible and more capable applications (which may be a tad less shiny in their presentation).
There are some exceptions: For example, I've not found a standalone TV watching app on Windows that's better than EyeTV. But these areas of superiority are few and far between - and it's why my personal Macs remain pretty pristine (when they don't crumple at the drop of a hat that is).
