what kind of laptop should i get? a mac or pc?

That is really up to your personal preferances.  Macs are very good, but there is alot of windows laptops that are just as good, but alot cheaper!  Compu America has the Macbook Air selling for $1395.00

Manufacturer	Apple, Inc
Manufacturer Part Number	MB003LL/A
Manufacturer Website Address	http://www.apple.com
Brand Name	Apple
Product Line	MacBook Air
Product Name	MacBook Air Notebook
Marketing Information	MacBook Air Notebook is ultrathin, ultraportable, and ultra unlike anything else. But you don't lose inches and pounds overnight. It's the result of rethinking conventions. Of multiple wireless innovations. And of breakthrough design. With MacBook Air, mobile computing suddenly has a new standard.
Product Type	Notebook

Walmart has the Dell Inspiron 1545 selling for $498.00
For fast, fun mobile computing to match your on-the-go lifestyle, there's nothing like the Dell 15.6" Inspiron 1545 Laptop PC.

Key Features:
• Intel Pentium dual-core T4400 processor
  2.2GHz, 800MHz Front Side Bus, 1MB L2 Cache
• 4GB shared dual-channel DDR2 system memory
  Enough memory to handle today's most memory-hungry applications
• 500GB hard drive
  Store your photos, music, videos, documents and more with plenty of storage space to spare
• DVD/CD burner drive
  Play and create CDs and DVDs with this read/write DVD drive
• Wired Ethernet, Wireless WiFi
  Connect to a broadband modem or network with 10/100 Ethernet LAN; connect wirelessly to a wireless network or hotspot with Dell 1397 b/g WLAN
• 15.6" diagonal glossy widescreen display
  1366 x 768; Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD integrated graphics
  
  Additional Features:
• Your Choice, Red, Blue, Purple, Pink, White, Green & Black
• Built-in 1.3MP webcam
• 7-in-1 digital media card reader
• 6-cell rechargeable battery
• AC power supply included
• 2.0 high-definition audio