I thought I would jump in as well. I am using Mac as well. Using a little older machine, dual G-4 2.0 GHZ processors, 4 GB of RAM, Dual 17" flat panels, and upgraded the system to OS 10.4 and running the brand new Final Cut Studio 2.0 design suite, and also have the new Adobe CS3 Master Suite with Premiere Pro CS3 and After Effects, Photoshop CS3, etc. It's nice to have the Adobe on the Mac now!! I started out with the Adobe Premiere and converted to Mac and Final Cut, but it's nice to now have the option of the 2. Some of Adobe's software is better to use, while some of Final Cut's is as well, now I can pick and chose which I like and it is all compatible!! The dual monitors is the only way to go also! Much more efficient use of time! A good cheap and effective way to start out for some one would be the Adobe Premiere Elements software, it is very beginner and user friendly and very capable as well! And only a fraction of the price.