Unfortunately, it is a colossal waste of money, you could buy 2 computers from Tigerdirect that would do the same and more. If you make your own machine, well let me just say what I built for $699 a few months ago will blow the socks off this machine, and that same $699 would build a machine that would outclass my new one.
As far as Windows goes, if you want to actually produce anything, Windows is what you need to use. Most really good production programs do not run on Apple products and Rhino does not run on Linux (doubt it ever will). I am no fanboy of any company or OS but Windows is it, if you actually produce anything. I have never met anyone or seen any business that uses Apple products (at least for any length of time). Linux is used on many servers, but when you can hook a $2 million dollars CNC right up to a Windows machine, and rather easily, and hook up tracing arms and the other myriad of off the shelf components, then there really is no other choice.
Having to run Windows on an Apple computer is demonstrative of what the problem with Apple is. Windows 7 is excellent (especially W7 64 bit), and my machine with XP runs rather flawlessly. If I had stuck to Apple, I could have never upgraded and customized my computers as I have done and will do in the future. Paying a premium for a "retro-look" is a marketing scam and if you have money to burn, P.M. me and I'll send you my address, I could use some.
The first language I learned was APL, remember that? Monitor, why have a monitor when you had a printer!
