Mac Powerbooks

With a move to Japan in my near future, I am in the market for a dependable and easy to operate laptop computer. I want to spend no more than $2,000, and of course spending less is better. Being a lifelong PC user, that is familar with windows, I originally planned on purchasing a Sony laptop--afterall, Sony is Japanese made, so tech support should be easy to find. Recently though, I have talked to a few powerbook owners who are very happy with their system. With the powerbook priced about the same as the Sony's I was looking at, price is not an determining factor. Instead, my concerns are with Mac vs PC issues. First question is if anybody knows what the tech support for Macs are in Japan? Second, I would like to hear any pros-cons of going with the Sony or powerbook. Lastly, will Mac cause me fewer problems than PCs? I know that my windows based system always has little quirks and bugs that need to be worked out. According to a friend, he does not experience nearly as many quirks with Mac. Is this exclusive to his use, or is that common among all Mac users? I should mention that I plan on using the laptop for internet, email, word processing, picture editing, music, wathching dvds, burning CDs-DVDs. I do not plan on gaming. Any insight would be appreciated.

--Thanks--