Apple Mac advice for a PC person please!

[falconboy]

Hi everyone.

Hope this is the right place for a computer question as I couldn't find a specific computer section in the non-automotive chat.

Anyway, I'm a self employed PC technician and I've just landed the contract to do the in-home 'Computer installs' for a fairly large local Electronics/Home Appliances retailer.

Problem is, out of all their stores, their franchise is the second largest seller of Apple in the state, and I haven't had much exposure to Macs.

I can generally plug them in, connect to a network & install a printer (wired or all wireless), and install office, but past that I'm not really up on how they work etc and struggle a bit to totally understand their way of doing things, file management/storage etc.

I can't afford to buy a new one (even with their 'deals' for me), nor do I really want/need a new one (even though in the back of my 'PC mind' I do see them as superior to PC), but I'd like to pick something up second hand with a decent modern OS so I can at my leisure use it and find my way around them better.

So, can someone suggest what I should be looking for in a fairly modern Mac....is it only an 'Imac'?. And in regards to OS, what's the latest version (Snow leopard 10.6 or something?) and what's the oldest I should settle for. Alternatively I get the impression that licensing is a little more simple for OS-X than it is for MS, that I could potentially get the latest pretty cheap on ebay and just install with no problems with activation/licensing etc.....I read somewhere Apple are less 'strict' since OS can only go on an Apple anyway.

As for hardware, I've found a few Imacs around 2007/2008 with Core 2 duo/3gb ram/500gb hdd - would these be ok? I don't intend loading it up with a tonne of stuff so capacity isn't a major problem, just want something that still performs OK with simple apps/internet etc.

Any advice much appreciated.