Depends on what you do. I find Macs to be much better for graphics work primarily because of the global menu bar, which makes application windows more free. Working with three or four images in Photoshop is a pain in the butt on Windows. Working with multiple apps at once is also a hassle. (Granted, I'm sure this is something I would get used to if I had to use Windows daily for an extended period of time.)
For video work...well, I've never done any on Windows, so it's hard to say, but I imagine it wouldn't be much worse than on the Mac, since Mac video programs aren't very Mac-like to begin with. Depends on the quality of Windows software more than the OS itself.
You might see Windows' vast software library as an advantage, but it can also be a liability, because the signal-to-noise ratio when searching for software is awful. 90% of Windows software is crap; and worse yet, it seems that most people don't even know it, or don't even care. This is expecially true of video encoders. I see so many corrupt/non-compliant video files made with Windows programs. Nobody seems to notice, because it plays in WMP (with whatever codec packs they have installed). But it won't play in any compliant players. Ugh. The same thing has happened with web design; many sites are designed to rely on
bugs in Internet Explorer. (This isn't as much of an issue today as it was 5 years ago, though.)
On the Mac side, we have all the tools we need, and they're actually
good. Thank god OS X is Unix-based, because we get a ton of well-written software made by programmers who really know what they're doing.
But ultimately, when it comes to creative work, the better platform is the one you
like. The truth is, I chose the Mac OS over Windows back in the mid-90s. And the mid-90s (and earlier) is when the Mac gained its popularity among designers. When you look back at that time frame, it's no wonder. Windows was garbage, System 7 worked. The Mac was unquestionably more friendly towards "non-techy" people, so of course it appealed more to people who were used to "old-fashioned" creative mathods
But none of the reasons I had back then really still apply. The only constant is the global menu bar — which is no small thing, from an interface designer's perspective. And many creative people today
grew up using computers. They were computer geeks before they were art geeks, unlike the people from 10 years ago. To them, things like intuitive interfaces simply don't matter, because they already know everything about computers.
I don't think creative types are drawn to Macs so much because Macs are good for creative tasks (even though I think Macs
are). I think they're drawn to Macs because they just
like Macs. There's something about the Mac OS that appeals to creative types — probably because it was
made by creative types. Back in the 90s, Windows was so ugly it was just depressing (and I wouldn't argue with anyone who said it still is); what creative person would want to submit themselves to that every day? The philosophy that shows through the design of the Mac OS is friendly and conducive to creativity (for me, anyway). Windows has an entirely different philosophy.
I know, the second I say "philosophy", 99% of the world stops taking me seriously, but to me, that's what it's all about. Software is an art. Interface design is an art. The philosophy and emotions of an artist will always come through in their work. Call it a "vibe" if you want (for lack of a better word, I will, too). The vibe I get from Windows makes me angry on a very basic level, and I'm not it top creative form when I'm angry.
Both platforms are capable, so again, it comes down to which one you like, for whatever subjective, hazy reasons you have.
</rambling>
Edit: Hey, I just noticed you're from NYC. Me too.
