I am sure a lot of people will disagree with me, but if you are not a computer person and you want a laptop that will do what you want without driving you crazy, get a Mac.
You will pay more, but you will rarely have any problems with it. A PC is great if you understand how to tweak all of the settings to maximize the performance for the various software and hardware options you have. A Mac is better if you don't feel like having to learn all that. There aren't really any settings to change because Apple knows what hardware is in the computer so all the adjustments are made beforehand. Also, the software is great because instead of countless companies creating various types of software that have to run on various types of PCs, Apple just has to create software that runs on their computers.
If you feel like spending some extra money on a Mac, you can get a laptop you will be happy with. If you want to get a PC for about $400, in about 6 months, it will feel like a dinosaur because all that trial software that came with the computer expired and every time you start the thing it will ask you if you want to buy it. Also, most PCs are underpowered. They may all have those great visuals when you look at them in the store, but when you get home; you quickly find out that those great animations really slow the thing down. Even the cheapest Mac still has a good processor because they know you need a fast one to run the fancy graphics we all like so much.