Best leptop for me

Hello marth57;
You have a budget in mind?

Here are a few options.

Toshiba Satellite C655D-S5126 @$ 389
AMD E-240 Zacate 1.5GHz GPU, 3GB RAM, 320GB HDD, and 15.6" 1366x768 LCD w/ Radeon HD 6310
It's a low power, low performance long battery life laptop. It will do all those things you mentioned - maybe not all at once though.

Acer Aspire AS5736Z-4801 @ $400
Intel Pentium T4500 2.30GHz dual core CPU, 3GB RAM, 250GB HDD, 15.6" 1366x768 LCD w/ GMA 4500M graphics.
This is fairly fast general purpose laptop.

More modern version for $400 also at OfficeMax
Acer Aspire AS5742Z-4646

Do you have any screen size or portability requirements?

A few more options:
Toshiba Satellite C655D-S5136 $400
AMD Athlon II P340 2.2GHz CPU, 3GB RAM, 320GB Hard Drive, 15.6" 1366x768 LCD w/ Mobility Radeon HD 4250 Graphics

Acer Aspire Timeline AS3810T-6376 13.3" $500 thin & light, 8hr battery life $900 "list price"
C2D SU9400 ULV 1.4GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD 13.3" 1366 x 768 LCD, GMA 4500HD. Good feature set for a thin & light laptop.
Acer Aspire Timeline 3810T reviews good review scores

I know I could get a MacBook for under $1000 but don't think I need that nor do I need to spend that much. What I have heard about Apple that appeals to me is that you can have them for years and not have repair worries and that they seem to be virus proof. Again just what my novice ears have picked up. So to answer your question I would like to spend no more than $400 or $500. I would appreciate any feedback regarding Apple value versus a PC. I haven't ever owned an Apple but would be willing to make the jump if it is the right thing to do. Thanks.

that was the case years ago.

You are not going to find a 13" Macbook for $500. $900 maybe. If you want to go by a reliable source like Consumer Reports then all laptops have the same reliability. Apple releases security updates for MacOSX and Safari just like any other software vendor. It still crashes like any other OS. The touchpad is very nice. The screen is better than most. You pay a premium for that not value.

The business class machines usually have the longevity you probably associate with the MBPs.
In your budget range something like:

Dell Vostro 3400 Laptop $519
Core i3-370 CPU
Dell Vostro 3400 review

Dell Latitude 13 ultra-thin Laptop $460
1.3GHz C2D SU7300 CULV CPU

A little over your budget but worth considering if your Mac style fan.
Vostro V130 $558
1.2Ghz Celeron Dual Core U3600 CULV CPU
Vostro V130 review (different CPU)