Yeah I didn't like the look of the actual Beats edition (plus it cost more).
I went between Mac and Envy and chose Envy. I use and repair Macs at work (iMac, MacBook, MBP) so I am quite familiar with them. Unfortunately Apple does not offer the level of customization I was looking for, and some of the specs were lacking especially considering the price. I also put in some of my own stuff for cheaper, use my own operating systems (not what the computer comes with). I don't use any of the Mac stuff like iLife so that's not a selling point to me. The software I use for personal projects is the same on Mac and PC so the actual operating system does not matter to me. The software I use for work is PC (Mac versions are either really shitty or non-existent) so the PC offers an advantage there and I use my Envy every day at work even though it's my personal computer, but it's more "comfortable" to use my own computer at work and right now my work Mac is acting like it had some kind of major stroke.
Sometimes the Envy's fan is running pretty high, but I packed an i7 quad core processor (not the introductory level on either) into a 14" form factor so for me that is to be expected.
I also considered the Dell XPS b/c my discount through Dell is better, but am glad I did not get that. I've seen a few on my desk and they are not really a true metal case like the Envy and MBP.