Hello all,
I know its been a while since I posted but I have a new job at work and have been been real busy.
I also have tried CS3, after utilizing CS2 for a while. I recently upgraded to the new IMAC 24 (Intel) from the IMAC 20 (Power PC).
CS3 does load a litter faster on the Intel than before, however the cross-hair issue on all the brushes made it useless for me. Everything that I do relies on a lot of masking and I need the brush sizes to be precise. Other than that i do like some of the changes.
If you do upgrade and have filters make sure you download the updates for each one. A lot of them don't work with CS3.

I use IPhoto for many of my projects, I like the organization and the batch processing. It has some pretty decent editing especially if you know the "secret commands" for the changing the brush sizes. Iphoto can also utilize Photoshop or any other program for editing. While in IPhoto it will open the program and then save it when you are done, and you never have to leave IPhoto. Its also great for movies and slideshows.
John