John, Another question ... if my key goal is better organization (since I'll still use Photoshop for my work), then what software should I look at other than Aperture or Lightroom?
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My own preference is iView. Just to give one example of why you might prefer it, LR won't import CMYK images or Lab (not checked recently), or large stitched images (10000 pixels), and Aperture is no use for managing non-photographic assets. Many photographers also have other media - eg wedding photographers might have video - that needs controlling as part of the same project. iView is multimedia.
Aperture and Lightroom are mainly for bulk adjustment of photographs, linked to archive management. If you're a fine art, low volume worker, and do lots of detailed Photoshop work, they're of marginal use. If you have a 600 a day habit and deliver to press deadlines, they're probably too slow. But there are a lot of other roles where they can make sense - eg wedding, performing arts freelancers. In each case, it's volume that is causing pain.
One thing worth checking out is whether all your cameras are covered - I said "have been using" because you need to be sure the app handles stuff from your older cameras too, and newer esoteric models. Aperture is weak in this area - about a third of the number that LR handles.
But so much depends on your precise needs so get them installed and see how they fit your work.
John