Probably the best thing to do is to see the displays you're wanting to buy in person before making a purchase. Informed decisions always make for less buyer's remorse, especially if you're concerned with color accurcary and consistency for Shake work.
Digital color management is a subject that's waaaay too long to talk in detail here, but GretagMacbeth (http://www.gretagmacbeth.com/) is the color management solution I use for photography and color correction work. Real World Color Management by Peach Pit Press is an excellent resource for color management and visual workflow in depth information.
Profiling and calibrating a display will give you much more control on what actual color is displayed, but it's no replacement for a good quality display.
In short, if you're near an Apple Store or Apple Centre I would recommend to take a look in person. I don't know if any Apple Stores have Shake installed on the demo machines, but it never hurts to ask!