Some of the comments here are quite comical. One guy disagrees with the assessment that Macs are cheaper because he's a broke college student and cannot figure out how to come up with a little extra cash. Another guy thinks it's all just marketing and slick logos and thinks if you cannot deal with viruses, spyware and a substandard OS, you must be stupid. These are very laughable and typical of people who simply hate Mac, but really have not ever spent much time using one.

I've used both Windows and Mac for over 16 years and the current Mac and OS offers better value for the average user... period. OS X, especially Leopard, is a solid OS that is well-organized, feature-rich, secure and easy-to-use. The iLife suite that comes with every Mac adds to the value and provides an easy and fun way to work with video, photos, music, blogs and more.

Vista, I would say, is Microsoft's best OS to date IF you don't have to worry about any older peripherals, applications, networks or machines. Unfortunately, many PC users don't care much for Vista and are (for now) sticking with XP. The fight with viruses and spyware and frequent visits to tech support seem less of a hassle than upgrading hardware and software. This I don't get, but it's still the case.

I could on detailing Mac value over Windows machines, but let me just list a few points to wrap it up:

* Most people who say Mac's suck or don't have good value, have never used one or have not spent much time using one with OS X.

* If you value your time (put a price per hour on it), you'll find Windows cost you way more dealing with various problems (inconsistent application organization; incompatible software, hardware, fonts & drivers; viruses & spyware; repairs. - Mac users rarely deal with any of these.)

Farhad and many others are right - Macs are cheaper than PCs in the long run and they definitely offer better value.