I've been doing a bit of comparison shopping for notebooks recently, and have to say that I think Mac's can be just plain cheaper out of the box, or at least no more expensive, depending on what you want to do with the computer. Unless I'm missing something, there's no real equivalent to iLife that comes bundled for free with any Windows-based computers. Also, the base MacBook comes with a 2Ghz processor, which is faster than what comes on the ~ $1000 notebooks I've been pricing. To get a PC notebook comparably equipped and configured for what I might want to do, I can't see how I would spend less on a PC than I would for a MacBook (which I can get for $1039 with workplace discounts). This is one of the real selling points of the Mac -- it's a useful multimedia platfrom with no ugrades at all. The flipside is that for these uses, cheap PC's are no bargain -- you have to buy software that you get for free from Apple, and this adds up. As someone upthread said, a computer is a tool. Assessing the value of one has to begin with defining what it's being used for.

Mike_in_NM asks:

"If Macs are really better and cheaper than PCs, then why don't more people own them?"

That's a good question.

Mike makes some statements and I agree with some of them (cost equity), but disagree with others (hardly surprising). However, in the broadest sense, I think it comes down to a couple of simple factors about human behavior. I've tried to break them out, but significant overlap exists:

1) Windows dominates the workplace. The reason I mention this first is because Mike suggests that the average Mac user is generally ignorant of Windows, but its pretty hard to believe that they're not forced to use it at work if they touch a computer at all. As such, its been my experience that virtually all Mac users also have Windows experience (regardless of if they want to or not! :-) Its also important to mention this first because Window's ubiquity cascades into the factors that follow below.

2) People are lazy sheep. Basically, a lot of people's think that if its good enough for the Jones next store, or for using at work, then its what they should use at home too. No thought required.

3) People are cowardly sheep. Heaven forbid that one buys a Mac and something "bad" happens (eg, Apple goes out of business, something is incompatible, etc). The real issue here is that people are known to have an irrational fear of the unknown, so no matter how miserable they may be, their attitude is: "better the Devil that we Know than what we don't know"…this is a resistance to change no matter how "good" that change may be.

4) People are inherently cheap. We've all had that office coworker who has (cough) "borrowed" licences of MS-Office and Photoshop software from work to take home, under a rationalization that it will be "just for doing work" while he's at home. Yes, I'm being polite and saying 'cheap' instead of 'thief'.

5) People routinely forget about accounting for small costs. They proverbially buy that cheap $500 PC, but then blow another $50 for a sound card and speakers, $125 for a HD upgrade, $80 for a Video card upgrade, another nickle here another dime there for RAM and CPU upgrades…and then eventually end up with $1000 worth of expenses, but they'll tell their friends that they got a (insert list of wonderful specifications here) "for only $500!".

Note: this isn't to say that incremental upgrades are a bad thing, but merely that most people (and I'm guilty of this too) do a lousy job actually keeping track of how much money they spent over time.

6) People say one thing and do another. When it comes to small costs (5, above), the annual renewal fee for AV software is a good example of a commonly overlooked PC lifecycle expense. If you point this out in a typical Mac/PC debate, the response will be that there's free 3rd Party AV products that can be used. Yes, there are - but most PC folk still use the commercial $xx/year products anyway.

7) People only see what they want to see. This cuts both ways, PC and Mac. Suggested reading is this article in _Scientific American_ on "confirmation bias": http://tinyurl.com/3xg3oo This subconcious selectability unfortunately means that these sort of Mac/PC debates rarely reach resolution, because people generally aren't really listening to one another…which is too bad.

8) Young Adults like to play games. A huge market has grown up around the PC in this regards, and it really is the platform to have if you're buying a PC to be this kind of toy. Of course, YMMV as to what kind of toys we each like to have; I'll take a Porsche, please :-)

9) Most people are uncomfortable with change. For the most part, the switchers to Mac were so unsatisfied with Windows that this overcame their resistance to change. Simliarly, the "PC Defenders" are afraid of change and their protests against the Mac switchers are the sheep who bleat "its wrong! don't go! come back!" because they're selfishly afraid of being left alone, and/or be forced to consider change. What they're really doing is broadcasting their own insecurities.

Ultimately, there is no right or wrong, just differences in personal priorities and preferences. Taking the 'risk' of going with a minority is an interesting paradox, because culturally we like to associate with winners, but Society also likes to root for the underdog. The bottom line is that competition is good, so PC advocates shouldn't complain about Apple strengthening: I find it amazing that they bleat so loudly despite Windows still having a 90% marketshare dominance!

-hh

What is this about the average PC lives only 2.5 years? In my 6-computer household (4 people, so 4 desktops and 2 laptops), one is a year old (one of the laptops). One we've had for probably 10 years (really-- and I bought it used, so it's probably 12 years old)-- and my spouse uses that every single day. The others are some age in between. I do buy new desktops because, well, they're so cheap, and they go faster. :) But the old ones work fine. Not to say I haven't had problems, but usually it's a matter of getting a new hard drive. The only real problem I've had was with one computer-- the motherboard died after about 4 years. Oh, I did drop a laptop and ruined a screen.

Anyway, I have no doubt that many PC owners buy a new one every 2-3 years, but that's because new computers are faster, and it's cheaper to buy than upgrade. Doesn't mean that the old ones are broken, just that we give them to the kids or move them to the back room.