Sometimes i think we need to look at the pricing issues in another perspective :
1) Apple has never hide the fact that it sets its profit margin at a comfortable level.
i.e. mac buyers must be willing to pay the style tax.
or rather, mac users enjoyed the experience so much that they are willing to pay
for the premium (haha. .... very funny argument, if u ask me)
2) Apple compares itself to Sony / Alienware and pricing premium is as such.
Don't compare Apple profit margin with SLS DIY shops which operates in
razor thin margin.
3) Mac provides iLife which vanilla PC do not provide.
Anyway, many users have gotten used to friendly versions PC installer/software which
Mac apps are not easy to get.
Anyway, am a recent switcher (less than a year).
It is not exactly smooth sailing but it is less frustrating than being a PC user.
Fact_1: Mac does slow down. I also need to force quit some applications
at times. (similar to end process in Windoze).
we need to understand that no matter how much praise we sing to Unix
(or Mach kernel/ NextStep which OSX is based on), there are still
zombie processes in Unix, and killing a process is still existing in real life.
we need to understand that there are no bug-free OS in this world.
Fact_2: Mac is not virus or WORM free.
One reason it is less frustrating than M$ may be because of "security by obscurity".
I.e. very good hackers / virus writers are an egotistical animal.
They write viruses to infect the masses.
Mac user base is never big never.
If one day, Mac community grows to be 50% of the PC population, I won't be
surprised to find Mac viruses written by clever hackers.
But I agree that Mac OS or UI is written with more careful thought than
M$ UI, regarding the human-computer interface.
I.e. it is more sleeker and easier to familiarise.
However, we must not forget that M$ has a huge R&D budget, and they
are making improvements on the usability end.
Currently, i think Mac still has a slight edge.
Fact_3 : Mac is not faster
In terms of launching application, and processing, we have take
into consideration price/performance vs stability.
I had an awful experience with M$ stability with some of its peripherals (or lack of).
Therefore, i weighed strongly on the stability and i switched.
I am not 100% satisfied with Mac stability, but i am much happier
with the switch than staying in M$, wasting easily 2 - 3 hours not
getting the PC to surf the net, after some casual browsing.
So, if performance time includes waiting time for the stupid M$ PC
to reboot. I think Mac is much faster.
Mac buyers beware:
M1) you will have lesser peripherals to be compatible with.
E.g. stylus - u cannot try the latest, or cheapest u can find in SLS.
but rather stick to tried and tested, best of breed , ... , Wacom.
but again, money well spent. (if u have the means)
and u make sure that they are compatible with Mac
Printers/ scanners usually come with Mac drivers but ADSL modems/ joysticks
steering wheels, u must do some homework.
M2) u have lesser options on third party hw/sw apps
well, u should know it when u make the choice
M3) much less games
M$ PC platform has much more choices.
Mmmm, go for Xbox, or PS2 if u play games. period.
M4) iMac is definitely a better buy than Mac Mini if
i. u are into price/performance comparisons.
ii. u intends to stay in the Mac camp for at least one to two years
A fully tricked out Mac Mini will always lose out to
a vanilla iMac
M5) Apple care is not cheap. Default Warranty for mac products
is 1 year. Subsequent extension of support requires $$, aka Apple care.
Factor in the price in your purchase.
Best to buy Apple in a comp exhibition or use Education discount,
if u are still a full time student.
M6) It is recommended to subscribe to a Broadband package with unlimited usage
For me, my usage of Mac is casual browsing and some light digital photography
post processing. I am not into games.
I have a very frustrating experience with M$ PC, and given a choice, i rather
not try it again. Mac has served me well enough.
If I have to grade the two platforms based on my own home user usage experience,
I would say
M$ : C-
Mac : A-