Very few American consumers have the ability to see past initial cost and calculate the total value and total cost of ownership.

Mac is actually easier to use. Because fewer people use it, one is bound to assume that Macs are more difficult to use than Windows.

"A man should always think of the source of water as he drinks it"

If man does that, he will puke everytime he drinks recycled water. :)

Man… I hate discussions about why Mac is so much less than Windows with obvious Windows extremists! They always quote the fictions created by salespeople that make more commission on cheap PCs than the Macs. I will just cover a few obvious fictions here…

No! No! No!!! There are no Mac OS X viruses! PERIOD! The supposed "root kits" are not and never could be viruses. In order to be a virus a program has to incorporate itself into other code and replicate! These supposed "root kits" did neither! They were also developed and released by an anti-virus program company apparently attempting to increase sales to Mac users.

Given this logic, no-one would ever write viruses! That idiot in Minnesota didn't write the love letter virus. He was a high school student that added his name to the code and re-released it.

Not true. MS got big by literally forcing their competition out of business after stealing their technologies.

Did you also read that Apple is the largest distributor of UNIX worldwide?

As far a "build it yourself" for under $1000, I can get a great Mac for under $1000 too and not have to pay Mr. Gates for an OS. I put a flashed ATI 9800 card in my Mac too for much less than the Mac card costs. Yes. It did speed my Mac too. :)

I see them as apples and oranges. I meet people all the time that are on one side of the spectrum. Either mac or PC, but I am in the middle. I could care less about elitism. I know how to use both, I repair both, I configure both, I support both. I like both.

IMHO, people need to realize that both are good machines when used properly. When someone buys a dual G5 to surf the internet and do email, I think its dumb, and a waste.

As for my sub 1000 dollar gaming rig I built, I guarantee it will eat any sub 1000 dollar mac for breakfast. My 6800 alone kills any mac video card out there. Unless you want to count the DDL nvidia card for macintosh, but that card is 600 dollars by itself. Where as on the PC side, and SLI card is much cheaper and has the same specs. Its things like that I just don't under stand.

Anyways, I am not trying to start an argument, just a discussion. If someone out there can really convince me that macs are a billion times better than x86 machines, then I will change my mind. Until then, I am sticking in the middle and looking at pros and cons of each

needs a scan
 

This guy needs a spyware, maleware, and virus scan urgently...

Tlarkin, you make good points that are correct. There is room for both, and a reason for each.

I'm an old hacker who started by building a computer from scratch components (2200 individually soldered parts). I grew into the business, never went to school (I'm a high school drop-out). I have built, hacked, and fixed a lot of machines in my life. I'm done. I just want a machine that works, out of the box, every time I need it. My job now is much more business/consulting oriented, and playing with hardware just gets in the way. I have no desire to ever build a computer again.

For me, the Mac is a perfect solution. The power/stability of Unix, ready to use simplicity. I *can* drop to a command line and do anything I need on a network, but I can spend all day in a GUI doing business stuff.

For a hobbyist/hacker, a home built with Linux is powerful and fun. I went through that phase. It's certainly not a good solution for someone who wants to USE a computer more than work on it. And it can't be compared in value to a Mac in any way. Yes, it is "faster" when put to the test, but will the average user notice? What does the average user need beyond maybe a G4-800 or a Pentium 1.2GHz? My mom has a dome iMac G4/800 and can't picture what a "faster" machine would do for her.

Value is the fulfillment of a need for a certain price. Macs fulfill the need to have a simple, working, stable machine, at a certain cost. A home built with Linux fills a different need, at a lower dollar cost (but with a labor cost added). It's not a better value for those who just want a working machine to accomplish certain needs.

Amen to that, CAlvarez. Well said.

Very nice Cal, I am with you.