Scott Finnie at Computerworld has done an analysis of Macs versus PC costs and concluded that Mac’s are in fact less expensive for a similar configuration than Windows based systems from Dell and others.
Scott writes: “I was a little surprised to find that Dell’s Inspiron line doesn’t currently offer processing power equaling that of the MacBook Pro. To get a 2.33-GHz Core 2 Duo processor (a 2.4-GHz version isn’t available yet), you have to move up to Dell’s more expensive XPS M1710 with Vista Home Premium.
Once I did that, though, and tricked out the M1710 with only those extras it had to have to compete with the MacBook Pro, I was surprised to see the Dell come in at a whopping $3,459, some $650 more than the Apple product.”
The cost analysis can be found at:
Mac vs. PC cost analysis: How does it all add up?
Also of interest is a follow on article headlined as Round II in which he compares ease of use and life cycle cost of the alternatives. In this article he concludes:
“Mac users who have Windows in their past tend to agree on a simple point: The Macintosh operating system and its custom-tailored hardware make for a far more reliable, less trouble-prone environment than Windows. It’s difficult to put a price tag on that advantage, but it’s the advantage that I find the most compelling.”
Moving on to point out the pleasurable experience of computing on the Mac:
“The unexpected advantage I gained is that using my computer is more enjoyable. My concentration isn’t broken periodically by problems, updates, security pop-ups and the like. I’m not thinking that I’m using a Mac. I’m thinking about what I’m using the computer to do — what I’m reading, writing, figuring, buying, watching and so on. The Mac becomes just so much chrome wrapping the data I’m interacting with.
You’re not conscious of your TV while you’re watching it. That’s the way it is with a Mac. I found that much harder to achieve on Windows PCs, which are constantly drawing attention to themselves.”
The Mac vs. PC cost Analysis: Round II