People always say Macs are more expensive but that's not true.
1) You get a great set of USEFUL and POWERFUL software with the machine, instead of some 30-day versions of crap.
2) A Mac stays up in value more than any PC. F.I. I bought my Mac Mini in sept 2006. I upgraded to Leopard and it's running FASTER than it was before. Try that with an upgrade from (f.i.) XP to Vista. Apple is now working on Snow Leopard, and instead of the wrong direction MS is always taking (adding more features) they are focussing on getting Leopard to perform better. I've NEVER heard anyone from MS say they would actualy concentrate on that. It's a non-issue because in their devilish pact with the hardware manufacturers they make sure every new version of their OS needs more horsepower, thus forcing people to buy a new machine every 2/3 years.
When Snow Leopard is ready, my Mini will again make a performance jump. Not that it's really necessary, it's powerful enough for my day-to-day jobs I do on it. So, I will be using it for 4/5 years and it will run faster than when I first bought it.
Also, Macs are selling for higher prices second hand (at least here they are).
3) Cost of wasted PC time. I mean having to deal with hardware/software issues on PC's took me a lot of time when I was a PC user. Simply having to run virus and malware scans is already a burdon. But it really gets bad when you start to get problems that take you hours to solve. I've always wanted to use a computer as a TV: turn it on, work, turn it off, walk away. On a Mac that's possible.
4) Apple refuses to use below-par components. I mean f.i. the processor. There are no Macs with crappy Celeron processors. If you compare laptops with the same hardware specs between Apple and PC compatible machines, the Mac is not that more expensive.
5) More value for money. You get a beautiful machine. In looks and feels. It's quite. It's working.
I've never been a PC enthusiast. I've used a Jackintosh (Atari ST) for as long as I could (until way into the 90's) and loved it. I was never glad that I "had" to switch to a PC and now I'm glad I could a afford a simple Mini that just does what it's supposed to every day I use it
