As the Mac turns 20, has the PC caught up?

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It's not the hardware...

Yes a Mac costs a few dollars more up front, though I think
that's arguable. If you want a Wintel machine with
accelerated graphics, high quality sound, firewire, CDRW/
DVDRW, etc, there's really not much of a price difference.
Yes, you can get an entry-level machine for $600 or $700,
but it's just that, an entry-level machine. Good enough for
perusing the web and doing e-mail. Even the entry level
Mac's give you quite a lot of band for the buck. I guess it
can be argued that Apple really doesn't make an entry-level
computer.

With that said, what most people don't realize is the cost of
ownership. Mac's usually use higher quality hardware, so
they break down less. Repairs on a Mac are no more then a
PC. Software on a Mac is no more expensive then a
Window's based system. People spend much more on
software then they do on hardware. If I buy a Porsche or a
Volkswagen, the gas I buy is the same price. Sure, I paid
more up front for my Porsche, but it's not costing me more
to drive it. Once it's paid off, I'm enjoying a great driving
experience and paying no more for that great driving
experience than the VW driver.

Also consider the great software Apple includes with the
purchase of a Mac. The free iLife suite of software is of very
high quality and very useful. The free stuff that comes with
Windows leaves much to be desired. A Wintel machine can't
come close to matching the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)
of a Macintosh. With Norton Utilities or Disk Warrior and a
little basic knowledge, a Mac user can usually resolve their
own system problems. This is not the case for Window's
users who must consult a professional and pay big bucks to
resolve system glitches.

I'll stick with Mac, the user experience more than makes up
for the extra up front cost. Just like the Porsche driver.

Posted by: gtdworak   Posted on: 01/23/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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