Originally posted by symphonix
When I toyed with the idea of switching to mac, the cost was one of my concerns. I have found, though, that this is another area in which Macs are far superior to PCs.
Now we're just grasping for straws here... so your're telling me that a NZ$3500 price difference between a new iMac and a PC system is really a benefit in some way? Are you really Jean-Louis in disguise?
Firstly, they hold their resale value for a much longer period.
This is absolute opinion. I had to sell my suped-up 9600, only two years old, for a whopping $250--WITH MONITOR. Furthermore, the depreciation on a Macintosh system is much more than a PC. Because of PCs competitive nature, you can find better leasing deals on a PC--which of course allows the tax break.
Also, they remain useful and productive for many, many years. I've even seen original, 1984 model Macs sell for $300+, and the buyers swear by them, simply because they do their work well, they are perfect for students and non-tech types.
And? How is this different than a Windows system that uses MS Office or surfs the internet? In my opinion, older Mac systems are extremely slow and not worth the pain. Older windows systems, however, can be cannibalized for parts. I just got into Linux, and I'm using a 486 chip to run an email server. Works great. Can't do that on a Mac, sorry. (Believe me, I would have liked to)
So, I made the switch. My Mac has never crashed in 12 months. Never. Nada. It does everything it is designed to do, and is an absolute pleasure to work with. I would never pay out for another built-from-parts-made-by-the-best-bidder-PC.
Well, I guess you're special then, because my iMac w/OS9 crashes all the time. The other day I got the Mac's version of the blue screen of death--the "Where's the OS?" flashing icon. Turns out the hard drive was unplugged. Would you like to explain to me how the hard drive could become unplugged in an iMac? I was horrified to think that the past two weeks of design work would be destroyed. And guess what? There's no easy way to check out the HD on an iMac. Luckily for me, the plug was next to the RAM bay.
I WILL pay for a PC with parts at competitive prices... they're no different than the parts put in every Macinsloth that rolls off the assembly line. And at least if I put it together myself, I'll know if the HD is plugged in properly. (Apparently this is a problem on a lot of iMacs--go figure).