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Most buyers naively only look at the initial purchase price of a computer and think that is "it". But the cost of a computer is its lifetime costs (not just the initial cost). Lets break down all the different aspects of computer costs individually -
Initial Purchase Price
This is the actual initial cost to buy a computer. In general Macs cost less than name brand PC's and offer much more performance/value at that cost.
You can still buy chop-shop garage clones for PC's for less than Macs (but not by much), but you get much less. Of course you can also bargain shop for Macs and pick up refurbished machines (with warranty's) or discontinued models for less than these chop-shop machines. When you start averaging for value - warranty, reliability, usability, Hardware you get with the Mac (like SCSI, ADB, etc.), software you get with Macs, then even retail Macs come out as the far better deal.
PC users also forget to normalize for the Macs higher performance - for example a PowerPC can dramatically outperform the Pentiums, but people buy based on MHz, and don't realize that the Mac outclasses the Pentium. To buy the equivalent Mac they could buy a much slower MHz machine. (See links on performance).Once costs are normalized, the initial costs of Mac purchases are much less. Some PC users are penny smart but pound foolish - they save a few bucks up front (or think they do), and don't ever realize how much they cost themselves down the line.
For more on the actual Initial Purchase Price (and examples) - Initial Purchase Costs
Installation and expansion
Once you've bought a machine, you get to bring it home and plug it in.
You can still buy chop-shop garage clones for PC's for less than Macs, but you would be getting much less. When you start averaging for value - warranty, reliability, usability, hardware you get with the Mac (like SCSI, ADB, etc.), Software you get with Macs, then usually the Macs come out the much better deal. PC users also forget to normalize for the Macs higher performance - for example a PowerPC can dramatically outperform the Pentiums, but people buy based on MHz, and don't realize that the Mac outclasses the Pentium. To buy the equivalent Mac they could buy a much slower MHz machine. (See links on performance) Once normalized the initial costs of Mac purchases are much less. Some PC users are penny smart but pound foolish - they save a few bucks up front (or think they do), and don't ever realize how much they cost themselves down the line.
For more on Installation issues - Costs to install
Productivity / Ease of Use
Machines real value is not measured in how much it costs, but in how much the user can use it, and how quickly and easily.
Every study ever done has concluded that the Mac was easier to use, and that its users were more productive. Which is the real measure of a computers value.
There was one biased study by MS that concluded that Windows 95 was a little better than a Mac, but it was so blatantly crooked it was funny. IBM, Apple and independent parties jumped on MS's stacking of the study. See [DARKSIDE : FLAWED STUDY] for a laugh.
Many other examinations have been done on how many applications a computer user actually uses on their machines, or what they are using their machines for. Mac users, on average, are using more applications than PC users. Mac users are often using more cutting edge capabilities and pushing the envelope. Mac users are using their machines more. Which all makes perfect sense when you remember that this is the computer that is the easiest to use.
Read my User Interface pages for more information on why the Mac is superior in productivity and ease of use.
For more information on Productivity - [REFERENCE : EASE OF USE].
Maintenance (Support) Costs and expansion
Computer costs not only are the purchase price, but also all of the day to day costs to keep the machine up and working, upgraded and updated.
For more on Installation issues - Costs to maintain
Peripherals
The is an old myth that Macs use special peripherals that cost more than the PC counterparts. But the Mac has almost always supported the same peripherals as PC's. Sometimes Mac variants have more features - like Apple monitors support resolution sensing and higher scan rates (for clearer images) - but Macs still work with PC's peripherals as well.
For more on Peripherals - Peripheral Costs
Conclusions
Even if the PC's did cost less initially - which is a stretch - that would not alleviate all the other factors that contribute to a computers cost. Macs are still easier to install, easier to maintain, and easier to use - which is a lot of costs (time and money). Macs are easier to expand, and are often far more expandable (and pre-expanded) as compared to PC's. Macs offer more value, have higher customer satisfaction and higher reliability than PC's. If you have any doubt, then check out - [REFERENCE : COSTS] for all the studies and testamonials of people that beleive that Macs just cost less.
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