Is a Mac Really More Expensive Than a PC? - Terms of Comparison
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Factor One: Most people will not be buying a top-of-the-line model when they go shopping for a new computer. It is simply a fact that the computers that make your friends drool for three days straight are going to be out of the price range for your average consumer, at least if they want to pay their bills that month.
Factor Two: Desktops are not the only machines on the market. More and more, laptops are becoming not just a mobile computer, but a primary computer for many users. That means that any comparison should include both a laptop and a desktop in order to be of use to the majority of people reading this piece.
Factor Three: The real costs of a computer include software. Let's be honest; no user has a system that is 100 percent without software on it. Now, I am not going to try and guess at all of your possible software needs. I would have to be a psychic to know that.
What we can assume safely is that your computer will more than likely have an office suite on it, so in order to make a fair comparison we have to factor this cost into the real world price of the machine. No computer exists in a vacuum, unless you count the one on the International Space Station. Gripe if you want, but this is a fair cost to consider.
Now that we have those issues out of the way, we need a starting point for our comparisons. Since Windows-based PCs can come from many sources and Macs only come from Apple, we are going to have to use Macs as the base point for our comparison. After all, the definition of what is a “basic” PC varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and it is always simpler to start at the fixed point then it is to begin by trying to hit a moving target.
So don’t think I am playing favorites here. I’m just the kind of girl who likes to keep things clear. Anyway, I am well-prepared for any grumblings of bias that may come my way because of this decision, so grumble away if you must, but now we will move on to the price comparisons.
Next: Basic Mac vs. Basic PC >>
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