There's no argument here @5thWiggle. Buy what you like and like what you buy.
For novice users, and in the early days for graphics users, Apple was arguably a better choice. It was about 50% more expensive to purchase which is one major reason I went the other way. A hard drive, for example, was about twice as expensive for a Mac as for a PC because you could only get one from Apple, when you could buy a HD for a PC from Seagate, Western Digital, etc. Additionally, the PC runs, and always has run, more software than Apple. Many applications were only available for the PC and not the Apple which is why Apple finally came up with a PC-clone OS, which is a bit hypocritical in view of Jobs attitude toward the smartphone patents. So when I started, Apple was a rich man's toy with no "hackability." It was a no-brainer for me. Obviously others chose to differ and Apple survived. I still build my own desktop computers and have three in operation that date back to Windows 3.1 in the early '90's. My PC is clearly my choice for heavy-duty applications such as gaming and digital editing with an over-clocked CPU and high-end graphics card which I can now afford, hardware items that are difficult if not impossible to implement on a Mac.
I have two Apple iPod devices, a Shuffle and a Nano. Both are trash because the batteries are worn out. I will not purchase another hand-held device from Apple unless the battery is reasonably easy to replace and there are no equivalent choices. I do not own, nor do I want or need a "smart" phone.
And, no, I hate the Kindle's "unreplacable" battery, although I know how to replace it when I need to. I cleared that fence before I bought one.
I have nothing against Apple even though my own experience is far less than satisfactory. I was simply objecting to the heavy-handed control that Apple has always seemed to seek for its products. The statement header by Steve Jobs is indicative of his philosophy. Perhaps the courts will agree with his view, I suspect not. He simply wanted monopolistic control of the airwaves.
If you like a "turn it on" boxed system, there is nothing wrong with Macs today. I would probably recommend one for a well-heeled senior citizen like my in-laws should they ever see the need for a computer. I prefer to roll my own. I started back in the days of Compuserve with an Atari 800 and I've replaced a couple of hard drives but never had a computer failure otherwise, never a virus, never a problem, never a software program that I wanted that my computers could not run. I buy what I like and like what I buy.
Cheers!
