“Macs are cheaper.” But we knew that already…

Paul Murphy, a LinuxInsider columnist, runs the numbers and discovers that when you compare Apples to apples,
Macs are cheaper than PCs.

SystemShootouts.org has been demonstrating this point since the original G3 iMac was all the rage. I've heard all the rebuttals about how PCs are so much cheaper and more flexible because you don't have to pay for features that you don't want, allowing you to custom-config the box to your liking. That argument doesn't fly with me. Why? Because the average consumer doesn't want to build their own PC. They want something that has everything they could possibly need right out of the box without having to decide – or request – what they need in advance, or install it in the future. The average consumer doesn't want bare bones. They don't want to run to their local Frys to buy a DVD burner and a screwdriver when they realize that those home movies or digital pictures they want to send to Aunt Betty won't fit on a floppy.