@tomsdesk said:
Mike, I actually looked into it: couldn't get near the machine for twice the price. Plus, the nearest (and only) Mac dealer/support is 60 miles away (and they know it :~( the next closest is almost 200 miles. Oh well.
Tom,
You are right, Macs are more expensive that equivalent PCs BUT, and its a BUT that is worth considering. Most if not all Mac Retailers WILL trade in your old Mac in 18 - 24 months time when you want to upgrade. They have this market created with students. This has been the case with my daughter's recent upgrade. Now try and find a PC Retailers that will take a trade-in on your old PC!
You seem to be worried about backup! Yes, I agree this is very important when it comes to PCs BUT with the case of Macs the location of the retailer is not that important as once you make your purchase the chances are you wont be in contact again until you need to upgrade, believe me π
I got an 'out of the blue' call some weeks ago from some guy trying to sell me a Mac Back-Up Pack! I listened to what he had to say and it seemed that he must have been a 'freelancer' trying to get Mac Users to sign an Apple Maintenance Contract. I hope this is not his main source of income, if it is, I imagine he will be facing lean times π Needless to say I did not take him up on the deal. On the other hand I ALWAYS signed up for the MC when I was buying PCs and often was very glad I did. Oh! and not to forget the monies forked over to my local PC Maintenace Shop. he was very disappointed to see me moving over to Mac! Just as a batter of interest! How many freelance Mac Maintence Shops do you see around? I've yet to come across one but have no problem locating freelance PC Maintenace Shops!
Tom, look at the figures again! Spread them over 18-24 months and take the trade-in deal into account ALSO the 'No Down Time' / Maintenance Costs THEN reach a decision. Its like most quality products, once the initial purchase has been made (suffered) its all fun after that ..... most definately the case with a Mac.
Mike