I get customers telling me this often and it seems to be a deliberate attempt to say “I’m not satisfied with having to pay money for products or services”. So I thought I’d blog about Apples to bust a few myths that goes through the minds of my customers and to outline that Apple solutions cost significantly more money.

1. Apples use the same hardware as PCs. The only real difference is Apple are a mainboard manufacturer, so they purchase chipsets off Intel and assemble them into a mainboard like other mainboard manufacturers such as Intel, Gigabyte & ASUS. Hard drives are still a mechanical part, they will still wear out. Memory is still volatile to damages from electrical interference such as storms and solar radiation. These parts do go bad in all computers.
2. Slim line computers cost more and deliver poor performance. Apple use notebook style parts, such as a 2.5” hard drive or a notebook style DVD drive. These parts are expensive and do not benchmark to the same performances as their 3.5” & 5.25” counterparts used in most desktop PCs. If these parts go bad in an Apple, expect to pay more to repair the faulty part.
3. Apples require the same consulting services for novice users. I’m sure customers will struggle importing e-mails and documents from their old computers to new computers in exactly the same fashion. Apple have the Migration Assistant and Microsoft have Windows Easy Transfer. But still many people don’t know how to use these tools. This is just one example of where customers will run into trouble and require professional assistance.
4. Apple repairs are expensive. Parts can only be purchased and installed by Apple dealers under their terms & conditions of wholesale supply. What does this mean? It means your dealer has to pay tens of thousands of dollars per year just to sell Apple computers, which means increased pricing on servicing. This compounds point 2 where parts are already expensive.
5. Software costs money. Many customers complain about having to buy Microsoft Office with the misconception that its included with Windows. Guess what? An office suite on Macintosh costs money too – $129 for iWorks or exactly the same price for Microsoft Office Home & Student ($169.95) on both platforms. Roxio Toast costs more than Nero Multimedia Suite 10 Platinum HD – $159.95 AUD for Roxio or $99.99 USD for Nero.
6. Mac OS X is updated too often. Every 6 to 12 months a new version is released and Apple customers are expected to pay $39 each time a new version is released. Where as Windows release a new version every 2-5 years. Upgrading 3 computers to Windows 7 will only cost you $149.95. The pricing of the upgrades are comparable, however less updates means less money spent on updated software and less money paying someone to do it because you aren’t confident.
7. Apples are not secure against virus infections. In fact, Apple have a worse track record than Microsoft for patching bugs in their products.
8. Apple have poor warranty. In fact, Apple provide the minimum legal requirement for warranty of an electronic good sold as new – 12 months. But if you buy no-brand PC built from parts by your local PC retailer, expect to have 3 year warranties on most parts.
9. Apples cost more. They say its because of their “quality” and “performance” yet you can buy the same hardware or better without the Apple branding for sometimes half the price.
10. Apple are not a “green computer company” as their hippy CEO Steve Jobs likes to believe. Yes, Apple offer a recycling service – but so do many PC retailers these days. The real kicker is that Apple drop support of their products after 3 years. If your Apple is older than 3 years, expect to receive the standard response from Apple dealers of “you need to buy a new computer”. Yet in PC repairs I see machines of 5-10 years old quite regularly. If nobody will support your computer after 3 years and you should throw it away, how is this good for the environment?

So I conclude the only reason to buy an Apple is because its trendy and you’re a spastic with money to waste who believes marketing hype.