This TCO debate has been going on for a long time but the debate does not change the facts. Macs include many features that cost extra on PCs. It's a widely-held, but false, belief that PCs cost much less than Macs. While some PCs offer a lower "base price" than Macs, a feature-by-feature comparison, including cost of maintenance, indicates that Macintosh computers are often cheaper to buy and maintain. Macs include many key features that either cost extra, aren't needed or simply aren't available on most PCs, such as virus software, bluetooth , Firewire3 expansion and sound cards. All Macs have sound cards; some PCs still don't. All Macs have had Firewire standard since 2000; some PCs still don't.

A survey of press advertisements was begun in August 2000 and it showed that in fact the entry-level (and sometimes even high end) Macs were sometimes cheaper than roughly equivalent PCs (and this is before maintenance costs are considered)!

The Reliability and Security section of this site cites many many studies from non-Apple sources indicating that Macs are more reliable and more secure. We have all heard it before. You get what you pay for.

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