MacHere’s a question the ‘Tablet Revolution’ has me asking: Is it still worth it to buy a Mac over a PC?

It used to be a slam-dunk “yes” for me. Every PC laptop I have ever owned has died at exactly two years old, and every Mac has passed the four- or five-year mark easily. Paying $900 every two years for a PC was more expensive than paying $1,100 every five years for a Mac.

But now … a few things have happened.

First of all, I have off-loaded most of my Web browsing and on-the-go work to a tablet. I even have a slim keyboard (which doubles as a case) for writing on my iPad when I’m out. There are still some Web-based tasks I do where multitasking (or multimedia!) is required, and it’s easier to do them on my computer. But it’s not the workhorse it used to be for me.

MacSecondly, the price of PC computers has fallen—by a lot. We’re no longer looking at a price differential of just a few hundred dollars here.

I did some browsing at the mall the other day, and the lowest-end Macbook Air was $1,000 and started at 128gb of flash storage. A comparable Asus Ultrabook started at 500 gb of storage and was under $400. I could replace it—in two years, instead of the four to five years I might get out of the Macbook—and still come out way, way ahead.

I still want a computer; I am not prepared to go all-tablet just yet. But mostly, what I use it for these days is more of a server function: to store my photos, iTunes and Calibre libraries; a little EPUB fixing in Sigil; media streaming onto the iPad via Air Video; and any writing I do in French, which is a little smoother on a proper computer. Is any of that really so special that it has to be done on a Mac? Is it worth paying $700 more to do these tasks on their machine and not a Windows one?

My parents just bought a new computer, and we teased them because they angsted over the decision as if it was a car. “Come on!” the Beloved chided them. “It’s a few hundred bucks! Just get one already!”

I have to admit, Mac fan though I have been, I am starting to come around to that way of thinking. It does seem like a much bigger decision when $1,100 is involved. But $400 isn’t so bad…

So, maybe I am missing something. I don’t know Windows 8 that well, and what I have seen of it, on my parents’ machine, doesn’t thrill me. But I have used Windows at work, and lived to tell the tale. And I know it can run iTunes and Calibre same as a Macbook can … right?

So, tell me—is the Mac really worth that much extra these days? Would I be just fine with a Windows PC?

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  1. I’ve never thought the mac was worth so much. Here the prices have been much more different than your experience. You can get a PC laptop for $600- $700 that will last 3 -4 years (for me anyway), but a similar mac laptop would cost $1,500 to $2,500 and there’s no guarantee that it will last more than a year.

    I look forward to reading the other responses.

  2. I have used Macs since the early Eighties when you loaded the system OS with two big floppy disks.

    I have never had the first Mac die on me although I’ve held onto them for years then passed many of them onto the young nephews where they survived childish abuse for years after that.

    I have a ten-year-old Powerbook that still works when I need it to access some old Zip drives.

    I have never had to deal with a virus although I now use a good virus/malware app.

    The interface is elegant, and the software is easy to use.

    When I have a problem, their service people are a joy.

    Over the years, I’ve turned most of my family into Mac users, including a brother who has a degree in artificial intelligence and has run a large business software company. None of them will use a PC if they can avoid it, and the continuing news about some of the awful changes in the Microsoft OS gives them no desire to change.

    So, no thank you, I won’t give up my Macs. Some things are worth the extra money.

  3. I personally consider Macs overpriced. Every computer and computer part is more expensive here in Central Europe than in USA, but with macs the difference is extra high.
    People here have smaller income than in USA, so we have to shop very carefully. You do not see many iPads and other fancy gadgets here.

    I am using a notebook with Mint Linux installed at this moment. Up until now I have been using desktop and I would continue using one, but I had an opportunity to go to USA for a business trip, so I bought a notebook at a Black Friday sale. It would be very complicated to haul full size PC back to Europe.

    So far, no PC has died in my use. I have updated them over the years, and I always had a second-hand PC. But … Your Mileage Might Vary, because I am [among many other things] a computer technician and administrator.

    With desktop PC, when something breaks, you do not have to throw away the entire thing like you have to with a notebook. Has ethernet port on motherboard died? Just pop in a $10 card.
    Got some spare money and want to revive an old PC – just install SSD disk and keep th eold one for big data.

  4. My PC laptops only last two years on average, but my desktops last until I’m forced to update them because they’re so outdated. I’m typing this on a desktop PC that shows the first programs on it were installed in 2005. It did need a new power supply a while back. I find setting up a new PC such a PITA time-consuming chore I put it off as long as I can.

    I’ve never bought bargain basement laptops. My current one cost as much as the low-end MacBook Air mentioned in the article, but I’ve never been tempted by Macs or any Apple products either.

  5. Joanna: Every PC you’ve ever owned has died after four years?! Why do you think that is? (And furthermore, is that average, more or less?) My PCs seem to last much, much longer.

    Are you saying that they literally stop working, or is more that they slow down considerably; some of the keys stop working; etc.?

    And just to throw in my two cents regarding the article’s question: No. Absolutely, positively not worth it. Not a chance.

  7. I fell in love with the Mac more than 20 years ago, in library school, and would never voluntarily buy anything else. When it came time to upgrade the pcs in the teen room, I got a Dell and two eMacs. At that time, when you took a look at what you would have to add to the Dell to bring it up to par with the Macs, they actually turned out slightly cheaper.

    But things have changed. I think Apple has made some odd decisions lately; they don’t seem to be focusing on the desktop market as much. I think you can still get a Mac that will suit your needs. Why not get a used one? You can save hundreds, retain a visual drive, and have all the functionality you need. You’ll want an Intel chip in the Mac and as much RAM as you can afford. You should be able to get a nice, functional machine that will last at least 3 years and do everything you need for between 500 and 800 dollars.

  8. Dan—in the case of the two pc notebooks, the killer was screen hinge issues. In one case, I paid to have it fixed and then a month later the screen casing started to crack.

    I also had one which lost the ability to sense it was plugged in, so it became unusable. By this point, the cost to fix had become so high relative to the price of a new machine that I just replaced it.

    My last MacBook had a hard drive failure. I had a mall gift card and there was a free iPod promotion, so I went for the new one. A more savvy friend was able to replace the hard drive and says it is still working 🙂

    As for my current MacBook, I think it simply does not have powerful enough specs anymore. All my programs run slow and multitasking is difficult. I have tried several optimizing strategies and it didn’t help. If it’s still in good enough shape that I can sell it to fund the new one, I think that’s the better way.

  9. I’ve never owned a Mac as I have always considered them to be overpriced for mediocre equipment. But my experience with PCs seems to be different. For example, I am still using a PC laptop that I bought new for $1100 (if I recall correctly) 7 years ago. I have thought of replacing it but only because it is 7 years old, not because it isn’t working as if I just bought it yesterday.

    It was my habit to replace my PC desktops every 2 years, not because they weren’t working well, but because of the leaps made in hardware and my wanting to be able to offer the latest services at the most efficient speeds and prices. But I stopped doing that 5 years ago with my current systems.

    I expect the real key to my equipment’s longevity is that I have my computers — laptop and desktop — custom built at a local computer shop. I get to choose the parts and the shop puts the machines together and then gives me a 3-year parts and labor warranty.

    I have remained in the PC camp for these reasons: (1) as noted above, I think Apples are mediocre equipment. The designs are great but the parts are just average, not spectacular. (2) I can customize my PCs, something that really can’t be done with Apple equipment. Apple decides what I need and I either accept it or go to PC. I prefer to go to PC. (3) For many years, software offerings for the Macs were behind the PC offerings with the exception of illustration software, where it was reversed. But I am not an illustrator, so that didn’t matter. I preferred the choices available to me for PC than the limited choices for Mac. This was especially true for MS Word, on which I rely. I need Word’s VBA because I run a lot of macros. Not only have the Mac Word versions been behind in VBA, in some releases there was no or limited VBA capability.

    Unfortunately, with Apple’s closed system, what makes the PC a better choice to me still prevails. When asked, I always recommend function over design and thus always recommend PC (particularly if custom built) over Mac.

  10. You don’t say what model of MacBook you currently have. Or what “optimization strategies” you used (there aren’t a whole lot of such things that make much difference to a Mac. Unless you mean – added more memory, or got a larger/faster hard drive.)

    A computer, Mac or otherwise, doesn’t get slower for no reason.

    But that isn’t something that the ‘random commentariat on a blog’ can troubleshoot easily.

  11. I am curious what brands of laptops die at exactly two years old? I have a 10 year old HP that will still boot when I want it to, and my wife has at 7-8 year old laptop that also functions.

    I think the important thing to remember with PCs is that not all brands are created equal. Some laptops, like Thinkpads, have reputations for being virtually indestructible while others seem to fall apart if you look at them funny.

    As for Mac, did that for my last computer and after 4 years, one system board, and three power supplies, and poor performance for the last 6 months (Even after a clean install), I walked away and converted our family to linux. Yeah, not for everyone, but for web browsing, email, and a host of other applications, it runs great, and it generally doesn’t need special virus software. Most importantly, linux can be tuned to run decently on systems that would choke to death running modern versions of Mac OSX or Windows.

  12. I’ve also had Macs since floppy drive days and have never experienced the kinds of problems described by some posters here. My iMac is still just fine after 5 years, and my previous iMac, which I gave to a friend, is still running strong at 8 years.

    I’ve had to use Windows for work, and while I survived, it just wasn’t as intuitive for me as Mac products. I agree with the previous poster who said some things are worth the money. And I agree with the other poster who said a used Mac might be fine for your needs.

  13. I’ve been happily using Macs since 1992, so I’ve got a lot of time invested in the OS. For me, I’m willing to pay extra for a Mac for two reasons:
    1. I’m the tech support in the family, and I don’t have the time to invest in troubleshooting Windows quirks when I know Mac quirks. This includes the (to me) ease of researching and buying Mac equipment, vs PC equipment. All that takes time I’d rather spend reading 😀
    2. I stare at Windows at work, so staring at a Mac at home feels less like work.

    With all that being said, I have rarely bought Apple equipment new, both for financial and personal reasons. Most of my Apple devices have been purchased 1 generation old, from eBay’s early adopters who were rushing to buy the latest and greatest. And then I sold my old stuff back on eBay.

    In the last couple years, I’ve been buying from the Apple refurb store, and handing my 3-4 generation old stuff down to the kids or other family members. But that probably has more to do with the morass that is evilBay, rather than Macs themselves. At least when I buy from Apple, I know it isn’t stolen goods. I wish Apple sold unlocked refurbished iPhones.

  14. I’ve been using sony laptops for years and last year I though I’ll treat my self to a new Apple MacBook Pro 15″ about £1,800 all in,now 14 months on I’ve had all sorts of problems wifi not working right spent hours on the phone and weeks on and of on the phone,in the end I said enough enough I’ll take it to Apple shop in Cambridge and left it with them to fix,a week later I pick it up and they replace the logic board it came back lot better but not right not as good my old sony,after a mouth it started to reboot on its own when using it and wifi started to play up more and more,with me being disabled though illness it’s a nightmare and now it keeps on freezing and to restart the mac I had to keep on holding down the start button anything from 3 to dozen times,it’s now in for repairs again,SO IS A MACBOOK PRO WORTH IT YOU MUST BE JOKING,I could of had two sony laptops for that price I now no what I be buying in the future ?????????? SONY LAPTOP.

  15. I don’t know about macs but i do know that other notebooks can last more 2 years if handled properly. I got an ASUS laptop back in 2009 with high end specs for roughly $1000. an apple would have costed twice at much!! i got some parts replaced under 2 year warranty, so not trouble at all. now finally it gave up and repairs cost more than the resale value. but if that was not the case i would have have happily got it repaired and used for another year or so. Still it gave me aprrox. 6 years without trouble. i think it is fair to say i got value for money.

    PS: I got the battery replaced twice, but that will be the case for any other laptop as well i think!!

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