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[-sam]

Using FOSS software, nothing.  Using, ahem, otherwise acquired software, also nothing.  Besides, the packages that people generally compare, like Photoshop, are very much not free.  Besides, not all people like the iLife applications.  Me, I'd be more likely to chop off a leg then I would be to use iTunes.  The rest of the software provided by iLife is generally shipped with new PC hardware.  Not pro stuff, but easy and functional.

It's nowhere nearly as good as iLife though, and that's the thing.  Let me give you a little example.  I work for a moderately large regional bank and we are very strictly a windows-only environment -- there's even a push within a certain faction of the IS department to ditch novell and go to full on AD.  However, the training department wanted to distribute videos to the various branches telling them about policy changes and what not.  Now what sort of system did they get?  iMac G5 with a big-ass 250GB hard drive.  They shoot the video using a DV camera, transfer the video over firewire into the iMac and do all the editing they have to in iMovie.  It's so simple that one person can do the whole operation with just a half hour training session.  That is the sort of value you get out of the box with a Mac.

Spec-wise, Apple's not very price competative in the mid-range desktop market, but at the high end with the PowerMac, and all throughout their portable line they provide tremendous value.

Not really.  I posted up above and debunked this.  You'll get more bang for a bit less buck with an x86-based system.

This is false for both the high end and portable markets.  Compare a PowerMac G5 to a similarly spec'ed workstation from Dell and tell me which comes out on top.  Likewise, when it comes to laptops Apple's offerings are extremely competative with their x86 counterparts.  I don't think anyone can argue that the Powerbook line is anything but pure sex.

-sam

[nihilist]

It's nowhere nearly as good as iLife though, and that's the thing.  Let me give you a little example.  I work for a moderately large regional bank and we are very strictly a windows-only environment -- there's even a push within a certain faction of the IS department to ditch novell and go to full on AD.  However, the training department wanted to distribute videos to the various branches telling them about policy changes and what not.  Now what sort of system did they get?  iMac G5 with a big-ass 250GB hard drive.  They shoot the video using a DV camera, transfer the video over firewire into the iMac and do all the editing they have to in iMovie.  It's so simple that one person can do the whole operation with just a half hour training session.  That is the sort of value you get out of the box with a Mac.

Meh.  To each their own.  Me, I'd just use Premiere Pro.  On my dual processor PC.  Whee.

This is false for both the high end and portable markets.  Compare a PowerMac G5 to a similarly spec'ed workstation from Dell and tell me which comes out on top.  Likewise, when it comes to laptops Apple's offerings are extremely competative with their x86 counterparts.  I don't think anyone can argue that the Powerbook line is anything but pure sex.

I did.  Did you not read my post?  You can buy a dual processor Opteron (server processor) with double the RAM etc for less.  Just doesn't seem to be a big value thing.  Same with the notebooks.  You can buy a 2GHz Pentium M-based Dell with 100GB 7200 RPM HD, dual channel 533MHz DDR RAM for the same price as the top of the line powerbook.  Pentium M demolishes ALL.  And it's already faster.  So yeah.  I'm just digging out existing prices.  If you like Apple, go with an Apple.  If you don't, then don't go with an Apple.  It's ALL about which you prefer personally.  The numbers say that x86-based PCs are slightly cheaper for somewhat better hardware.