Apple Macintii are expensive, however...
Less performance at a higher price?
Not really, as i'm sure you are aware as a previous Mac techie (I was too btw) the Mac is like an AMD compared to Intel, the only difference is AMD advertise their equivellent speed, Apple advertise the real speed. A 2Ghz Mac will easily out perform a 2Ghz PC.
They also make good use of dual processor platforms which makes them relatively cheap at the top end of the hardware market, a dual 2Ghz Mac will make a 4Ghz PC look like something the Russians built (they still make Spectrums in Russia - clones, but Spectrums all the same).
Back in the 2D days Mac's where indeed faster, 3x infact, courtesy of the way they addressed pixels. Howevers leaps forward in 3D technology have seen a new standard in graphics that doesn't give a darn how pixels are written to the screen so these days Apple Macs have the SAME graphics cards as PC's. I think i'm right in saying the iMac has a 5200FX - exactly what I have here in my PC...
The bottom line is Apple are expensive machines, they start in the mid-range where they dont compete favourably, and go to the power-spec machines where they drip all over the competition.
I like you am not in the top end of the market, which means we have to either be able to afford a mid range machine and not get a good deal, or cop out with that new iMac thing.
As for case design, I think they've lost the plot. The G3 where super cool laptops, the new G4 laptops are dire in their looks - you may aswell stick an IBM badge on it.
Then again, IBM and Apple do have more in common than most realise, the processor is made by IBM, and they both hate Microsoft with a passion...
Less performance at a higher price?
Not really, as i'm sure you are aware as a previous Mac techie (I was too btw) the Mac is like an AMD compared to Intel, the only difference is AMD advertise their equivellent speed, Apple advertise the real speed. A 2Ghz Mac will easily out perform a 2Ghz PC.
They also make good use of dual processor platforms which makes them relatively cheap at the top end of the hardware market, a dual 2Ghz Mac will make a 4Ghz PC look like something the Russians built (they still make Spectrums in Russia - clones, but Spectrums all the same).
I can't seem to find any referance to MACs being strong performers in Graphics
Back in the 2D days Mac's where indeed faster, 3x infact, courtesy of the way they addressed pixels. Howevers leaps forward in 3D technology have seen a new standard in graphics that doesn't give a darn how pixels are written to the screen so these days Apple Macs have the SAME graphics cards as PC's. I think i'm right in saying the iMac has a 5200FX - exactly what I have here in my PC...
The bottom line is Apple are expensive machines, they start in the mid-range where they dont compete favourably, and go to the power-spec machines where they drip all over the competition.
I like you am not in the top end of the market, which means we have to either be able to afford a mid range machine and not get a good deal, or cop out with that new iMac thing.
As for case design, I think they've lost the plot. The G3 where super cool laptops, the new G4 laptops are dire in their looks - you may aswell stick an IBM badge on it.
Then again, IBM and Apple do have more in common than most realise, the processor is made by IBM, and they both hate Microsoft with a passion...