Speaking of things that can’t be compared, you hit the nail on the head with “DIY experience”. If I build it, I know what’s in it. For example, the daughter has an i3, when i7’s drop in price I swap the processor and the box is good for a couple extra years. How do you weigh that value?
As I initially stated, it’s not for everyone. But if you are comfortable with building your own, then repairing your own is just as easy. If mine goes down, I fix it. No need to bring it to an “expert” or drop it off somewhere. It’s up and running again in hours, not days. No labor charge, just parts (on sale) whether it’s a week old or 10 years old. Definitely cheaper in the long run, it’s just the initial (one time) “price” of time that may be costly for some.
As I stated above, that works if you do not value your time. You work for free. That's okay, but it's not for everybody.
> If I build it, I know what’s in it.
Yep, and that's sometimes the most important thing. My daughter and I put together a series of desktop computers for her over the years, the last of which was a dual-boot Linux/WinXP box. She learned a lot. She also decided, when it came time to get a portable, to get the small Macbook (about $1000) and VMware Fusion to run Windows and Linux as VMs. So she has effectively three computers, portability, plus the high quality and support of an Apple product.
It's great to live in a country and time with lots of choices.
You know there are millions of computer users that love avocados, me I wouldn’t eat one if they paid me, it is a matter of taste.
If I could build an iMac I would, if you could build one you would, but you can’t. An imitation maybe, but not quite the same is it.
Apple screws everyone, but they are in business for profit, and despite that they are still in business. Who knew capitalism could be so good to socialists. And the socialist tag includes the bunch at micro$oft.