“I would agree that Microsoft has been “the best” at marketing, but not at product quality or technical excellence. It’s a lot like television - the worst programs often get the highest ratings.”
They obtained their niche by providing the best product at the time. It was easy to use and fairly cheap. Yes it has problems but as such it is still more cost effective that MAC. Anyone who thinks they are perfect is in for a shock sooner or later.
“strongly urge you to avoid Macs. “
I will. I’ve found them difficult to work with and end up costing me money.
“The Mac’s superior user experience would spoil your perception of Windows, and then you would hate your job.”
I love my job. The parts I don’t like I hire out. :)
Military Airlift Command?
Anyway, TCO studies pretty much always have the Mac costing a lot less than an equivalent PC in the long run (we'll ignore the company-sponsored studies). Being able to cut just one support staff position makes up for a lot of hardware.
After adding in the operational costs of Windows (anti-virus software, poor security, lousy user interface design, reliability issues, shorter userful life, crappy applications, the constant nagging, etc.), the Mac is more cost effective. Windows is really the ultimate productivity-killer.
As a testament to Apple's quality - I have an Apple computer that will be 30 years old in a few weeks. It still works as good as new. Apple is simply the best in the industry for building solid, reliable products.