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I’d add: “Macs are expensive.” (Corrected version: Apple doesn’t sell cheesy low-end crap.)

Buying Apple is a total rip-off for many computer users and I have a good example. I have a friend who has been wanting to get on the internet for a while and do other basic things such as email, writing a letter then printing it and mailing it

So this week we are going to Staples where there is a $300 Compaq desktop. Has 3GB memory and will easily handle whatever he does
He wants a big LCD monitor so we are probably going to get him an Acer 23" LCD for $157

Total bill is $457 and no way Apple can compare to this. What you malign as cheesy is good enuff for most people
Actually his total bill will be $257 because via his credit card he has $200 in Staples gift cards
Apple will never accept gift cards because they are the world's premier floggers of over priced schlock, not Compaq

The anemic MacMini comes with no keyboard, no mouse, no monitor. So if you bought one + an LCD monitor you would be out $800-$900 or so

The anemic MacMini comes with no keyboard, no mouse, no monitor. So if you bought one + an LCD monitor you would be out $800-$900 or so

Not so anemic. The reason it comes with no keyboard, mouse, or monitor is because it was designed for people whose computer went out and still had a functional keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

As a very happy Mac Mini user I can assure you it’s not “anemic” in anyway, shape or form. I do pro sound/studio recording via Logic Express with mine and have never had a problem with it. I just released a CD of Faith-based music earlier this year which was recorded, mixed & mastered on my Mini.

I also play a fun 3d mmorpg called Warhammer on my mini and have a blast doing so. I have a very nice Logitech keyboard, HP wireless mouse & an inexpensive LCD monitor I’ve had for a few years from my pc days connected to it. I am VERY happy with it.

"Buying Apple is a total rip-off for many computer users and I have a good example. I have a friend who has been wanting to get on the internet for a while and do other basic things such as email, writing a letter then printing it and mailing it So this week we are going to Staples where there is a $300 Compaq desktop. Has 3GB memory and will easily handle whatever he does He wants a big LCD monitor so we are probably going to get him an Acer 23" LCD for $157 Total bill is $457 and no way Apple can compare to this.

I hope your friend has better luck with his entry-level computer than you do with your period key.

But we're not in disagreement: I said Apple doesn't make cheesy entry-level crap, and clearly Compaq does. It might be instructive to consider why the Compaq costs as little as it does. First, your friend will find it absolutely festooned, stuffed to the gills, with "trialware" and "bonusware" and other form of performance-sapping, pop-up flashing, annoying intrusive insecure crap, crap that natters the user to spend money to make the annoyance go away. Compaq gets a subsidy for putting each of those gems on it. So your first job, as the friend who's gotten sucked into supporting this piece of junk, is to cleanse the machine of as much of that stuff as you can find. Oh, but some won't pop its little head up for a few weeks yet. So I hope your friend lives close by, because it'll be a while before you're done with that part of the fun. The best part is how you can show him how easy it is to reboot Windows, which you'll have to do a dozen times. Enjoy.

Your second job will be to download and install a decent anti-virus/anti-malware program (unless you succumb to the siren call and hourly pop-up come-ons from the trialware, which will ask you to pay). Gotta be sure the machine is locked-down. Be sure to teach your friend about malware and email attachments and so forth. Enjoy.

Then comes the day to day support. Maybe you'll get lucky and there won't be much of that. But when something goes wrong, what a pity, there's no Apple Store to make an appointment at and get a swift, knowledgeable answer from a native English speaker face-to-face. Nope, it'll be you, and your script-reading friend Mujibur in Bangalore at the other end of the 800 number and 45 minutes of hold music. Enjoy.

And then when your friend gets a virus or installs some cute animated cursor utility or a nifty "search bar" (hey, it's free!) that turns out to include a keylogger that emails all his financial information to the Ukraine, who'll he call? Enjoy!

What you malign as cheesy is good enuff for most people

That's the kicker. Apple simply doesn't sell in the "good enough" market.