First, the cost premium for owning a Mac isn't what it used to be. They've lowered their costs substantially. Second, even the lowest end Mac still have a fairly good feature set and high quality hardware so they simply don't have systems that are as bare-bones as some PCs. If you compare it to a PC with similar features, the current batch of Macs often doesn't cost that much more. In the case of laptops, I'd argue that you can often get a better deal with the Mac. Third, Apple doesn't allow its resellers to discount. No, I don't know why. But what they'll often do instead is give you free extras (like extra memory or a free printer) if you use a mail order retailer.
#2 What are the specs? IE processor speed,Memory,Hard drive size?
You can't directly compare the clock speed of a PowerPC processor with an x86 processor, the memory, or even hard drive sizes and expect them to mean the same things on each system. The OS is different. The processor instruction set is different. The software is different. The bottom line is that the high-end Mac stuff is currently a bit slower than the high-end PC stuff. At the more consumer level, I'm plenty happy with how fast my Mac works. Unless you really need the absolute fastest hardware available for either graphics rendering or games (your questions #5 and #8), then this isn't a big issue in my opinion. How fast is the Mac? Answer? Fast enough for most people.
#3How upgradeable are they? Those computer in the monitor things look cool but can you increase the RAM,Hard drive size etc?
I used to think that was a problem. I got over it. How upgradable is a PC laptop? At the very least, this is a non-issue in the laptop market.
#4Why 17" monitors? it would seem putting the computer in the monitor would save alot of space on the desk top why not a bigger monitor?
See your first question. 17" monitors are currently the price sweet-spot for flat screen monitors and they are what a lot of people are used to looking at where they work these days. There is a 20" iMac, by the way, if you want to pay for it. If price is not object, get a G5 tower and Apple's 30-inch Cinema HD Display.
#5 Are there or are there not any cool games for them?Will they run DOS or Windows games?
I consider quite a few of the Mac games cool. There are ports of Civilization, Starcraft, The Sims, Warcraft, etc. for the Mac. If I was buying a computer for the games, I'd own a Playstation 2 or XBox because I can't get a lot of the cool games found on those platforms for the PC, either.
#6I hear they are virtually virus and spyware free other than that do they do anything else better than a PC?
Yes. The productivity applications provides with OSX are excellent. The included Safari browser works quite well and blocks pop-ups. I prefer the look and feel of Microsoft Office and Internet Exporer on my Mac over the look and feel of Office on a PC.
On a more technical note, OSX comes with an X-Windows server, is a Unix-based operating system taht comes with a lot of software that has to be added to a Windows PC, and can run a lot of software ported over from the Linux world. That means that using open source technology like PostgreSQL, PHP, Apache, and so on is a lot easier with a Mac.
Finally, Macs are generally more "turn on and go" than PCs are. I've never had a problem taking a Mac into the office and connecting it to the network or printers there. A friend, on the other hand, still can't figure out how to connect his Windows laptop to my home wireless network -- and we've tried two different wireless routers so fare. There are also a lot fewer software configuration and update changes on a Mac that require a reboot after they are done and there are no DLL-Hell type problems with the Mac, either.
#7I hear the OS is what really sets them apart why don't they sell a PC version of the OS?
First, because Apple is a hardware manufacturer as well as a software maker. Let me put it this way... why doesn't Microsoft port MS Office to Linux? Because then the left hand (applications) would be hurting the right hand (operating systems). If Apple ported OSX to the PC, they'd help their software sales but destroy their hardware sales.
Second, the fact that Apple controls the hardware is actually a large part of why the Mac experience is so good. Macs don't have driver problems and hardware incompatibility problems for the most part because you normally don't plug cheap surprise third-party components into a Mac. And if something goes wrong, you put in the diagnosis disk that will check everything, including the logic board, because Apple controls the whole platform. Not only to I chuckle when PC users talk about viruses and worms but I also chuckle when PC users talk about driver problems and hardware compatibility problems. Like viruses, it's a non-issue on the Mac.
#8Alot of Mac users tell me "I'm not into games" I don't get this, how could anyone not like at least 1 of the thousands of games available today?If you're not into games why would anyone spend that much money on a machine for work?internet?photo/audio editing? It seems like all of these things could be done alot cheaper.
I have several games on my Mac, including Age of Empires II, Civilization III, Starcraft, and Masters of Orion 3. I just don't waste much time on them and they aren't a big factor in deciding which computer to buy for me. If I was really into hard-core gaming, I'd probably get a Playstation 2 or XBox or if I wanted a PC-only game, I'd get a PC. I've got too many other things making demands on my time to sit around playing most of the new games that come out. If they are really hot and popular, the odds are good that they'll eventually get ported over to the Mac. That delay is only a problem if you are concerned about having the latest instead of the best.
The point which I'm sure you don't get is the Mac is a machine that you can use without having to worry about tinkering with it. No, I'm not an idiot. I actually sysadmin Linux machines at work and can do Windows, too. But when I'm home using my personal computer, I'd rather spend my time doing what I really want to do rather than tinkering with the computer to make it work properly. The Mac just works and works well. If you have an infinite amount of time to play games, tinker with problems, and enjoy the challenge of figuring out why a piece of hardware or software doesn't work as a recreational activity, then perhaps a Mac isn't right for you. I've never claimed that the Mac is right for everyone.
Low end: 1.6 GHz 64 bit (about the equivalent of a 3GHz PC) , comes with 256Megs, 80 G HD.
#3How upgradeable are they? Those computer in the monitor things look cool but can you increase the RAM,Hard drive size etc?
Very. Ram can be increased to 2G on the iMac... 8G on the desktop G5, HD? What size can you buy? As long as it is Serial ATA.
For the rest, Question has it right.
Here's an iron-clad fix... hardwire it to an airport express ;o)
That was the only way I could integrate my xbox (wired to the base station) and my mother-in-law's gateway (wired to the express) into my wireless network without having to depend on microsoft stuff to not screw anything up.
I'll grant you, it's a bit like making "stone soup," but it does make the stones rock.