- Apple does make their own hardware and OS, allowing them to integrate them together to work smoothly. This is in contrast to the PC world where there is immense variation, which can be great, but which leads to unpredictable interactions that lead to lots of time spent debugging. So while it’s true that Apple doesn’t make their own components, they do make complete systems that work together well, and are well supported by the OS. Yes, you can build your own computer, and hack Mac OS X onto it, but that’s clearly not supported by Apple, so while it’s fun, it’s not a reasonable option for most users.

- Mac’s do have better components. Apple’s build quality is very high, and they use better quality components than the bargain PC brands. This is one of the reasons that Apple has an extremely good repair history. For example, see http://www.consumersearch.com/apple-laptops/macintosh-reliability: “According to the largest consumer surveys, Apple laptops are the most reliable and have the highest level of satisfaction. Results are similar for desktops in large surveys”. Sometimes it’s a matter of selecting higher grade components (e.g. RAM, power supplies), sometimes it’s a matter of custom hardware (e.g. the CPU in the MacBook Air), sometimes custom firmware, etc.

But, I’m the same way with any service contract. I have lifetime Sirius and Tivo subscriptions because I deplore being fleeced on monthly fees.

This is, of course, incorrect. First, some items are unique to Apple – the case and motherboard, for example. You can’t buy another PC with Apple’s motherboard. This is one of the key components which affects reliability, so it’s important.

Second, even for ‘7200 rpm HD’, it’s silly to assume that all 7200 rpm hard drives are equal. There are different specs and different quality levels and Apple chooses a higher quality level than your bargain basement PC.

If Apple hardware is identical to PC hardware, how do you explain the fact that every single survey I’ve ever seen (including multiple surveys from PC Magazine, so you can’t argue bias) shows that Macs have significantly higher reliability than any other PC vendor?

I have no idea where you got this information, as it is incorrect. They use specific hardware for their computers, but it’s the exact same hardware you can find on a PC. An Intel Core2Duo processor is the same on a Mac as it is on a PC, just as is a 7200RPM HD. None of the parts in an Apple computer are made by Apple – they are bought OEM from other companies just like virtually every computer manufacturer does.

I’m guessing that you’re confusing that with the fact that OS X’s native driver support only extends to their own hardware. This is for good reason, since the only PCs they want running OS X are ones that are sold by Apple themselves. It would be a waste of their developers’ times to create drivers for hardware they don’t intend on ever being in a Mac in the first place. However, it’s fully possible to run OS X on a PC by adding custom-made drivers for your hardware, just like it’s fully possible to run XP/Vista on a Mac since it already has native driver support for all the components in it.

Macs do not have “better components”. In fact, various tests have shown that while Apple users typically report better customer support than the average PC user, the failure rate of Apple laptops is higher than the average one from a manufacturer.

Apple products being absolutely superior to PCs is simply a myth – if you like manufactured computers/laptops and prefer Apple products then by all means buy one, but many tests have shown they don’t have anything vastly superior. Personally, I recommend just building your own PC.

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