> i think you're making too big of a deal out of hardware choice. you're talking about people who don't know if they want a gui or not, yet you think those same

> i think you're making too big of a deal out of hardware choice. you're talking about people who don't know if they want a gui or not, yet you think those same people will want to choose what type of computer to run it on? as if. For casual consumers, hardware choice mostly only matters in that you can go buy a variety of Windows computers at Best Buy for under $500 bundled with a monitor and a printer. There are also laptops in that range, as well. This is important for two reasons. First, because some people just don't have a lot of money. If you are living in poverty, all the nifty extra features a Mac might have don't really matter. Second, because there are more multiple-PC homes. If you're buying a second computer for the kids or checking email or whatever, a simple, cheap system may do everything you want. For less casual users, there are HTPCs, tablet PCs, sub-$500 ultralight notebooks like the Eee, gaming notebooks, and other segments that Apple doesn't compete in.