>I've seen plenty of cases where someone said they could build an equivalent PC for less, and then ended up not being able to, because they were thinking of che

>I've seen plenty of cases where someone said they could build an equivalent PC for less, and then ended up not being able to, because they were thinking of cheaper and worse components than Apple used. If your needs align exactly with the models Apple offers, and Apple just released a product (what would the comparison look like if you needed to buy a system six months ago?) then sure. The real-world question is to decide what your needs are in terms of specs and then compare the different ways of satisfying those needs. To choose an egregious example: I need an average CPU with a powerful GPU for real time performance. Going with Apple I am pushed into a hardware bracket where I have to spend in excess of $4000 to meet those needs. I could also satisfy those needs with a 700 PC and a 400 GPU.