the Macbook i want is $1,599. Yeah I can do better than that if I go get another brand of notebook. The iMac I want, built how I want it:
1GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x512
160GB Serial ATA drive
ATI Radeon X1600/128MB VRAM
SuperDrive 8x (DVD+R DL/DVD+RW/CD-RW)
Keyboard & Mighty Mouse + Mac OS X - U.S. English
Accessory kit
17-inch widescreen LCD
1.83GHz Intel Core Duo
AirPort Extreme
Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
is only $1,399 the computer i got now i paid about $1,200 for and it's garbage.
I do see your point and i'm not trying to start an arguement or defend Apple's prices (which I will say are a little higher than most), but I'd just rather have a Mac, just as some would tell you intels suck or gateways are "the best ever". Just a matter of preference. I do appreciate you looking out for my wallet tho.