[kludge]

I switched from Windows to Mac a couple of years ago, and I will probably never go back.

The usability gap between Windows and Macs used to be MUCH wider than it is today. But much of the reason for that is that OSX is so user-friendly and effective that there isn't a lot of room for improvement - unlike Windows. OSX really hit the consumers in 2001 and hasn't changed a great deal since, particularly the internals. Remember the state of Windows then? Windows ME? Windows 2000 was the GOOD version. Since then, Windows has gone through two major successful upgrade cycles (XP and 7) and a total lemon (Vista), in Windows 8 is as-yet untested in the real world (and I suspect it'll suck again). Worse, Windows has to keep backwards compatibility to some truly awful architecture - 8.3 filenames (they're still in there, don't let the paint and glitter fool you. Start programming for reals and you'll see), the Registry... ugh. Windows is a highly polished turd these days, but it's still a turd inside. OSX made a conscious decision to break HARD from the MacOS legacy of 7/9 - it forced a painful transition on users a decade ago, but the long-term benefits are obvious. The OSX on a Mac is essentially the same OS that drives every other Apple product - iPhones/iPads, iPods, etc.

So yeah, Windows doesn't suck nearly as much as it used to, at least on the surface. But Apple still has the edge when you get beneath the surface, because core functionality like the filesystem doesn't suck.

As for the hardware... PC hardware costs half as much IF you're compromising your quality and getting cheap components. But get to things like the case, keyboard, screen, video card, and the differences are palpable. It's like the difference between a Hyundai and a Mercedes. Close the door and listen to the sound, you'll hear it. I've bought two Macbooks and three PC laptops in the past couple of years, for various people (including me). Mid-grade PC laptops don't hold a candle to the Macbooks in construction quality or usability. Don't believe me? Try closing the lid to put it to sleep, then opening the lid again. Try using the mousepad. Try typing.

Backups are another huge win. The Macbook sitting in my lap is backed up wirelessly and transparently, wherever I am in the house. I've used Time Machine for everything from rescuing yesterday's version of a file to restoring a whole disk to moving my entire world to a new Macbook, painlessly. A couple of years ago, a hard drive failure on my old Windows workstation cost me gigabytes of files (including 2/3 of my 2008 photography, about 6000 photos), despite using TWO incremental backup systems. That was the incident that pushed me over the edge - not to mention the endless driver conflicts and other BS that is par for the course with Windows. It took me two weeks and three different Firewire cards to get my Focusrite Liquid 56 working with Windows. With the Mac, it took plugging it in. Was Windows "cheaper"? Sure, if you don't count two weeks of lost work and another $100 in hardware experiments.

As for "more software on Windows"... well, if you play games I suppose. Every single app that I actually USE (Reaper, Reason, Native Instruments stuff, Photoshop, Lightroom, MS Office, Chrome) works fine on the Mac.

My time is more valuable to me than cash. My sense of well-being is more important. I want to be a photographer and musician, not a troubleshooter. Mac wins.