I agree with the other commenters overall, but I would like to say this about the Mac's so-called "high pricetag."
I value my time (in fact, I put a pricetag on it). I also appreciate a good value over the lowest possible price most of the time, particularly when there's a clear difference.
For me, that difference -- in elegance, in productivity, in logic -- is Mac OS X, the quality of software (included and third-party) and the integration of hardware. It adds a stupendous amount of value to the computer over ANY Windows system IMHO.
Over the last 24 years, I've bought a new or refurbished Mac, run it VERY HARD for four to five years, then bought another one. While I may be the exception, and I've had a few hard drives go out on me, overall each of those machines (carefully chosen) have been trouble-free, defect-free, high-productivity boxes than are often run more than 15 hours per day on various tasks. Almost all of the machines I've bought since 1994 were given to others when I was done with them and lasted another four years or so with the new owners.
Given that I can make back the cost of the Mac I purchase over a weekend if I'm really busy with paying work, I don't think they are overpriced in the slightest. Even if I didn't rely on them for my living, I think let's say $1,500 in cost up front but good for over four to five years is all that much to pay when the quality, versatility and efficiency is and remains very high, and for me it always has been (and the customer service, which I've been fortunate never to need, is outstanding -- many, many stories on this and every other forum about fantastic Apple service). I'm writing this on a 2007 machine that is still running the latest everything in terms of OS, browsers, and most software (though I did stay with Adobe CS3 because its best suited to this machine, and CS6 will be out by the time I get my new one). I can't think of many PCs made in 2007 that would thrive with the latest everything Microsoft.
Users who do little beyond Facebook and email certainly don't need to spend the "extra" money on a Mac unless they just happen to prefer it, but I've noticed that the higher up the professional ladder you go these days, the more Macs and iOS devices you start to see. There's a reason for that, IMO.
You've seen a bit of what the company's about with your iPhone, and you clearly understand that some things aren't "just another motorcycle" to use the HD analogy. So you know that sometimes a "higher" price up front will get you a lot better value over time, and that a company that's genuinely focused on pleasing its customers is a better partner overall -- even when issues come up -- than one that doesn't give a rat's behind about anything but getting your dollars. That's part of what makes Harley-Davidson stand out over, say, Honda -- who also make cars and lawnmowers and other stuff and are generally a big conglomerate.
On a number of occasions I've been asked to help someone put together a machine that had all of the built-in capabilities and quality software that one would find on a Mac. Now this task is actually impossible to fully accomplish -- there simply isn't anything that integrates like a Mac, Thunderbolt's only just becoming available to PCs and there's nothing in the Windows world like Mac OS X or the iLife apps -- but given those limitations, trying to put something together that's a comparable as possible. So far, clients and I have come to the same conclusion each time -- to get the best possible quality parts AND high-quality software that replicates as much as possible EVERYTHING a typical Mac can do costs a great deal MORE than an actual Mac, not less.
But even if you don't want to go mano-a-mano on features, high-end professional-quality PC workstations don't really cost less (or not much less, anyway). Forgetting ALL the other features of the iMac, for example, good luck finding a quad-core i7 (et al, video card, storage, etc) WITH an LED-backlit IPS top-quality 27" screen for less than the retail price of the iMac. And that's BEFORE we get into the OS, software or included hardware perks.
I understand why people think (most) Macs are expensive. They don't know about OS X, they don't understand all that the machine could do that their $600 Dell would choke on because they'd never do that stuff on their Dell. I totally get that.
But the Mac, priced as it is, gives you not just the technical ABILITY to reach further, dream bigger and do more ... it makes it possible for users to imagine themselves ABLE to reach further, dream bigger and do more. That I think is one of the many intangible qualities that make the Mac (for a lot of people, but not everyone) a better value than most PCs in many cases.
