ThinkSecret is an extremely credible source. I'm sure it took a lot to convince Steve Jobs to do this, but if they say it, he's doing it.
Eno_, I have a PowerBook G4 400mhz which was kinda slow on OSX 10.1 but it really flies with Panther. Apple's OSX people have done a fantastic job.
Freepy, unfortunately, no. Many software vendors, including Adobe, give crossgrade prices - you can buy the Mac upgrade for your PC version of Photoshop for the upgrade price. Microsoft offers the Office Student and Teacher edition for $150. So switching is pricey, but not unreasonably so.
People who compare Macs with PCs based on cold hard cash are deceiving themselves. The cost of virtually guaranteed virus, worm or spyware outbreaks can be many times the cost of your computer in lost time and aggravation. And unlike Linux, the Mac allows you to use software you're familiar with instead of going into the brave new world of free software that may be free, but that really wasn't designed well for consumers.
Speed isn't an issue. A 1.25ghz G4 is plenty fast enough for what people actually do with their computers.
Heck, my ancient PowerBook G4 with a 400mhz processor is fast enough at anything involving word processing, spreadsheets, email or the web -- and that's all most consumers need.
Although just for the record, a G4 Mac is typically about double the speed of a Pentium IV with the same clock speed. So a 1.25ghz G4 would be about as fast as a 2ghz Pentium IV. That was a pretty fast computer only a year or so ago.
D
It most certainly is not, and I highly doubt you can find reputable benchmarks to support such a claim.
"People who compare Macs with PCs based on cold hard cash are deceiving themselves. The cost of virtually guaranteed virus, worm or spyware outbreaks can be many times the cost of your computer in lost time and aggravation."
I am a living testament to these problems. I want to get the new iMac G-5 17" flat panel.
Don't get me wrong, David, I want this to happen. I still prefer my MDD g4 to the g5 they got me at work. But his rumor appears every year. Heck, I remember the rumor that a "dumbed down" version of my Q950 would come out under $2,000. Such deals!