JustAnotherVictim said:
I was just browsing specs and prices and apples were on average 1500+.
I did see a few for less but about a grand is as cheap as they got.
Not exactly what I'd call a myth.
I can only speak about Apple Laptop pricing:
Apple does not have as broad a range of offerings as PC. They do not offer a bargain laptop. The laptops they do offer are competitively priced if you compare equipment vs. equipment. "Competitively" does not mean
less in this case, as Apples will usually be slightly more than a PC with the same equipment.
What Apple does not offer is a $699 laptop. They only offer premium processors, etc. This is normally why people think Apple computers are grossly overpriced (because they don't see any real cheap systems).
That said, most Apple buyers feel the small increase in price is worth it. This is especially true for users that require MacOS and Windows. It took me the better part of 2 days to get OSX running on my PC - only then by making it a multiple boot machine. The ability to virtualize Windows on an Apple gives it a pretty nice advantage for those of us who need to switch between environments frequently.
PC compatible laptops have a big advantage in the 1k - 1.7k as they tend to offer faster hard drives, and WAY better graphics systems.