I can't afford Microsoft Windows, I'm sticking with Mac

I'm old school Apple, my first computer was Apple ][+ in 1981.  However, I switched to MS-DOS in 1987, and I didn't use a Mac until a year ago.  Now it's my predominant platform.  I'm not going back to Windows, and it's not for any of the reasons you think.  

Now let's get the naysayers out of the way -- I was an NT admin for years, and Windows has been my predominant platform for over 20 years.  Back in my youth, I could make DOS and Windows dance, and even had published tech articles on Windows internals.  I have utmost respect for the awesome way that Microsoft has gone from the dregs of information security to leading the industry with the SDL.  It also has nothing to do, directly, with Linux, as I'm a relative N00b at Linux.  I get by, but am no expert.  I never thought I'd say "I'm a Mac guy."  I sneered at the Über-Mac snobs sipping latte while wearing black turtle-necks.  Until now.  Unexpectedly, I've become a "Mac guy", though I prefer straight black coffee and my black shirts say Harley-Davidson.

No, the reason I'm changing is one of simple economics.  Windows costs too much.

I know that that seems counter-intuitive, since a base model 8Gb MacBook Pro costs over $1500 with warranty, and a comparable base model Dell with Windows 8 is $1000 less.  No, the real issue is that the $1000 difference is a gap in price and not cost.   Mac has a higher price, Windows PCs have a higher cost.

As I look at my experience with Windows over the past 10+ years, it seems I spend about 20-30 hours a year dealing with various OS issues... patches, fixes, errors, blue screens of death, backups, firmware updates, video driver updates, abends, printer configs going haywire, support calls and more.  The 3rd party software model of Windows means that I'm fairly consistently installing something to update and reboot as a further interruption.  Then I go into work, and have to maintain that Windows platform too.  Since my job is measured by output, not time in the seat, it doesn't matter that I'm paid to do it, it's still time away from family.  That adds about 2 hours a month, conservatively.  That may not be your experience, but I'm using a personal computer at least 40 hours a week -- some weeks 70 hours, and I'm a power user.  I demand a lot from my machines. I'm also in security, so maintain a high security model, and that takes more care and feeding on a Windows platform than your normal user.

I don't have the same support problems with Mac.  It. Just. Works.  

Between maintaining home PC and dealing with work PC, that's a conservative 30 hours per year of extra time I spend keeping Windows going, instead of a BYOC model, and that's frustration and drudgery taking away from personal time.  My personal time is valuable.  If someone wanted to pay me to do drudgery instead of playing with my kids or riding my motorcycle, I'd charge them $50 an hour, minimum.  I figure Microsoft would have to pay ME to take a Microsoft PC at this point, just to make the economics work. The MacBook costs me $1500 capital for 3 years, and minor expense.  The Microsoft PC costs me $500 capital and $4500 expense over 3 years, or $5000 total.

So, Microsoft, if you send me two laptops and $3500, we'll call it even, and I'll use Windows 8 at home and work.  Otherwise, I'm a Mac, not a PC.