http://store.apple.com/us/configure/...co=MTM3NDcyOTc
Pick your options...17" MacBook Pro start at $2500 and without adding any major software you can easily put them in the $3500-$4000 range.
My point was said doctor was a big shot and wanted the best. He bought the top of the line Apple laptop for about $4000. He brought it to work and expected corporate IT to "make it work" with all of our business applications. He was lucky to get the basics to work. No Citrix (most of the hospital's apps are delivered this way), no VPN, no financial apps = one pissed off doctor. It was his own fault but we had to have a $150K/year security guy waste a ton of his time just to see if he could find a work around for VPN access. The rest they threw at us.
In the business world they are a giant waste of time and money. Personal use we can debate to the end of time. That said, the old Amiga and Atari PCs still have a niche following too.
The bottom line is they overcharge for their hardware. Back in the days where you could only run their OS on their proprietary hardware if you wanted their OS, you didn't have any other option. Now you can run their OS (if you like it so much) and buy (non-Apple) name brand hardware for 1/2 the price and pop in the OS X disk.
Mike