Apple makes the mac, which includes OS X. Microsoft makes Windows, an operating system which Microsoft relies on third or second party-built computers to run. Without the sale of a computer from an OEM, or a computer built by the 2nd party, Microsoft can make no sale.
So the real question is this: Generic OEM/Homebrew vs Mac?
In my opinion, the mac’s tight hardware/software integration (drivers, supportability, etc), along with the Operating system combined with all of the bells and whistles, developer tools that are both free and effective, a competent modern desktop graphics display model, a pleasant, intuitive interface beat any OEM/homebrew.
The latter comes with far too many details for Microsoft to write software for. Plus, little things that should work from the get-go don’t. Case in point: My mouse has capabilities to scroll to the side. Where my windows based computer must use a clunky, resource hogging tool to super-impose the feature on top of windows, my mac takes the mouse in stride. Out of the box, the mouse, and all of it’s extra buttons were recognized and utilized (with built in customizability). The same cannot be said about windows.
Overall, the experience is far better on the Mac, where Apple does not work to skim prices down by cutting back on raw performing hardware. Good machines don’t come cheap. Apple gets this, and builds systems with great components from the start. This way, a stock configuration mac is for more future-proofed than a stock configuration OEM/homebrew claiming to be a comparable computer for less…