| So for ~$850, after 'hackintoshing' this computer, I get: The difference is that Apple could do anything to accidentally or intentionally break future updates. It would be in their right to do so, since it is illegal to run macOS on non-Apple hardware [1]. I bought a 2016 MBP for 1480 Euro (after the educational discount) and it will always work without a hassle. I don't have to worry if the latest minor release that also has security fixes breaks anything. That, plus Apple's great support (had to use it twice in 10 years and in both cases I had new or fixed hardware within 2 hours) is worth the extra cost to me. An additional factor is that Apple hardware is often less expensive mid/long-term. I now buy a new MacBook every 1.5 years or so, my wife gets my current MacBook, and we sell her old one for 800-1000 Euro. So, we both have state-of-the-art MacBooks for ~400 per 1.5 year, or 133 Euro per year per person. There is a store across the street from my office where they sell second hand Dells and Lenovos. Three year old models go for around 300 Euro. So the resale value on other laptops is pretty bad. Of course, I can understand that when you are on a tight budget, a Hackintosh can be attractive :^). When I was a student, I started with a Hackintosh. But after a month I realised it was easier to get a reasonably-priced Mac Mini ;). [1] I also find it quite risky, unless you verify the Clover + custom kext source code and compile them yourself. |