There is an article here that says Apple computers are cheaper than PCs. Their reasoning? The resale value. A Windows machine comes with so much superfluous bullshit, that by the time you would want to sell it, all of that, plus the superfluous bullshit that has made its way onto the computer, has gummed up the works and slowed it down so much it isn't worth anything.

Huh?

Apple fans have long understood the amazing resale value of their machines. Windows users, on the other hand, might be scratching their heads at my argument; in the Windows world, selling your computer (rather than recycling it) is almost unheard of. After just a year or two of use, a Windows machine gets so gummed up with spyware, viruses and other nasty stuff that it seems malicious to ask anybody for money for the thing.

Yes, that's the argument. When you really think about it (which you aren't supposed to do, of course), it doesn't add up.

The reason PCs come with so much gunk, and that they acquire so much gunk over time, is that there are so many people using them. Anyone wanting to sell their products by piggybacking on brand name computers, or by sneaking onto user's computers via downloads, aren't going to target Mac users, there simply aren't enough of them for the tactic to be viable. It is the same reason an Apple virus is rare, there aren't enough Macs. A person that writes virus code wants to make an impression. For that they have to be able to infect as many computers as possible, and there are more PCs than Macs.