One could argue that the traditional "Apple tax" is much reduced these days; comparable non-Apple hardware (ie: not your $300 Fry's specials) costs about the same. The primary problem these days is that there is no mid/low end desktop machine. There is the laptop line, the Mac mini, the retarded all-in-one iMacs, and the high-end Mac pros. All of these are priced fairly competitively with machines from other OEMs (HP, Dell, etc.). Apple apparently refuses to sell a mid-range desktop machine though, in favor of the iMac, creating a gap. The problem is not that Apple machines are more expensive, it's that Apple doesn't compete in the budget market. That, and they don't let you roll your own.
One could also point out that $5-700 laptops are horrible pieces of hardware not suitable for anyone that wants to do anything mildly complicated with them. Fine for web browsing and other basic tasks, but **** for anything performance-driven. It's definitely worth it to spend a few hundred more to get into the faster processing range, saving all sorts of time and frustration down the line. Furthermore, the Linux software ecosystem is quite lacking for desktop use, whereas Apple has enough clout and history to get versions of important productivity software. Plus, you'll need Windows anyways for running those games you like..
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