It seems like a logical conclusion that if I were to buy a computer today, it would be smarter to buy a Windows computer. If I did, I would get Vista, and Apple will probably support this OS for the next 6-8 years. If I bought a Mac today, I would 10.4, and Apple will support this only for the next 2 years.
Am I wrong?
And if you bought a Mac in November, it'll come with 10.5. You're making an unfair comparison, Microsoft just released their new OS, Apple hasn't yet, but is just about to.
That being said, Microsoft does support Windows longer than Apple supports Mac OS - however, that's only because they have to - they don't release new versions nearly as often as Apple. Microsoft also charges substantially more than Apple does for upgrades.
Mac OS X - $129
Vista Home Premium Upgrade - $145 (Courtesy Newegg)
Vista Ultimate Upgrade - $240 (Courtesy Newegg)
If you're a gamer, Microsoft has already left you behind - games such as Halo 2 and Shadowrun require Vista. There's no reason for it, MS is just using them to push their platform. Sure, if you're not a gamer, this doesn't affect you, but if MS can do this to gamers, you can be sure they'll do it to others as well, whether its software or hardware that ends up being unsupported with the next OS release.
So you can switch platforms if you want, but MS is just as bad as Apple in this case. A platform switch is going to be more costly than the $129 to upgrade Mac OS X.
I bought my computer in 2003. If I had bought a Windows computer instead, it would be supported. In fact, if I had bought a Windows computer in 2001, it would be supported.
Your computer from 2003 probably wouldn't even work with Vista - if it did, you certainly wouldn't get all the pretty effects of the new interface. Macs older than your 2003 model are able to run the latest OS X versions (I think the Quicksilver PowerMac G4 from 2001 is going to be eligible for Leopard). A Windows PC typically sees one MS OS over its lifetime, maybe 2. That G4 started with OS 9.2, and has so far lasted through 10.0, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4 and I believe it'll work with 10.5. That's 6 UPGRADES, 7 OS releases in total.
One last thing to consider. Apple has been planning these iPod updates for some time - they likely had a September release in mind back when they began planning the upgrades (iPod updates seem to occur every September now). Mac OS X 10.5 should have been released in the Spring, but it was delayed. So when Apple began designing these new iPods, they likely expected that 10.5 would have been released. They'd have been supporting 10.4 and 10.5 - the latest release, and the previous release. I don't know that there's a technical reason these new iPods require 10.4 (I kind of doubt it, except for maybe the iPod touch and iPhone), but if they initially expected 10.5 to be released by the time these new iPods were released, it may explain why they targeted 10.4 or later.
