Macs are worth it, but they are expensive.
I had some disposable money for school or other things I wanted many years ago. I had to weigh my options very carefully. School, new guitar, computer.
In most cases, if it's between having an education or having a non necessary material good, get the education. I was going for a grad degree that would put me in the position to make almost no money in the most competitive field with just a few dozen people who do the work in the country and make a real living. I could get the education which may get me close to people who are sports stars managers and rock star managers, or be the 99% percent who study the field (which takes 6-8 years) and not land a position as a top talent agent like a Jerry Macguire, so I decided not to continue with the useless schooling in that field.
My other passion was music and before I opted out and went for the talent "manager" training, if I didn't make it (which I clearly had not), I at least wanted a very nice guitar that would make a rock star proud or at least a kick butt home recording studio. But I knew it would not make me sound or play better, and it certainly would not increase my chances at getting discovered.
So I had the money and, in 1999 when Macs were a lot more, I got an iBook, scanner, printer, and the whole Adobe suite of software. While it cost me an arm and a leg, I paid cash and blew off the second half of what would be a useless master's degree, or a nice, rare vintage guitar/recording equipment.
So my Mac, and peripherals and software, and more peripherals and software, which set me back six or seven thousand, was a big investment for a student, but it was worth it. Other young people, sometimes switchers, bought used cars instead of new cars, took on a second part time job, or made a huge sacrifice of some sort so they could go with Apple.
Whenever somebody wants a Mac, unless they a lot of money for the hidden costs, usually peripherals galore and software, they should weigh out the options carefully. I don't regret having bought a Mac and ditched the life of probably having lived the PC life, but it's been expensive.
So if you can save up all the cash you can and get the best Mac you can find for the money but don't use a credit card. The only place I see it worth it for using a credit card would be for a few extra hundred for RAM.
