It will remain as it has always been, Macs are for incompetant users and PCs are for people that know wtf they're doing. They're also a great way to pay 50-100% more for a similar or underperforming product. But, if you're totally incompetant at PC usage I guess you don't have a choice...
It is true that in terms of strictly hardware reliability, Apple isn't significantly better than the best PC makers. Which should be expected, since it is after all a PC. In terms of package durabilty, though, there is no contest, nothing in (consumer) PC land comes close to the frisbee-able Mac portables or the foundation-stone tower - there's more solid metal in those than in Tata's latest car. As someone pointed out, it is also true that Apple has a well-established history of over-delivering when it comes to repairs, and what is charged for them. And it is undeniably true that one can spend a LOT less on a PC than on a Mac. However, when comparing equivalent hardware, the Apple tax is generally under 10%, or on some products, even negative (ie, the Mac is cheaper). Yes, you can buy a Latitude cheaper than you can buy a MacBook Pro - but by the time you configure that Latitude to equivalent specs (to the extent possible, some features you can't buy for ANY price) it turns out the Latitude isn't any cheaper. It is of course a matter of individual preference whether all the goodies in the standard Apple config are worth the cost - classic YMMV territory.
Also the Mac Pro is not a regular desktop. It is Server Hardware. 1. Server class 1KW powersupply. 2. Server class ECC ram 3. 2x Server class Xeon processors (The CPus themselves cost 1K a pop) Just in processors you have 2 grand right there. Go google prices on Xeon Cpus. Thats why those mac pros look like one big solid box of thick aluminum alloy. Just the door weighs more than the entire case of one of those dells. The whole thing is toolless. The PC board is also thicker and more robust than the PC boards on regular dell desktops etc.. (more layers) I could run a shit load of data all day long and thing does not break a sweat. Uptimes of weeks and weeks no hiccups. (only time it is disturbed is when downloading an OS patch ie: 10.6.2) With Unix I run different kinds of applications for analysis and modeling. Stuff ported from Solaris and Unicos (Cray Operating system) Nice to be able to get source from a Cray and compile it on the box and run it. PC and windows 7 is a toy, Real men run Unix workstations Remember heavy duty Powersupplies with large caps,coils etc.. prevent glitches that cause crashes,lockups etc.. ECC ram also prevents memory corruption which could mess up the data in ram causing incorrect results over time,crashes,lockups etc. Xeon Cpus have ECC ram in cache as well.
It's definately a solid, high-end workstation, but calling it a server is a bit of an overstatement unless you qualify it as an entry-level server. Even that's a stretch because of the video subsystems offered. A server has low end video cards because the high end cards take away I/O bandwidth from core server tasks. As for the CPUs. The 3000 series is not dual processor capable like the 5000 series, which in turn, is not capable of 4 and 8-way configurations like the 7000 series. Finally, there's the RAID subsystem. With only 4 drive bays you're really limited in the kinds of configurations available. Not quite. The ECC used in the MacPro can only correct single bit errors and detect double bit errors. It is still vulnerable to a host of other RAM errors that it can't detect, much less correct.
A MacPro portable will not survive the same 76cm drop that a Panasonic/Toshiba Toughbook was built to withstand. Lenovo's ThinkStations are every bit as solid, high-end, and high-performing as a MacPro workstation is. And, a LOT more too... www.alienware.com makes some ridiculously expensive gaming laptops and desktops.