Let's start in 2001: Windows XP paid. XP SP1 free. XP SP2 free. XP SP3 free. Vista paid (many people skipped this). Vista SP1 free. Vista SP2 free. Win7 paid. Win7 SP1 free. Windows had 3 big releases you pay for, around $100 each, but more for the “pro” versions. In the same time span we've had Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah, 10.1 Puma, 10.2 Jaguar, 10.3 Panther, 10.4 Tiger, 10.5 Leopard, 10.6 Snow Leopard. That's 7 releases you pay for, most $100-$130, but only $29 for 10.6. Oranges and apples. - Amit Patel

Windows also has annoying multiple editions, probably to get more money out of the business market. - Amit Patel

I remember buying a Mac Mini a short time before Leopard was released, and they had a deal where I could upgrade for $9.95. (Essentially, the price for the media, packaging, and shipping.) I realize that some service packs did introduce a lot of functionality, but aren't they a lot more like point releases of OS X which are also free? It's hard to compare because there were so few major Windows releases. - Victor Ganata

My last computer was a Dell that came with both Vista Business and XP Pro, and it wouldn't have been any cheaper if I had bought the same PC with FreeDOS installed on it, instead. In fact, I think it would have cost slightly more. As far as Win8 is concerned, it's pure crap and I wouldn't touch it even if they were giving it away like AOL CD's. - April Russo