Ultimately, I value my time enough that I will generally not purchase things I think will break and require fixing or taking to a repair shop. I'll spend extra on a dependable product. Apple computers have shown to not be dependable, despite being more expensive, and despite not having an OS that revolutionizes how effective you are with your computer or whatever Mac OS is supposed to do for you.
Even a warranty isn't a real solution, because obviously there's time required to deal with Mac and find out what the issue is, and then get the computer replaced. They don't send a technician to your house while you're away at work. Personally, a friend of mine had a Macbook refuse to respond after a standard OS upgrade. Eventually, after speaking to customer service and driving to the genius bar a couple times, he was given a new computer. My friend charges by the hour (not a hooker lol), and with the amount of time he put into it he could have charged several hundred dollars. At the prices involved, it makes more economic sense just to buy a mid-priced non-Apple laptop and throw it away every time anything goes wrong.