hmm

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304458604577488822667325882.html?mod=e2tw

Ha ha ha that's jacked!

I travel a bit and this is good to know. Thanks for the heads up.

"Call it OS screening and call it perfectly acceptable because it appears empirically that Mac users are perfectly ok with spending more than they have to for virtually anything."

omg

"it appears empirically that Mac users are perfectly ok with spending more than they have to for virtually anything"

I've been using Macs since 1995 and have yet to take one in to get it fixed. That's 17 years of not paying for repairs. Did I spend more in the long run?

My intention here is not to start an argument about operating systems, but rather to suggest that it's a good idea to look past appearances. And also to say that I'm not interested in paying more for hotels, because I'm not exactly rich, therefore I plan to bypass any business that does this.

@ Plutonian Gem - Only once did I have an Apple product that needed 'help':

Last fall, my Macbook Pro started having problems with its screen.  Husband (computer guy) did some research and found there was a known problem with the graphics card, and that it would be replaced for free if it happened within 3 years.  My laptop was 3.5 years old.

So, pretty sure it was time to buy a new laptop, I took it in for diagnostics anyway.  They said my battery and hard drive needed replacing.  I declined on the hard drive (my husband could replace that), but they replaced the battery for free anyway.

The graphics issue came back about a month later, and again I took it in, thinking it was the end and I'd need to buy a new one.  This time around, they recognized the graphics card issue and replaced it for me for free (a $800 part) EVEN THOUGH it was 3.5 years old, and I never purchased 'Apple Care' for it.

So yeah - Now my laptop has a brand new battery, hard drive and graphics card all for free - and it's over 4 years old!

Sure it cost more than other laptops to begin with, but I'd be on my second or third one by now!

ETA:  I was even very open with them about the fact that my laptop has been abused.  The case is bent, because I've dropped it sooo many times - they knew my husband replaced the hard drive, which I think is grounds to void warranties anywhere else, etc...