Jupiter Research Analyst Michael Gartenberg blogs about the "The Myths of Apple and Business Users" saying that folks see Apple computers as expensive, short on software and based on proprietary protocols. Gartenberg felt compelled to argue each of these convictions in his latest blog post. Here's how the Jupiter Research analyst sees the Cupertino-based corporation and its Mac.

Myth 1 - Apple computers are expensive comparative to PC counterparts:
"While Apple is certainly not a discount brand and will almost never be the cheapest computers that can be purchased, they are certainly price competitive with PCs," the analyst explains. Gartenberg also points out that "while users do pay some premium for both the Apple brand and the innovation that goes into Apple's often brilliant hardware design, the premium is not out of line with that users already pay for name brand systems from vendors such as Sony, HP or Lenovo."

Myth 2 - lack of software available:
"While OS X does not offer the same sheer number of titles that Windows offers," Gartenberg continues, "there is an abundance of business software for Macintosh." Which is true. Just check out what we have in our back yard. "In some markets, such as content creation, there is actually more software available for the Mac." That we'll have to check.

Myth 3 - Apple architectures are based on proprietary protocols:
"While that was certainly true in the past, it is not an accurate portrayal of Apple today. Today, Apple is one of the most standards driven operating systems you can purchase," the man explains. "From MPEG 4 support in Quicktime to full TCP/IP support for networking and WiFi protocols for wireless access." Gartenberg also emphasizes that the Cupertino-based computer maker was actually the first OS vendor to support TCP/IP within a commercial OS.

All this is, of course, tied together by a little something called "OS X Leopard" which is a "rock solid UNIX at the core" sporting "Apple's elegant user interface on top." You can't find a more accurate, yet simple description of Apple's latest OS anywhere.

What are your thoughts on the Myths of Apple?