Is a Mac more expensive than a PC?

ComputerWorld has a post that we price-savvy people may find interesting.
This is a semi-scientific post on a big topic: when you buy a Mac are you paying a premium vs comparable windows machines?
Going against common beliefs, the author finds the prices generally aligned between Macs and branded PCs.

For high end notebooks:

Bottom line: Assuming that you want a high-end notebook PC designed to work, play and be your everyday machine with style, the MacBook Pro is a surprisingly good value. The models that I compared it with, the Sony and the Dell, had some extras here and there, but they were also more expensive. The key to the perception that Macs are more expensive is that Apple offers very few in-between models.

More of the same for lower end computers:

When you configure low-end and midrange notebooks and desktops, you'll find that except at the very bottom of the heap, Windows machines are roughly comparable in price to Macs. There are fewer Mac models, so if your needs vary from what Apple has decided on, you may find a Windows model that costs less for you. But Apple's choices make a lot of sense for most people, and when you do the point-by-point comparison, Apple is actually a better value for some needs.

I have a Mac. Even if my opinion is not nearly as fact based, my perception is that in Europe, while retail prices may be aligned, PCs get far more promotional rebates, so the actual price gap may be wider.
I cannot care less :-)