I should add that given the mention of 3-4 years amortization (which doesn't net out, given the correct pricing on the sheet), Apple limits your coverage to 3-years. There is no option under any circumstance to acquire a 4th (or further) year of coverage (Apple FAIL). HP, on the other hand, will cover your machine for at least 4 years -- and I believe you can purchase coverage indefinitely (requires further investigation). Killing support on a machine that should last 4-6 years demonstrates a complete disregard for environmental conservation, given the enormous* (frankly staggering) energy required to manufacture it in the first place. Shame on Apple.
Note that the drive option (500GB vs 750GB) does not change the price -- you can have either for the same price. I chose the faster drive (7200 rpm) over the slower (5400 rpm) -- a 25% increase in drive speed makes a world of difference in performance.
I'm not sure what you did with the HP configuration -- starting with the base config ($999), adding the specs listed on the sheet (note: there is no base 6GB to downgrade to 4GB -- and Apple memory options are never* competitive compared to other options), the price remains as noted on the sheet. Perhaps try it again from the base config. So, the rest of the analysis is unfounded.