I avoid most alcohol because of the lack of ingredient labels (I have allergies) but cider is so good it seems worth home brewing.
Is it possible to do this cheaply? From the small amount of reading I've done so far, it looks like you need to have a crusher and cider press, or else buy unpasteurized cider (which sounds like it'd be expensive). Can you reduce the need for some of the specialized equipment by chopping the apples first?
I've never home brewed before, but this sounds like it might be a little more difficult than beer...
I would say it is easier than beer... far easier than all-grain beer. My friend does cider, I do beer. If you do extract beer brewing, the time commitment is not too far different. But if the beer-brewing does all-grain then cider wins by far.
Beer has soooo many process variables, and they all make a difference. Cider is more about learning to balance acidity and sweetness, and what mix of apples to use (to get the acidity and sweetness balance). Some apples will add other nuances as well, but I would say there is much less breadth than in beer. Google search will find you all you need to know.
You have to chop the apples up, even with the crusher (typically). First you chop up the apples (into several pieces per apple). Then you food-processor the stuff into a mulchy-mush; or there are hand-crank operated devices to chop 'em up further, but these will cost $$.
Then you crush. You will probably need to build the crusher yourself; it's basically a bunch of wood 2 by 4s, held together by long nails. It is used to hold the hydraulic press in place. Again, google search.
Cider is reasonably inexpensive to make; like most home-brewing, the most cost-effective forms of it save you a lot of money and cost you a lot of time.
If you want it MMM style (time efficient, but lacking in any of the hobby aspect and probably never developing much quality) just buy the juice and chuck in champagne yeast.