(Don't do it!)
Coming fresh off of Apple Computer's legal victory over Beatles' Apple Corp and their new round of television ads declaring their superiority over Windows, I thought I would offer this bit of hype deflation.
A new MacBook Pro with identical features and specs to a Dell Inspiron E1505 costs $1395 more.
That is not a typo, a Mac costs almost a G and a half more than a damn near identical Dell.
For the computer nerds who can understand this here are the specs of the models I compared,
2.0 Ghz Intel Duo Processor
15.4" screen w/ 1440 X 1000 Resolution
1 Gig of RAM
100 Gigs of Hard Drive space
Media Center Remote Control (Both come with one)
DVD burner
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
128 MB Video Cards
Apple Weaknesses:
- You have to buy a separate modem in case you ever need a dial-up connection.
- You have to buy the full year of support because unlike Dell, Apple only gives you 3 months for free.
- Currently, the MacBook's DVD burner is 4X compared to Dell's 8X.
- Has 2 USB ports compared to Dell's 4.
- Doesn't have the ability to read 5 types of digital memory cards.
- Doesn't have a built-in webcam.
- The Dell weighs 6.18 lbs. compared to the Mac's 5.6 lbs.
- The Dell is 1.5 inches thick compared to the Mac's 1 inch.
- Dell runs Windows XP which is an inferior operating system compared to Mac OS X and it doesn't have iLife.
- Also, you may have fight with Dell's Indian posse if you ever have a computer problem, whereas I envision breakdancing white hipsters answer your calls at Apple.
Apple Price: $2897
Dell Price: $1502
You can't link to the store, so click the pics for the images with the details of the prices.
Apple:
Dell:
Let's say you buy a ridiculously expensive $130 Logitech Webcam, and download a few basic free security programs to make up for the shittiness of Windows XP, the MacBook is still over a $1000 more expensive than the Dell.
Granted, you won't inspire the envy of all your $9 a cup coffeeshop friends with your shiny white laptop with a large fruit on the cover, but you'll have about $1400 to buy everyone a few rounds of venti grandi lattes as well as a few iPods.
Or you can pay the membership fee to join my cult.
Posts
The link to the apple store says that you have timed out, so it doesn't display anything. Just take a picture of the page.
ReplyDeleteThe graphics card in the dell is a x1300 or x1400 where as the apple graphic card is the (underclocked) x1600
ReplyDelete-I fixed the links so you can see the prices.
ReplyDelete-The Apple graphics card is underclocked but they are both 128MB cards, so that is as far as I can customize them online.
Dell have been offering their custommers with excellent deals lately. I've seen that laptop advertised for cheaper then this and with all the coupons that you can find online, you can bring the price even lower. Some people will argue that dell's laptops are not worth much, but I always had good experiences with them.. I'm only buying their business line of products, but hey, consumer ones must come pretty close to business ones quality-wise.
ReplyDeleteKiltak
[Geeks Are Sexy] Tech. News
This argument is very tired. It's funny you don't see as many blog postings about how much more you spend on a VW or BMW than you do for an equally specced Toyota or Honda. It seems perfectly natural that there are good reasons why people prefer BMW over Toyotas, but when someone buys a Macbook Pro instead of buying Dell (the Toyota of the computer industry) the're a "naive white breakdancing latte sipping hipster".
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of features you left out in this comparison. Don't feel bad though.. every other blogger and tech journalist who've posted similiar comparisons to get a few more hits on their site made the same silly mistakes (Cnet for example).
The dell hasn't got an aluminum housing. There's no light sensors that automatically dim the screen in low light. There is no magnetic power cord plug on the Dell. The dell doesn't have a magnetic latch for the lid. The dell doesn't have motion sensing hard drive protection. The dell doesn't have an X1600. The dell has a crappy glossy x-brite screen (eliminating the ability to use in sunlit areas). The dell is ugly as sin (this wasn't mentioned, and yes, it's an opinion, but a widely held one). The dell doesn't have a fiber-optic backlit keyboard. The dell doesn't have a trackpad with two-fingered vertical AND horizontal scrolling.
The comparison between windows and OSX is covered the first part of your post when you mention that OSX is superior. But clearly that was an overstatement, since a few paragraphs later you say that this superiority is bridged with few simple free virus protection programs, as if security is the only reason why OSX is better than windows. I could go into the equally as tired argument about how OSX is years ahead of Windows, but what's the point.. until people try it as their main system for more than a month, it's almost impossible to convince them of the facts.
The bottom line is, you're falling right into Dell's trap. You're just another one of these people that fly to low prices like a moth to a flame. The fact of the matter is, Dell's technical support is among the worst in the industry, their laptops don't last nearly as long as macs, and they've been almost completely devoid of any innovation for the last 10 years. Dell is now just the walmart of computers. But hey, Walmart serves a lot of people at much lower prices. Must mean their the best, right?
Pfft..
I also find it hilarious how you mention that the Dell has a faster DVD burner, but that Windows XP offers no built-in support for DVD burning. Just another case of Microsoft passing the buck.
ReplyDeleteI wanted a mac, but I bought a dell inspiron dual core 2.0 last night from dell. Too bad apple....
ReplyDeleteso XP is a "shitty" OS? I dont use it at home, but OSX PALES in comparison when it comes to deployability and functionality on a medium to large business scale.
ReplyDeletefact is people just don't try to exploit OSX's critical weaknesses, its not worth their time. if more Macs start to flood the market, Mac security will change over night. it makes you wonder if Apple is intentionally pricing out the low end market.
they are not both 128MB cards, the model of MacBook Pro you chose has a 256MB X1600 in it.
ReplyDeleteyou should have selected for the macbook the "1GB 667 DDR2 - 2x512 SO-DIMMs" since the dell comes with 1GB over 2 Dimms, which knocks 100 off the price. And it comes with a one year warrenty, so you can subtract $349..so it's only $1000 over. still a lot more, but at least it's more accurate
ReplyDeleteBut you miss the fact that Apple's products are much sexier.
ReplyDeleteAnd work better. And besides. Who the hell needs 4 USB ports on a laptop? I use mine like... once a month. (one of them)
You get what you pay for.
ReplyDeleteYou also fail to mention that buying a MacBook Pro is getting two computers in one. That's what some of us refer to as "the best of both worlds". Do you get that on a Dell?
ReplyDeleteIn your "analysis" you say Apple's warranty is shorter than Dell's one year waranty. This is false (as shown in the Apple order form screenshot).
ReplyDeleteAlso, you included the $350 three year full support/service plan in the price of the Apple.
You also included the $50 modem, and then complained a modem wasn't included.
But, there are other factors that are harder to compare, like build quality, software packages, etc.. I'll be upgrading to a MacBook Pro when I replace my current system.
What if the VW or the BMW have the SAME engine(not just the same HP/torque etc) , the same suspension, the same chassis and the only thing different was a somewhat cooler dashboard and exterior, would people still pay a 90% premium ?
ReplyDeleteYou can just as easily spec out a matching Dell from the business line that is fairly close price wise.
ReplyDeleteThe article should just say "Through a combination of wacky deals, I found cheap laptop with similar specs that is cheaper than a MacBook Pro"
Yadda yadda yadda.... the market spoke... and it said "we want to use PCs...screw MACs". and Thus PCs have over 90% market share.
ReplyDeleteIt was a nice try, though. Hey, look on the bright side; your blog got a lot of hits today! :-)
ReplyDeleteyour wrong about the warranty..
ReplyDeleteApple has a 90 day phone support and 1 year warranty. You can Purchase the AppleCare to bring it to 3 years coverage.
Also you fail to mention the MacBook Pro also has a magsafe power supply, backlit keyboard, bluetooth, sudden motion sensor, scrollable trackpad, ambient light sensor.. still doesnt add up to $1400 but not a comparison of both models by far... Maybe next time...
Dont be so hard on him. I think he made a great comparison. Maybe not 100% accurate, but that's not possible. He meant that technically, you get an identical computer to MBP from over a $1000 less. If you count in Almunium cover and all smart Apple inventions, the MBP is still very expensive. There are people willing to pay the overprice, however, and I'm one of them.
ReplyDeleteThere are also coupon codes on the web that will get the price of the Dell under $1000, there is really no comparison between the 2 (and yes I laugh at people that spend $65000 on a BMW, they sit right beside me and my $10000 Toyota in LA traffic)
ReplyDeleteAh, fantastic. Wonderful comment CGP. How insightful. This would mean that since the majority of Americans are overweight this means that America WANTS to be the fattest nation in the world. Your logic.. words can't describe.. I mean... the sheer brilliance..
ReplyDeleteA lot of people these days use laptops as their only computer which requires quite a bit of usb use to power them as a full desktop set-up. At any given time I am using between 2 to 4 of my USB ports on my laptop.
ReplyDelete1. Keyboard/Mouse (always used)
2. Printer (always used)
3. External hard drive (used almost all of the time)
4. USB enabled phone (used every once in a while)
True, I could just get a docking station, but we are on a cheap theme here.
Short version,
ReplyDelete-This was the main discount offered. No secret codes.
-Thank you for the VW and BMW comparison, someone gets it
-4 USB ports come in handy, one for USB drive, one for MP3 players, one for a wireless mouse and one four a digital camera
-No one is mentioning the Apple weaknesses
No 5-in-1 memory card reader
You have to pay for tech support over the phobe that is free from Dell. It comes in handy.
Slower DVD burner
I got a lot of good input from this and I am going to redo this post and I bet Dell will will still be far ahead.
Apple is a luxury brand.
They need to acknowledge this and stop acting like a real alternative for a tired PC user.
Why such sympathy Se[BBB]e. How many people are going to drive traffic to their blogs by reporting innacurate information? Isn't it our job as readers to point out discrepencies and mistakes?
ReplyDeleteDang, I can't believe someone called Dell the 'Toyota of computers.'
ReplyDeleteI do believe that is an insult to Toyota.
I just started building the Dell, indentical to what he is describing and I am up to $1,700 and I am not done. I think his was missing things like the 3 year service from Dell, which is not cheap, the virus scan software, which is definitly needed with an XP machine....... why do people put up these things. You buy what you enjoy working with and I enjoy working on my Macs.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget access to the Genius Bar ...
ReplyDeleteyoo bad its not accurate, other articels have done the same thing and proven the mac is cheaper.
ReplyDeleteif your wondering where:
http://www.systemshootouts.org/shootouts/laptop/2006/0424_lt2800.html
that is the only one i still had book marked so stop spreaing false information.
What kind of laptop could you get then for the exact price of an MBPRO?
ReplyDeleteThe devil is in the details.
ReplyDeleteThe MacBook Pro is a better computer. It's all the little extras... form factor, features, OS... and I don't mean just specs... does the Dell even have firewire?
We know Dell can make em cheap. And KIA can make cars cheap. Doesn't mean it's smart to get one.
There's alot of MP3 players on the market that are cheaper than the Nano or the iPod... I don't see them jumping off the shelves.
It's a tired argument. If cost is your only concern enjoy your dell.
I am curious why everyone thinks OSX is so great. (I am honestly asking here; if you want to name pros do so, if you want to flame don't waste my time.)
ReplyDeleteI've used OSX a bit while helping my sister with her minimac and honestly I couldn't stand it. It's just WAY to restrictive of the user. Maybe if you spend a lot of time looking you can do whatever you want with the system settings but XP allows the user to access a lot more of the core system components more easily while Linux and Solaris practically beg you too. I've used all 3 extensively and I can see how for an everyday ilife type of person OSX would be better, but is there really any advantage for a power user? Especially since there are several good benchmarks indicating that OSX is substantially slower than XP/Linux for computationally intensive computing such as I do.
mark guy is just a make fanboy. doesnt matter whatever under the hood things mac has against the dell, NOTHING justifies $1000+ price tag no matter what. if you think otherwise you are falling exactly into apples trap. Trying to be new, "cool" "hipster" and not using the supposedly "plauged" windows xp that everyone else has. ill enjoy my extra grand in the bank and have the same performance as you while you talk about how cool your mac is. k thx
ReplyDelete"so XP is a "shitty" OS? I dont use it at home, but OSX PALES in comparison when it comes to deployability and functionality on a medium to large business scale."
ReplyDeleteWhat? Are you nuts? Have you ever used Workgroup Manager and Netboot? This is something you won't find in the Windows world: One OS image that runs on all hardware you have. Old and new.
A preference management interface that you can actually use instead group policy hell.
True network home directories or proper file sync.
When it works, the Apple deployment and management tools are far better than Microsoft. They just need a bit more development time to increase stability.
It has been my experience that apples are of extremely shoddy construction. I have owned, broken, and serviced several. Apple technical support lasts until they want you to upgrade. They actively hinder users from buying parts if they need to replace something on their own. This prevents anyone but apple care from being a viable alternative to buying a whole new machine rather than replacing a faulty component.
ReplyDeleteApple also has an OS on par with Windows XP. Both are based on a more superior ancient mainframe OS. Apple is based in part on BSD 4.3/4 and XP was developed in it infancy by the same people that developed OpenVMS. Neither is all that great. Aqua for instance is a steaming pile of poo. It's ugly. Bloated. And thanks to a lack of applications developed for it, pretty damned useless.
Dell laptops do take a bit more of a beating than apples. But not nearly as good at being chucked around as a thinkpad or toughbook (crazy).
Apple hardware support tends to be proprietary and ever changing (remember the first airport cards for icebooks? you know the ones they never manufactured enough of and prevented people from selling alternatives to).
Also apple users are notorious for being arrogant without reason.
Do you want to be that guy?
Is the apple prettier? Not really. Giant and Silver is not what I call pretty. If I wanted to carry around a slab of metal I'd do so. I don't enjoy it. I feel it makes me look stupid. Pulling it out in public draws undo attention. And I've always hated the mac HID. Where is the insert key on the keyboard? ANYONE!?!
Nah... dell is definitely a better product at a better price.
Albeit it is a POS, serviced by angry indian guys named ted who can't for the life of them work their own phones.
A few flaws in your comparison. You were running a higher end graphics card (256mb as well), 1G of ram in on a single board (more expensive than the 2 512mb boards on the Dell) and also included AppleCare in the price (about $300). Not to mention dell is running a $300 rebate on the machine. Not going to get nit pickey about if you included the HD audio capabilities and that sort of thing (minimal cost change in the dell).
ReplyDeletePulling those features, and adding back the rebate to the dell machine you're looking at more like a $800 difference. Then factor in that you're going with MCE rather than Pro which cuts out functionality found in OS X (yeah, you need MCE for the remote and such). The Macbook is also fairly more compact and even comparing dells to dells, more compact/lighter = more money.
Then things like build quality, and quality of service come into play from the companies. I've had Dells in the past as well as Macs. Dealing with Dell is a nightmare, and the machines break down considerably more under my experience.
Im not saying that an Apple is cheaper than a Dell. Just something more along the lines of "You get what you pay for".
Wait a second... Either you screwed up your numbers or Apple just dropped the price quite a bit. I keep getting a price of $2399.00
ReplyDeletehttp://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/6054001/wo/iu2yjfCe8U1X34OyV2E2d9IgCiu/7.?p=0
"I've used OSX a bit while helping my sister with her minimac and honestly I couldn't stand it. It's just WAY to restrictive of the user."
ReplyDeleteIt's called security... "Enjoy your Dell!"
Well, I don't care what everybody says..or how many web sites out there do comparison between Apple and PC...the point is Apple cost way more than any other PCs out there..period.
ReplyDeletePlease don't come to me and say that Apple is much better than PC...and you are getting BMW instead of Honda...
I would LOVE to get a MacBook Pro even if I am called "PC guy"..just give me the damn good affordable price or better make the price a bit closer that what a PC cost today..then I will go head buy one then...
us pc users have allways had horozontal and vert trackpad scrolling you all just got that .. dont even start with that
ReplyDeleteDude's on drugs. Comparing 2 1.83GHz systems:
ReplyDeleteDell: 1400
Apple: 2048
There is a $600 premium for buying an Apple. This is like the difference between a VW Passat and an Audi A4. I can max out a Passat and slightly overlap a basic A4, but once I starting adding features exclusive to Audi, there is no longer a fair comparison. The only difference is the styling and the packaging. All the insides are pretty much the same. It's the details that create the separation.
I don't know if anyone has pointed this out yet, but this guy is clearly just a windows fanboy ignoring critical details.
ReplyDeleteThe mac has 256mb graphics card. It clearly says that right in the details summary of the macbook pro on the apple store front page for it. The cost? $2500. if you configure the RAM in the machine like it is in the dell (two 512mb pieces) you can subtract another $100. So now we are at $2400. The big price increase that this hack is getting to increase the difference is the apple care product. Macs have a one year waranty. They dont have one year of free phone service, its the phone service that only lasts for three months. Big deal. Theres a whole lot of stuff that the Dell simply doesnt have that the mac does hardware wise (webcam, backlit keyboard, magsafe power connector, motion sensor HDD) that hes not adding in, along with a much better graphics card (the dell is integrated). So, the real price difference is $1000, and even that is a faulty number.
Fucking zealot tools that cant make basic distinctions. Go get a job for Fox News.
Interesting. First time I've been called an "Apple Fanboy" since I switched to Macs last summer. I'd been on Windows for 15 years before switching. If the Microsoft pulled as far ahead of Apple as Apple has done to MS lately, I'd switch back no question. I used to hate Apple, and I think at the time, justifiably. They've done a complete 180 over the past five years though in my opinion, moving their architecture away from proprietary Apple hardware to more industry wide standards, and now that they can dual boot both operating systems they literally have it all. OSX adheres to far more open source and universal standards than does Windows, and I think this is part of the reason you're more likely to find computer science people with macs than you will with Windows (or they'll have Dells running linux).
ReplyDeleteWhat it took for me to switch was an honest effort at giving the whole Mac thing a shot with an open mind. It was garageband that really pushed me over there. I had the same gripes about Apple's pricing (which has since come down), but I find that after having used a Mac as my primary system the price is more than justified. I haven't had to buy any aftemarket software, which is astonishing considering all the stuff you need to buy for a windows machine.
Never having to clean my system out with spybot or whatever is worth its weight in gold. Now that I've gotten used to Expose I wonder how I ever lived without it (for those of you who haven't used Expose, this may be the one feature that starts you down the Mac path). My mac does crash every so often, but it's markedly less than my windows machine. The fact that force quitting applications in OS X actually works 99% of the time is another huge benefit, esp. for people running spyware and buggy software.
I'm very seriously convinced that if people go into using a mac as their MAIN machine for at least a month, and really try to dig into the nuts and bolts and compare it to Windows point for point, they will switch. It's just a strange time in the industry when a smaller company was able to come to market with the next generation of operating systems faster because they made the painful decision to break support for their old operating system.
i personally am planning on buying a macbook in a few months...
ReplyDeletekeep in mind dell's retail price for the similiar machine will be $3k (i did it myself); however, due to the fact that deal has deals all the time you NEVER pay sticker price for a computer. Maybe Apple should start buying products in bulk (printers etc) and giving them to people with the cost of their computer. I don't think the iPod deals will help them out much longer (dunno if they still do that yet).
Also, on top of that price... I tried w/ my corporate price discount and got it less than apple's price also.
simple equation:
ReplyDeleteGreat Macs + OSX = Well worth the extra $1400, not to have a piece of crap for your daily computing needs :)
Personally, I value my time. The countless hours I spent backing up and restoring my PC laptop (which I couldn't depend on and which had it's hard drive wiped 3 times in a year)are lost billable hours to me. I have never had any such problems with my PowerBook. And that's not saying anything about the regular, lengthy and painful virus and spyware scans I have to run on my desktop PC...the aftermarket price of virus and spyware protection...compatibility issues of peripherals and upgrades....Dell customer services (ugh.)
ReplyDeleteAfter 12 years of experience on Windows Boxes, the only real argument I've heard for sticking with Windows is, "I really enjoy inflicting pain on myself".
Not me, thanks....even a $1400 premium is worth it.
The comparison between a BMW and a VW is a very bad one. Now if you compared a VW to an Audi, you would have a solid comparison. Both have almost identical parts, yet are significantly different in price. The only major difference between a Jetta and an A4 is quattro on the A4. There are many smaller features on the A4 that are not available on the Jetta, but for a broad view, they are almost identical. Are these features worth around $8000, maybe to some people, but not to most. A BMW is quieter, smoother, and a much more road worthy machine than any VW. If you compared interior DB, the BMW would win. If you compared slalom times, the BMW would win. There are many qualities that add up to the cost difference of the BMW over a VW, just as their are many reasons why the Mac costs more than a Dell. Just because you do not know or appreciate these differences does not mean the differences are not there.
ReplyDeleteI've done this comparison myself a couple of times and each time I'm suprised at how much more the Apples cost. Maybe the OS is better but the hardware is mostly the same so why should Apple be charging *so* much more? Wait 'til some hacker figures out how to install OS X on a standard PC. Apple will be dropping their margins big time then.
ReplyDeletecopied from digg:
ReplyDeleteWho told this guy these computers are "identical"? Besides, he made an obvious mistake, since the price of the MBP includes an *optional* 3-year Apple care protection plan on top of the 1-year guarantee, so the price should actually be $2,499 and not $2,900. But that said, with the MBP you get some nice "extras" that surely justify the $1,000 price difference:
built-in webcam
built-in mic
firewire 400 port
a free ExpressCard/34 slot
backlit keyboard
combined optical digital audio in/out
two-finger scrolling trackpad
mag-safe connector
10/100/1000 Gigabit ethernet (only 10/100 in the Inspiron)
faster RAM (667 MHz vs. 533 MHz in the Inspiron)
better video card
absence of cheap components
extremely superior form factor and bundled software
So, how are these computer identical?? The Dell still is a budget laptop and the MBP is aimed to a completely different audience.
You know, if you configure a PC properly with a few freeware security programs (takes about 45 minutes) you should not have any problems at all. You may have to spend 5 minutes a week turning on spyware scans that run behind whatever your doing, but other than that you need do nothing.
ReplyDeleteIf you have problems with a PC continually you either need to stop buying Dell's (they use the cheapest trash components imaginable) or start actually using good freeware stuff.
As for security, Solaris has as much or more than OSX and Linux can if you want it too. Set up properly XP isn't even that bad(again, 45 minutes of your time maybe).
Dell & windows are shitty, that's the lamest piece of argument I've ever heard! Running windows xp sp2 on a dell inspiron 600m for past 1 year and haven't had a single spyware/virus/adware till date (touch-wood). Yes, I do use a non-admin a/c and escalate the privileges when I have to using either runas or makemeadmin (sudo in windows' world). Secondly, Ubuntu Dapper (even Hoary & Breezy did too) runs great on my laptop with few minor glitches like no support for touchpad scrolling & sleep. The fact is apart from eye-candy, I don't see any other reason why someone sane would want to buy the overly-priced, overly-hyped Macs!
ReplyDeleteAll of you who think Apple support is amazing and Dell is all indians...you need to wake up and realize Apple outsources their tech support to $8 an hour employees in very rural USA.
ReplyDeleteUm. No, Apple does not. The farthest away I've been rerouted was to Niagra Falls Canada, and the support was excellent.
ReplyDeleteRead the latest consumer reports before you start running off at the mouth about Dell's tech support vs. Apple's.
Congrats on comparing two computers that are compleatly different.
ReplyDeleteThe numbers you supplied may be the same, but any tech person should know that clockspeed isn't everything. In the same way a AMD with lower mhz can out-preform a intel with higher mhz, the Macs are simply built in a different way. Those basic stats are the same, but it ends there.
For example, I have a iMac that clocks at 333mhz and has 128mb RAM. Compleat crap, right?
Well, the thing preforms on par with a PC that is 600mhz with 256mb RAM.
You are comparing apples to oranges here.
I wouldn't have bought any of these computers, but if I had to pick one it would be the Dell. I would wipe out the disk and install FreeBSD, a decent Linux distro, or Solaris, or maybe all of them...
ReplyDeleteAlthough Apple makes some nice products, I don't want to support vendors who so strongly pushes proprietary technology. Dell is not much better (perhaps even worse) in this regard, so it comes down to a financial issue, and then Dell "wins".
"Dell is now just the walmart of computers."
ReplyDeletedell wishes it was the wal-mart of computers. read a case study on that shitty company. it reinvests something ridiculous like less than 1% of its revenues on research and development. it is the poorest-performing major computer manufacturer in the u.s.
at least wal-mart has been innovative in its distribution technology, layouts, inventory, etc. and is globally competitive.
dell offers a shit product, and doesn't want to do any better. and, sadly, we americans are about the only ones being fooled into buying these pieces of crap hand over fist.
*internationally, it is the poorest-performing blahblah
ReplyDeleteH.R.,
ReplyDeleteyou got ethered by that dude Mark. what's up you want me to handle that fuck?
I need several USb ports when I am doing my thing(cameras, cruzer). A laptop isn't reaching its mobility potential with only one or two ports.
great post H.R. look out for your name on my page
mac is a one hit wonder... mac doesnt have NEARLY the versatitlity as a PC in software and in hardware. why? simply because mac can, people are dumb enough to pay more to be limited on what they can do. Anything a mac can do a PC can do and then some.. unless your a video editor there is no solid reason to pay the outragious amount for a mac. if you baught the most elite mac package and used that same amount of money to build a pc..i GUARANTEE that the pc would stomp all over the mac in every single way. including but not limited too, expandability, compatibility, security (yes with that much coinage you can buy a symantec hardware firewall!!)and looks..etc
ReplyDeletethink about it mac users, stop trying to justify your purchase....
As a guy who works networking tech support for a college campus, the reason why viruses and spyware are such a big deal is because people are too stupid to actually know how to take care of their computers. Windows XP and PCs wouldn't be nearly as maligned if the majority people using them would wisen up as to how dangerous the internet can be.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, as for those prices, I can get the same MacBook for about $2,400. You can get a Mac for cheaper, but you really do have to do your research and it's not going to match the savings Dell tosses out every month.
H.R,
ReplyDeleteI completely bit your post with one of my own (no brokeback, of course)
http://dallaspenn.com/weblog/?p=715
Wow HR,
ReplyDelete64 comments? Maybe I should start blogging on geek shit too.
The price differential between Macs and Wintel machines has a long and important history. Mac software was always tied to Mac hardware. On the other hand when companies began cloning the IBM PC architecture suddenly you had lots of different competing hardware sources who could support the windows OS and an intel x86 processor. This was a key innovation in the rapid spread of personal computing and helped create a very wide gulf in price between Apple and PC's. I think that price difference has diminished over time but I havent really researched it.
I know that once upon a time the Mac could claim very real advantages for graphics and multimedia that could justify the high price and a tradeoff in computing power. I don't believe this is the case anymore.
By the way there's this story on Dell's business troubles at the NY Times today:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/13/technology/13computer.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
fixed link
ReplyDelete