tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post114711260597549717..comments2023-06-26T04:02:54.651-04:00Comments on Telling the Truth Off of the Project Roof: Apple Computers, Don't BiteStart Snitchinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06905281888631459479noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147524343093271702006-05-13T08:45:00.000-04:002006-05-13T08:45:00.000-04:00fixed link<A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/13/technology/13computer.html?_r=1&oref=slogin" REL="nofollow">fixed link</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147524283348869042006-05-13T08:44:00.000-04:002006-05-13T08:44:00.000-04:00Wow HR,64 comments? Maybe I should start blogging ...Wow HR,<BR/><BR/>64 comments? Maybe I should start blogging on geek shit too.<BR/><BR/>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.<BR/><BR/>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.<BR/><BR/>By the way there's this story on Dell's business troubles at the NY Times today:<BR/><BR/>http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/13/technology/13computer.html?_r=1&oref=sloginAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147523269064131122006-05-13T08:27:00.000-04:002006-05-13T08:27:00.000-04:00H.R,I completely bit your post with one of my own ...H.R,<BR/>I completely bit your post with one of my own (no brokeback, of course)<BR/>http://dallaspenn.com/weblog/?p=715Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147359350876686912006-05-11T10:55:00.000-04:002006-05-11T10:55:00.000-04:00As a guy who works networking tech support for a c...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.<BR/><BR/>Oh 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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147353284568799382006-05-11T09:14:00.000-04:002006-05-11T09:14:00.000-04:00mac is a one hit wonder... mac doesnt have NEARLY ...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<BR/><BR/>think about it mac users, stop trying to justify your purchase....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147312140445002652006-05-10T21:49:00.000-04:002006-05-10T21:49:00.000-04:00H.R.,you got ethered by that dude Mark. what's up...H.R.,<BR/>you got ethered by that dude Mark. what's up you want me to handle that fuck?<BR/><BR/>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.<BR/><BR/>great post H.R. look out for your name on my pageAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147206804346315932006-05-09T16:33:00.000-04:002006-05-09T16:33:00.000-04:00*internationally, it is the poorest-performing bla...*internationally, it is the poorest-performing blahblahAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147206751498863912006-05-09T16:32:00.000-04:002006-05-09T16:32:00.000-04:00"Dell is now just the walmart of computers."dell w..."Dell is now just the walmart of computers."<BR/><BR/>dell 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. <BR/><BR/>at least wal-mart has been innovative in its distribution technology, layouts, inventory, etc. and is globally competitive. <BR/><BR/>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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147190580065482212006-05-09T12:03:00.000-04:002006-05-09T12:03:00.000-04:00I wouldn't have bought any of these computers, but...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...<BR/><BR/>Although 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".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147163403607867292006-05-09T04:30:00.000-04:002006-05-09T04:30:00.000-04:00Congrats on comparing two computers that are compl...Congrats on comparing two computers that are compleatly different.<BR/><BR/>The 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.<BR/>For example, I have a iMac that clocks at 333mhz and has 128mb RAM. Compleat crap, right?<BR/>Well, the thing preforms on par with a PC that is 600mhz with 256mb RAM.<BR/><BR/>You are comparing apples to oranges here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147146015062824552006-05-08T23:40:00.000-04:002006-05-08T23:40:00.000-04:00Um. No, Apple does not. The farthest away I've b...Um. No, Apple does not. The farthest away I've been rerouted was to Niagra Falls Canada, and the support was excellent.<BR/><BR/>Read the latest consumer reports before you start running off at the mouth about Dell's tech support vs. Apple's.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147128811848131042006-05-08T18:53:00.000-04:002006-05-08T18:53:00.000-04:00All of you who think Apple support is amazing and ...All 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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147125575722457212006-05-08T17:59:00.000-04:002006-05-08T17:59:00.000-04:00Dell & windows are shitty, that's the lamest piece...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!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147125053111566212006-05-08T17:50:00.000-04:002006-05-08T17:50:00.000-04:00You know, if you configure a PC properly with a fe...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. <BR/>If 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.<BR/>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).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147123937637144232006-05-08T17:32:00.000-04:002006-05-08T17:32:00.000-04:00copied from digg:Who told this guy these computers...copied from digg:<BR/><BR/>Who 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:<BR/><BR/>built-in webcam<BR/>built-in mic<BR/>firewire 400 port<BR/>a free ExpressCard/34 slot<BR/>backlit keyboard<BR/>combined optical digital audio in/out<BR/>two-finger scrolling trackpad<BR/>mag-safe connector<BR/>10/100/1000 Gigabit ethernet (only 10/100 in the Inspiron)<BR/>faster RAM (667 MHz vs. 533 MHz in the Inspiron)<BR/>better video card<BR/>absence of cheap components<BR/>extremely superior form factor and bundled software<BR/><BR/>So, how are these computer identical?? The Dell still is a budget laptop and the MBP is aimed to a completely different audience.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147123863463023842006-05-08T17:31:00.000-04:002006-05-08T17:31:00.000-04:00I've done this comparison myself a couple of times...I'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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147123377455952712006-05-08T17:22:00.000-04:002006-05-08T17:22:00.000-04:00The comparison between a BMW and a VW is a very ba...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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147123306364398742006-05-08T17:21:00.000-04:002006-05-08T17:21:00.000-04:00Personally, I value my time. The countless hours ...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.)<BR/><BR/>After 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".<BR/><BR/>Not me, thanks....even a $1400 premium is worth it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147123190720770892006-05-08T17:19:00.000-04:002006-05-08T17:19:00.000-04:00simple equation:Great Macs + OSX = Well worth the ...simple equation:<BR/><BR/>Great Macs + OSX = Well worth the extra $1400, not to have a piece of crap for your daily computing needs :)Luke Dooleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03817912401774003680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147122993855166912006-05-08T17:16:00.000-04:002006-05-08T17:16:00.000-04:00i personally am planning on buying a macbook in a ...i personally am planning on buying a macbook in a few months...<BR/><BR/>keep 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).<BR/><BR/>Also, on top of that price... I tried w/ my corporate price discount and got it less than apple's price also.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147122570080419182006-05-08T17:09:00.000-04:002006-05-08T17:09:00.000-04:00Interesting. First time I've been called an "Appl...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). <BR/><BR/>What 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. <BR/><BR/>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.<BR/><BR/>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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147122419070704142006-05-08T17:06:00.000-04:002006-05-08T17:06:00.000-04:00I don't know if anyone has pointed this out yet, b...I don't know if anyone has pointed this out yet, but this guy is clearly just a windows fanboy ignoring critical details.<BR/><BR/>The 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.<BR/><BR/>Fucking zealot tools that cant make basic distinctions. Go get a job for Fox News.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147122294743224542006-05-08T17:04:00.002-04:002006-05-08T17:04:00.002-04:00Dude's on drugs. Comparing 2 1.83GHz systems:Dell:...Dude's on drugs. Comparing 2 1.83GHz systems:<BR/><BR/>Dell: 1400<BR/>Apple: 2048<BR/><BR/>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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147122263540635142006-05-08T17:04:00.001-04:002006-05-08T17:04:00.001-04:00us pc users have allways had horozontal and vert t...us pc users have allways had horozontal and vert trackpad scrolling you all just got that .. dont even start with thatAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17311667.post-1147122250058559322006-05-08T17:04:00.000-04:002006-05-08T17:04:00.000-04:00Well, I don't care what everybody says..or how man...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. <BR/><BR/>Please don't come to me and say that Apple is much better than PC...and you are getting BMW instead of Honda...<BR/><BR/>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...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com