Actually Macs are Cheaper than PCs
It is pretty generally accepted that, no matter how superior they may be, Macintosh computers are significantly more expensive than Windows PCs. Just out of curiosity, I decided to do a little comparison shopping. Apple just upgraded the iMac today, so I compared the price of the entry-level iMac with a comparable computer from DELL. Here are the specs:
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Dell XPS One
20 inch widescreen display with Intel® Core™2 Duo 2.2GHz
Adobe Elements Studio for XPS™ One
XPS One® Wireless Keyboard
XPS One® Wireless Mouse
1Yr In-Home Service, Parts Labor, 24×7 Phone Support
Included 3 GB DataSafe Online Backup for 1Yr
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium
Norton Internet Security™ 2007 Edition 15-months
Microsoft Works 8.5 - Does not include Microsoft Word
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 2 DIMMs
250GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
8-in-1 Media Reader Included
Internal PCI 802.11 a/b/g/n wireless network card included
8X Slot load CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW)
Integrated Audio - 2.0 Speakers
Hybrid Analog/Digital TV Tuner with Remote Control
Internal Bluetooth 2.0 Included
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Apple iMac
2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
1GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM - 1×1GB
250GB Serial ATA Drive
Apple Mighty Mouse
Apple Keyboard (English) + User’s Guide
Accessory kit
Integrated Speakers
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB memory
20-inch glossy widescreen LCD
AirPort Extreme
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
remote control
iLife ’08 suite
Front Row
Photo Booth
1 year .mac membership
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They are not exactly the same of course. The Dell has a wireless keyboard and mouse. The iMac doesn’t. The iMac has a built-in iSight video camera. The Dell doesn’t. The Dell has 2GB of ram, the iMac only 1GB, but then Vista needs that much more ram than OS X to perform acceptably. The Dell CPU is slightly slower than the iMac. All in all, they are pretty close.
The price tag on the Dell is $1,299. The iMac is $1,269, $30 cheaper than the Dell. This is not taking into account any differences in longevity, productivity, or resale value, all of which favor the Mac.
Now it’s true that Dell has cheaper computers than the XPS One, but they are not at all comparable to the iMac. Apple just doesn’t sell low end products. What is not true is that you can buy a PC comparable to a Mac for a lot less, or any less, money.
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April 29th, 2008 at 6:16 am
Actually, the mac does have a wireless keyboard and mouse…i got one.
I hope you’re doing well. Come on down and visit
May 7th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Mac versus Dell or any Windows machine … no comparison. Absolutely none. If anyone wants to use a computer as a hassle-free and reliable creative tool, Mac is the only way to go. Otherwise, it is talking with Dell’s tech people in Berzerkistan.
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:53 am
After 20 years of Windows hassle, I have recently changed to Mac. Apple builds solid machines that are capable of handling office work and, in my opinion, are vastly superior to Windows machines. During these 20 years, I have spent thousands of Euros on software, add-ons, expensive software upgrades et cetera. Especially in the beginning (eighties) Windows software often was extremely expensive and very worrysome. Mac software, generally speaking, is much more reliable, cheeper and much more intelligent than Windows software. The price of the software should also be considered. It’s an integral part of the whole.