“With a solid array of components, a terrific set of features, and the lightest weight of any laptop its size, the 17-inch MacBook Pro is a power user’s dream; its base price is also much higher than the 17-inch PC competition’s,” Justin Jaffe writes for ZDNet. “With roughly the same specs as the 15.4-inch model, we can already predict much about how the 17-inch MacBook Pro
will perform. The Intel Core Duo processor should deliver performance that’s on a par with the fastest PC laptops, and we can expect the ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 GPU to handle graphics better than the PowerBooks’ ever did.”
“The base configuration of the 17-inch MacBook Pro costs AU$4,599 (US$2799) — the same as the 15.4-inch model when configured with a 2.16GHz processor. We still think that’s a tad expensive, but it’s definitely a better deal than the 17-inch PowerBook G4 was,” Jaffe writes.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Please name the “17-inch PC competition” that can run Mac OS X and Windows and tell us how much that’s worth. [crickets chirping contentedly] Hello? Failing that, please regale us with the similarly-equipped “17-inch PC competition” which is priced much lower than Apple’s 17-inch MacBook Pro.
Macintosh. You get what you pay for (and more).
Advertisements:
• Get the new iMac with Intel Core Duo for as low as $31 A MONTH with Free shipping!
• Get the MacBook Pro with Intel Core Duo for as low as $47 A MONTH with Free Shipping!
• Apple’s new Mac mini. Intel Core, up to 4 times faster. Starting at just $599. Free shipping.
• Apple’s brand new iPod Hi-Fi speaker system. Home stereo. Reinvented. Available now for $349 with free shipping.
• iPod. 15,000 songs. 25,000 photos. 150 hours of video. The new iPod. 30GB and 60GB models start at just $299. Free shipping.
• Connect iPod to your television set with the iPod AV Cable. Just $19.
• iPod Radio Remote. Listen to FM radio on your iPod and control everything with a convenient wired remote. Just $49.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Confused columnist on Apple’s 17″ MacBook Pro: ‘you can get a couple of decent Dells’ for that price – April 26, 2006
Apple introduces 17-inch MacBook Pro with 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo – April 24, 2006
Dude, you got a Dell? What are you, stupid? Only Apple Macs run both Mac OS X and Windows! – April 05, 2006
The most simple way to remember the principle/principal problem is this. The princiPAL of your school is your PAL. When you see PAL in the spelling you know it is the person.
iThink,
I cannot disagree more. The whole Boot Camp thing (hopefully to be virtualization or better in Mac OS X Leopard) will do more for Mac sales than anything ever has before. I have a couple of friends in Apple Retail Stores who cannot believe how many Macs are selling now (to first-time Mac buyers) since the Boot Camp media firestorm.
Who needs this?
“Please name the “17-inch PC competition” that can run Mac OS X and Windows” come on MDN, be realistic will ya? It’s ok not to agree, but stop brining this fact.
Just for kicks, I tried to compare a Dell Inspiron E1705 to the new 17″ MacBook Pro. While there aren’t choices to get the exact specifications the same, a close comparison puts the Dell at $2608 compared to the MacBook Pro at $2799, an almost $200 difference. However, there are other considerations (other than the obvious OS difference).
Differences:
Dell offers 53 & 80 whr batteries, Apple has a 68whr battery.
Dell offers ATI X1400 graphics card, APPLE has X1600.
DELL has a 3 year warranty, while Apple only has a 1 year.
DELL has 6 usb 2.0, Apple has only 3.
Dell does not have Firewire 800, APPLE does.
APPLE has some enhanced features like the Mag Safe Connector, built-in iSight.
DELL has a 5 in 1 memory card reader.
Dell starts at 7.61 pounds at basic config so will be even heavier, APPLE is only 6.8 pounds.
pattern-
the beauty of the apple product lines is that they don’t sell stripped down or maxed out versions.
Different connections (firewire, usb) would require different motherboards, which would put a new demand on supply chains. I don’t think the demand of a stripped down 17″ would be big enough to warrant producing a different motherboard and then having to differentiate production lines.
Macs also last a lot longer than average PCs, so how do you know for sure that down the line in a few years you won’t need the iSight or Firewire? I’ve always believed to pay a little more in the present (at least with computers) so the “next big thing” won’t hurt as much when you don’t have it.
Scott
Fred
Hey… I’m all for switchers.
If BootCamp helps, fantastic.
I just don’t think you can tout a Beta software as a feature… it doesn’t come installed, it’s not supported and to say what it ‘might’ be like in Leopard is at this stage is sheer guess work.
The problem that some people have with Apple’s pricing structure is that it often leaves very little room for customization. Some people just don’t want to pay for features that they don’t want or need, but there is nothing they can do about it. Getting what you pay for means little if it’s something you didn’t want in the first place.
To illustrate this point, suppose that Apple bundled in an FM transmitter, radio, AC adapter, tape adapter, and a leather case with every iPod they sold while increasing the price by $100. When considering the actual cost of these additional components, it’s easy to see that you would actually be getting a good deal. You would be getting what you pay for (and more). But is that what you really want?
The fact that Dell has a longer warranty than Apple means nothing to me. Check out Consumer Reports and you’ll see that Macs are much, much mroe reliable than Dells.
Caps Lock Boy,
Back up your inane assertions with real facts and numbers (and take a grammar lesson while you’re at it).
Also, I use Comcast cable as my ISP and I wouldn’t ever switch to DSL. Why would I want to downgrade from over 700 K/sec. download speeds to DSL’s crappy <100?
Same rationale as to why I use a Mac – because it’s simply better!
My oh my there are lots of trolls today.
Where do you see Apple charging $600 for 2GB of RAM? I see $300. Maybe you’re having double vision seeing through that POS Dell laptop?
It is more like $3,672 for a compareable laptop. MS PRO and Remote (you can’t use a remote with pro according to Dell but the mac has one you can) i
are included. Along with a simular video card. Along with the added weight of the dell you do get a card reader, but I personaly don’t have a use for that. The Dell also has two more video ouputs: a s-video and a 15-pin video ouput (I don’t know what this is). And three more USB ports. Personaly I’d rather run Boot Camp as a beta on a less expensive better looking computer, but if you like the look of the Dell have at it.
MDN, you are a bunch of idiots. they said that the base price of the 17 inch macbook pro was higher than the competition. that is true. you can get a 17 inch pc for much less than a 17 inch pro. granted, the base pro has many more features, but the article is saying that you can’t get a 17 inch apple laptop for cheaper than 2799, while you can get a 17 inch pc labtop for cheaper. that is true.
It’s $2128 for a similarly-equipped laptop from Dell:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=E1705S2&s=dhs
The “PC’s cost so much less” mentality is absurd. Gimme a break. I just equipped a 17″ Dell Inspiron as close as I could to the MacBook (E-Value Code: 6W300-i9400lo – you may have to reconfigure it to the MacBook’s specs) and it came out to $2793
Wow! 7 dollars cheaper and you get it in an ugly box, with Windows, without an iSight, without iLife, and a bigger form factor.
It’s funny how everyone got a different price while trying to spec out a Dell to match the MBP. Fact of the matter is, everyone is going to find a price that suits their argument–including (and especially) MDN. So much for their so-called “facts”.
From what I’ve read the people who make the MBP (Quanta?) also make some Dells (although they make the Latitude line): http://www.laptopworldwide.com/laptops.html
Buy what you want; if you can afford the MBP, go for it.