“After seeing how well equipped the updated Macbook Pros are I decided to go and compare them to comparable Dell machines. To my pleasant surprise the Macs are substantially cheaper,” Sean Balsiger reports for Newsvine.
“I took a quick look at the Dell store and found the Dell Precision line to be closest to the Macbook Pro line. It is their high-end line of notebooks. I started out with the basic 15.4 inch model and upgraded the Dell to match the standard features [of] the Macbook Pro,” Balsiger reports. “Final Price – Apple: $1,999, Dell: $2,874.”
“This brings us to the comparison of the 17 inch models,” Balsiger reports. “Final Price – Apple: $2,799, Dell: $4,142.”
Balsiger writes, “The myth that Apple computers are more expensive than PCs need to end. They have proven that they are committed to selling well-equipped computers at reasonable prices. Now people just need to take the time to compare the systems and realize that with a Mac they are getting a better computer at a better price with a better operating system, and if they don’t like Mac OS X they are still better off to spend hundreds of dollars less and buy a copy of Windows for their Mac. Is there really a reason to stay on PCs anymore?”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: “Is there really a reason to stay on PCs anymore?” Well, Sean, we never had a reason for PCs at all, but, since you’re asking: No.
What we said would happen (here, for one of many examples, and as early as June 2005 here) is happening already: the PC box assemblers are feeling the heat, it’s Microsoft’s turn next.
And who on earth is not going to like Mac OS X? Even the most severely Windows-dependent seem able to see the quality difference.
Related articles:
Fortune compares Mac vs. Dell: ‘you’ll get more for your money with Apple’ – September 11, 2006
PC box assemblers like Dell and others wish Apple would license Mac OS X – August 31, 2006
$399 for Windows Vista Ultimate?! (Hint: Get a Mac) – August 29, 2006
AP: Time to think different, Apple Mac beats Dell on price, software compatibility, and more – August 23, 2006
Thurrott pits Apple Mac Pro vs. similarly configured Dell, figures out the Mac is less expensive – August 18, 2006
Apple Mac Pro with/ 20” Cinema Display less expensive than Dell Precision 690 sans monitor – August 10, 2006
Bear Stearns: Apple’s new Mac Pro, Xserve pricing well below comparable Dell systems – August 09, 2006
Time Magazine on Apple’s 13-inch MacBook: ‘Dell and HP should be very worried’ – June 07, 2006
Dude, you got a Dell? What are you, stupid? Only Apple Macs run both Mac OS X and Windows! – April 05, 2006
Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ ultimate goal: ‘to take back the computer business from Microsoft’ – June 16, 2005
To Blooregard: I agree with eggbert. I have been compassionate and supportive and then claiming that after so many years with the Mac I totally lost the touch at repairing thing as the Mac never plays tricks on me, thence I truly cannot come and fix your Windows because I lost the touch, sorry. En passant, I always add ” amazing the time that I was spending on my own PC just to keep it in a working state. Hours and hours. I do other things with that recovered time now with the Mac. I realize how much it was frustrating at the time so I really can understand you but I cannot put myself through that ordeal again. It is in the past and I am glad. I am truly sorry about your issues: I know it is a real pain. I know”
Ahhh, fantastic feeling.
Alienapple.
I guess you really can’t put a price on good taste, then.
“So how do I convince my die hard “We will never use fruit” windows thumping fiance and her entire family that macs are better without sounding like I’m preaching and shoving it down their throats?”
Just follow Apple’s strategy–
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embrace (your fiance),
and extiguish (your inlaws)
It worked for me.
Really, though, when I was newly married my wife was wary of the Mac, but as she continued to use it she saw the light. Now there’s no way she would want a Winblows box. So don’t get into arguments, just keep using your Mac and let her use it every chance you can.
Blooregard325i
Tell them they are all a bunch of stupid idiots and you are thinking twice about associating with them.
Just kidding….
I would merely laugh at theior machines and say…You want me to fix that??? Bwaaahhaaahhaaaa Then go back to playing with your Mac.
This is what I do with my PC-loving brothers who still tolerate me to this day.
Macsweep,
Can I be your nephew?
Duper: I have 4 Macs in the house as well. The Alienware was for power and video games. Cheers and grow up a little.
Wow, Apple beats Dell, that’s assuming Dell makes the best laptop available, which is not the case. It’s kind of like saying a baseball team has beaten the Cubs. Who cares?
For my part, I was in the market for a laptop that would allow me to do mobile production (After Effects, Audition, CS2 Premium, Premier or Final Cut, and Pro Tools). Since Apple has FINALLY decided to add the Core 2 Duo to the MacBook Pro, I’ll compare the price of that model customized so that it resembles as closely as what HP offers and then compare them.
For the Macbook Pro:
Core 2 Duo @ 2.33Ghz
2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM – 2x1GB
200GB SATA Drive @ 4200 RPM
8x double-layer SuperDrive
17 Apple Glossy Widescreen Display (1680×1050)
iSight camera
ATI Mobility Radeon x1600 w/256MB SDRAM
OS X
Airport Extreme Card (additional $44)
Apple’s price after academic discount: $2,689 + $44 = $2,733 TOTAL
For the HP dv9000t:
Core 2 Duo @ 2Ghz
2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM – 2x1GB
240 GB 5400 RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (120 GB x 2)
8X LightScribe DVD+/-RW w/Double Layer
17 inch glossy widescreen (1680×1050)
HP IMPRINT Finish + Microphone + Webcam
512MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 7600
Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network w/Bluetooth
High Capacity 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
System Recovery DVD w/Windows XP Professional
HP’s price after academic discount: $2,083.03 TOTAL
Difference of $649.97
Pardon me for sounding frugal, but an extra 330Mhz, slower hard drive with less space, inferior graphics card, non-Lightscribe DVD-RW DL drive, non-built in wireless card, OS X and the Apple name are not worth the extra $650 I would’ve had to pay to purchase one. Numbers don’t lie.
2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
1440 x 900 pixels
1GB memory
120GB hard drive1
6x double-layer SuperDrive
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics with 128MB SDRAM
Ships: 2-4 business days
Free Shipping
$1,999.00
Why not compare it to the lattitude class of laptops? You can build one for almost exactly the same price as the apple’s.
–It appears that the Dell Precision (M90) with 15.4″ screen weighs 8.6 lbs, while the Mac Pro only weighs 5.6 lbs!!! This for a laptop built especially “for the road”! Interesting that the Dell’s weight is nowhere to be found on the Dell web pages, even in the unit’s tech specs section. The only place to find it is by downloading a pdf of the unit’s brochure, then scouring the very tiny print on the back page.
–The comparable Dell Inspiron (6400), their low-end build, is indeed about $500 less expensive for similar hardware (incl. virus protection). It is about 6.2 lbs., about half-pound more than the Mac. Given the lower-quality build, I doubt such a Dell will last as long as the Mac Pro.
–On the other hand, the Dell Lattitude (D820), their business-class standard build, is still about $400 less expensive for similar hardware and virus protection. I think it’s about 6 lbs, slightly heavier.
So, only by selecting the highest-end Dell build, with a strangely heavy design, is the Mac Pro less expensive.
Sorry, Apple.
Matt, why would you include an Airport card to your Mac Book Pro configuration?
Of course, I meant the MacBook Pro. (And I was including 3-year extended warranty/service.)
To be realy fair, the article’s comparison would have to mention this:
Apple: AppleCare Protection Plan for MacBook Pro/PowerBook (w/or w/o Display) – Auto-enroll [Add $349]
Dell: 3 Year Business Standard Plan [Included in Price]
Let’s check information before publishing? Thanks.
Because no where on Apple’s site did I find that the MacBook Pro still includes wireless. Documentation for the iMac is careful to point this out, however it is lacking on the MacBook Pro. That being the case, one has to assume it does not have wireless connectivity built in anymore. Even if it does, there is still a $606 dollar difference in cost.
When one uses near slave labor to assemble computer systems they are less expensive. Paying Chinese people next to nothing makes for a less expensive computer. Simple as that…
Jobs is outsourcing jobs to China, building less expensive computers with the exact same Intel processors and chipsets, memory, and LCD displays that all other computer manufacturers are using in their systems. The only way to beat Dell on price is to use less expensive labor, since the parts cost about the same at these volumes.
So, when you get your new MacBook Pro and power it up for the first time, remember the American worker that’s out of a job now.
Not that Dell or HP or Gateway will not eventually take the same route (or have done so already). But just remember, computers used to be built in America with American labor. Now the chips are manufactured in Asia. The motherboards are in manufactured in Asia. And now the final assembly is done in Asia. Software development and hardware engineering is being outsourced to Asia. All that’s left in America is marketing and sales.
So, instead of cheaper or less expensive, how about “sold America down the river to lower cost?”
I stand corrected, it does come with built in wireless which leaves the cost difference at $605.97. I think I made my point though.
Do a 2.33 GHz MBP against a Lenovo Thinkpad T60; Keep MBP’s specs, and upgrade the T60 until they have identical specs (except MBP has slightly larger screen)
Macbook pro $2499
Lenovo $2284
Sorry, folks. Apples may be less expensive than Dells, but they are still more costly than Thinkpads.
Dells suck anyway
“Wow, Apple beats Dell, that’s assuming Dell makes the best laptop available, which is not the case. It’s kind of like saying a baseball team has beaten the Cubs. Who cares?”
OUCH. That hurts.
Matt, from the tech specs on the MacBook Pro <from the tech specs on the MacBook Pro>:
Communications
Built-in 54-Mbps AirPort Extreme wireless networking (802.11g standard)(2)
Built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)
I would invest 600 more to have virus free and non-slowing system with excellent programs, posibility to use unix, windows, linus with mac os x. Its not hardware after all, but software and overall usage.
Ok, I configured a Lenovo as Troll suggested.
The Z61e seems closer with the wide screen, than the T60 he used. (why not look at a MacBook if you want a smaller screen?)
After adding 2GB of RAM, Windows XP Pro,and A 120 GB drive. I got a price of $2505. Very close to Apple’s $2499 price. Close enough to call it a wash. Of course, Lenovo doesn’t offer free shipping.
When comparing, please use models that are close. Don’t look at the cheapest thing (with different processors).
Just Looking,
Of course, the critical shortcoming of the Lenovo machine you mentioned, is that the Lenovo is not securable, unless you eliminate Windows and use Linux or BSD instead.
-jcr
I see lots of Dell bashing here. That’s OK as long as you’ve either owned one and have had problems or know people that have had real problems with them. Before you post a negative response, you should know that I love Macs, promote them constantly, and plan to buy more. For folks that must by PCs, I always recommend Dell first. They’ve always been very reliable compared with other PC brands in my experience and from others that I spoken with.
RW,
Good to hear words of tolerance.
I have owned Dells in the past, used to recommend them to for people that wanted PCs. I the more recent past, their quality and support has dropped. I no longer recommend Dells.
Having bought many computers…both Mac and PC. I would rate Dell last and HP second last out of experience. I have had bettewr luck with the Toshiba laptopns which I use as workhorses in the labs (running various machines). I have a bunch of Mac laptops in my office. SInce they do not breakdown, I generally give them away to other colleagues or, if old enough, send them to Crown disposal. Only one Mac laptop ever broke (15 inch TiBook) but that is what happens when you fall on top of it!
You can buy cheap crap but my impression that if it is a PC, you are more probably renting it. After 4 years, you can give the Mac laptop away or sell it. After 4 years, you have to bury the PC.