On Tuesday, eWeek’s Joe Wilcox contacted Stephen Baker, NPD’s vice president of industry analysis, about computer average selling prices (ASP) at retail.
“The ASP for Mac desktops is more than $1,000 greater than for Windows PCs, and Mac desktop ASPs were higher in June than they were two years ago,” Wilcox reports.
Wilcox writes, “Here’s how the midrange iMac and Dell Inspiron 518 compare, based on Apple Store and Dell online pricing:”
Apple iMac: $1,199; 2.4GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 20-inch widescreen display (integrated), 1GB DDR memory, 128MB ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT graphics, 250GB hard drive, 8x double-layer DVD burner, Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11 g Wi-Fi, Webcam and Mac OS X 10.5.
Dell Inspiron 518: $739 (after $150 instant savings); 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Quad processor, 19-inch widescreen monitor, 3GB DDR memory, Intel GMA X3100 graphics, 500GB hard drive, 8x DVD burner and Windows Vista Home Premium Service Pack 1.
MacDailyNews Note: As our readers will most certainly point out below, there’s a lot wrong with Joe’s comparison. Not the least of which is: Dell’s Inspiron 518 is a plastic tardbox with a separate monitor. Doesn’t Dell make an all-in-one to compare to Apple’s all-in-one iMac? Oh, yes, they do. It’s called the XPS One and it starts at $1299. For comparison shoppers: that’s $100 more than Apple’s iMac. The fact is, when you do it right, Apple Macs often cost less than “comparable” PCs.
Now that we have a valid comparison, please see these related articles:
• Mossberg recommends Apple iMac over Dell XPS One for several reasons – December 27, 2007
• CNET reviews Dell XPS One: Outclassed by Apple’s iMac – November 17, 2007
And, be careful with Dell’s online price quotes, Joe: Beleaguered Dell engaged in repeated misleading, deceptive and unlawful business conduct, judge says – May 28, 2008
Wilcox asks, “Which would you choose?”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Mike from Atlanta” for the heads up.]
Obviously, any knowledgeable, thinking personal computer user would choose the Mac, Joe.
Comparing spec sheets is certainly a consideration, but it leaves out so many important things that it cannot and should not be used as the sole basis for making any buying decision. Other factors are at least as or more important, such as:
• Which operating systems the machine can run: Macs are OS-unlimited, Dell et al. are OS-limited: no Mac OS X for you)
• Which software the machine can run: Macs can run all the world’s software, Dell et al. cannot: no iLife, Final Cut, etc. for you)
• How much the machine costs you over time: Anti-virus subscriptions, support, repairs, wasted time, frustration, annual wipe and reinstall Windows, etc.: no fun for you)
Apple chooses not compete on the low end for a reason. Their shareholders expect healthy margins and Apple does not want to sully their reputation for quality:
We can’t ship junk. There are thresholds we can’t cross because of who we are. The difference is, we don’t offer stripped-down, lousy products. – Apple CEO Steve Jobs, August 7, 2007
That’s why comparing average selling prices is a meaningless game. It like comparing the average menu price of a 5-star restaurant to that of McDonald’s. Instead, compare similar spec’d systems, factor in the bullet points above, and see if the Windows PC offers twice the value as a Mac. Twice the headaches, yes; twice the value, no. Remember, most Mac users have made a conscious technology choice (at one time or another, they’ve usually been stuck with Windows at work and/or school) and are therefore better informed than most Windows PC users (who have never or hardly used a modern Mac). Even if Macs really did cost double, we’d gladly pay it while considering it a steal – because we know better.
Lastly, Wilcox writes, “If Apple is going to continue its market share gains, or simply maintain that 8.5 percent U.S. share, prices must go down and configurations bulk up. The math is simply undeniable.”
No, Joe. What’s undeniable is that Macintosh, at current pricing, is already taking market share from Windows. Therefore, your argument is illogical.
Yes Apple don’t ship junk. but the comparison is a fair one – 2.4Ghz core duo or quad processor; 1GB or 3GB memory; 250GB or 500GB drive. Apple computers are better made, but are pricier. No question.
Obviously he does not pay his I.T. team. If he did, he would massive cost savings with Macs. Then again a lot of these guys just want to make the biggest department they can so they have the biggest budget in company…Windoze is definitely a key component of such a strategy.
just my $0.02
so it costs $400 to get a better quality larger screen, and get rid of the huge “desktop” server and get a nice all-in-one and get a better video chip.
….oh wait, and NOT get vista. hell i would pay $8-900 to avoid vista.
how is the quality? fun story, friend of mine works in the uni bookstore computer dept. he says they have to reboot 2 of 6 dells every day due to crashes even though the Macs get used more. so they did a bootcamp vista install on one of their iMacs. they don’t even shut it down at night but just let it run. turns out the Mac can run vista for about a month before they have to reboot it. a typical dell, 2-3 days.
how much is that worth?
He compared the most expensive of the low end Macs (the black Macbook) with a low end Windows laptop. Really fair comparison no?
So the iMac has more yet he’s complaining about it being more? I’m confused. Also he’s wrong with the specs the iMac has 802.11n not g. What a nub.
“…Wilcox writes, ‘If Apple is going to continue its market share gains, or simply maintain that 8.5 percent U.S. share, prices must go down and configurations bulk up. The math is simply undeniable.’ …”
How is that undeniable?
Wilcox really blows it here.
If Apple continues its marketshare gains at its present prices, obviously the prices do not need to go down.
It would help if Joe configured the Dell to at least come a little closer to the Mac standard H/W. I see he didn’t mention anything about the fact that the iMac has a built in iSight camera, FW400 and FW800 built in, Gigabit E-net, 802.11n Wi-fi, and Bluetooth. Not to mention the software that is standard on a Mac that Windows has no equivalent to. Macs are easily on par or in many cases less expensive when comparing a more even feature set.
I can’t help but notice Joe compared a Desktop system to an All-in-One. I wonder why he didn’t compare iMac to XPS One? Oh maybe b/c the XPS One starts at $1299.
Oh and why didn’t he publish laptop specs? Anyone? Anyone at all?
It’s all about the shareholders here. Dell has double the revenue of Apple, and a quarter of the profits. Who’s winning there?
macs cost more than peecees? nevAr!!1
must be a slow news day…
The rumor that macs cost more is finally getting disproven and now this will lead to a whole new set of fud from pc people.
Saying that the average PC costs X and the average mac costs 2X is like saying the average Mercedes costs more than the average Chevy. Of course. Duh. Apple’s market space is different than PCs. Is the average performance of the two average points the same? No. You can’t compare them.
Another ridiculous analysis.
By his accounting, we would all drive a Kia and dine on bologna, since it just boils down to cost. I had the same silly discussion with a friend who works at Symantec and drives a Lexus but couldn’t understand why it makes sense to spend extra to buy a Mac.
My 24″ iMac came with 2 GB of ram.
The glossy screen is way better than matte.
Apple don’t make cheapo shite… and did you hear the one about the analyst who drowned? The river had an average depth of 4’6″?
@drz
well you can lead a horse to water.. but you cant make it think
Well, if your friend works at Symantec, it doesn’t make sense for him (or her) to buy a Mac.
I have to agree… clearly a fair comparison. I did one also:
2008 New Toyota Yaris: $14,490.00
2008 New BMW 328 Sport Wagon $32,924.00
Both have 4 wheels, steering wheel and are a wagon.
Clearly the Yaris is a better car for everyone.
Why bother with idiotic “opinion” pieces like this from obvious MS shills?
This is a typical “analysis”. Spec SIMILAR systems, clown. The Dell Inprison (anagram for inspiron) has integrated graphics, a smaller monitor, no FireWire, no Gigabit ethernet, no ‘N’ wi-fi, no Bluetooth, no web cam. It won’t run Mac OS X … AND you’re stuck with Vista or upgrading to XP.
Oy fscking veh, SUCH a deal!
Okay, the Mac has less RAM and a smaller hard drive. You can add 2GB RAM for a bout $60. Or bump it to 4GB for $100 or so. NOT thru The Apple Store. With the built-in FireWire, you can add a 320GB drive for $150, if you need it.
… now I have a headache.
Even if it was true. I would still pay twice the price simply to continue to like my work with computers.
Every time I use Windows, something always comes up.
Come on people, I thought we learned not to pay any attention to Joe Wilcox, a known Apple detractor.
Next.
It seems NPD wants to ‘weigh’ the computers and then compare. So what if the Dell has 4 cores or 2 cores – is anything MS sells for the ‘home’ set up for SMP?
I assume those figures include windows pc’s at the budget, low-end of the market? The end of the market that Apple doesn’t cater for. You can argue specs, and yes you pobably could get a higher spec windows machine for less, and yes if you were to accept that you didn’t value the extras that a Mac provides you could argue that an equivelant windows PC could be bought cheaper. So what? That’s a comparison made on as equal a footing as possible, not one comparing a manufacturer who specifically only targets portions of the market in terms of hardware against everything else across the board. The cost of that $739 dell is higher than the average windows cost according to that, is it expensive? Maybe, maybe not, the comparison isn’t accurate in the context of the conclusion.
Mac Laptop: $1515
Mac Desktop: $1543
2 GB RAM: $70
250 GB Hard Drive: $80
Enjoying using your computer without cursing at it and pulling your hair out: Priceless
To enjoy your computing experience, there is Apple. Anything else, you’ve just got Microsofted, dude.
We all ought to take the ‘whole life cost approach’. Why buy a windows crapware and spend £50 a year on anti-virus and other such stuff when you needn’t bother with a mac.