Macs really do cost more
Published on 10 Dec 2007 at 1:37 am.
11 Comments.
Filed under cost, dell, mac, price comparison, prices.
There’s an unfortunate trend in the Mac community to lie or bend the truth when talking about Macs. A common claim is that Macs and PCs cost the same… or that Macs include more so they cost more. The truth is that a PC configured identically to a Mac will almost always cost less than the Mac. Take a look at these two configurations.
All those yellow items are configuration changes I had to make to the Dell machine to make it comparable to the MacBook Pro. For the MacBook Pro I only had to change the hard drive — increasing it to 250GB (at a cost of $225) because Dell doesn’t even offer the smaller 120GB drive that the MBP ships with. The Dell has twice the display RAM (and possibly a higher resolution webcam), this is the only place where these two machines don’t have hardware parity.
It’s worth noting that the price difference is most pronounced when a Mac configuration is old (such as the MacBook Pro) since Apple doesn’t lower prices during a product’s life cycle the way Dell does. Also, Apple charges the most for Macs (they do offer a free-after-rebate printer with any Mac purchase) where as Amazon and other resellers often offer rebates, free memory upgrades and such with their Macs.
Software is a completely different story, and something that cannot be easily compared. I chose Windows Vista Ultimate on the Dell for two reasons. First, I wanted to choose the most expensive option to close the price gap as much as I could. Second, Steve Jobs himself has said that Mac OS X comes in one version — Ultimate.
So, as Mac users, let’s be honest. Let’s start out by admitting that Macs do cost more. Then we can move on and talk about what you get for that extra money. Here are three of the most obvious (to me at least) benefits of choosing a Mac:
- Mac OS X — It’s elegant and intuitive. Dells are stuck with Windows, with a Mac you can choose to also run Windows.
- The shell — A MacBook Pro is light weight yet durable and solid. Even best looking Dell can’t match a Mac’s design.
- The Genius Bar — It’s always free to talk to someone and get help at a Genius Bar. Dell has nothing that compares to this.
I’m sure you can think of plenty of other great reasons to choose a Mac. Please leave a comment to let me and others know what makes the Mac worth more to you.
Scott on 10 Dec 2007 at 5:19 am: 1
You need to pick a configuration that has firewire and an Express Card slot to be make a more accurate comparison, as well as add Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Elements to the bundle to approximate iLife.
So you should pick an XPS machine for your comparison. I tried that but couldn’t get one with correct screen resolution.
Robert Carian on 10 Dec 2007 at 8:17 am: 2
What a stupid article. Do you get paid for this crap? How can you compare laptop to laptop when you are comparing apples to lemons (so to speak)? You state that they are like configured but makes no mentions of the crap design of a dell laptop. I wouldn’t own one at 1/2 the price. The fact that you do, then penning this crappy article speaks for itself
Scott on 10 Dec 2007 at 8:58 am: 3
OH come on…
you get an OS that hardly crashed, you dont get virus’s as there is no “real” virus’s for macs… that alone is worth the extra money…
but people never seem to take into account resale factor…. you can resell any mac.
you can sell an iMac from 1998 for more then $50 bucks… you find me a PC of any kind that will resell for anything after 10 years….
I bought a powerbook 867 G4 in 2002 sold it this year for $450 on ebay five years later
no ones ever going to win this argument but all I can say is you get what you pay for.
Dru Richman on 10 Dec 2007 at 9:54 am: 4
Take 2 -
Nice try!
Look here for a more accurate comparison -
http://systemshootouts.org/shootouts/laptop/2007/0605_lt2000.html
Pick a price point, any price point. In markets that Apple competes, the prices for comparably configured Macs are almost the same as PCs.
Brett on 10 Dec 2007 at 10:25 am: 5
I’ve seen price comparisons that work both ways. Sometimes the Mac comes out ahead and sometimes not. But for me, price is a minor issue.
How much is it worth to love, rather than just tolerate, your computer? Apple’s design, both hardware and software, is a miles above the competition. The myriad of features, from the MagSafe power socket to the eminently useful included iApps, continue delight long after the initial purchase.
I’ve always maintained that Macs are worth a few extra bucks. Studies factoring in training and maintenance have constantly shown greater satisfaction and lower total cost of ownership for Macs. And, in a few years when it comes time replace your computer, you can make up some of the difference on the back end due to the Mac’s higher resale value.
There is no doubt that Apple sells a premium product which is priced accordingly. I hate to sound like a snob, but those who can’t appreciate the Mac are welcome to purchase cheaper alternatives. As long there are enough of us to keep the Mac market alive, I could care less if the bargain hunters ever switch. In fact, if Apple ever gains too much market share, I fear that their aggressive innovation and attention to detail may begin to suffer.
Mike Skinner on 10 Dec 2007 at 11:05 am: 6
Sorry, no digg. The Inspiron is not the comparable machine, because it is a pig at over 1 full pound heavier, and nearly 100 cubic inches in volume porkier than the MacBook Pro(135 vs. 233). The Dell XPS M1530 series 15.4″ laptop is much more comparable at a similar weight and 168 cubic inches in volume. When I spec the XPS like the MacBook Pro, it comes to $2244, or $20 more than the Mac. I added no software, only hardware upgrades to match the Mac’s features.
Mike Skinner on 10 Dec 2007 at 11:12 am: 7
“I added no software, only hardware upgrades to match the Mac’s features.”
Sorry, I did add Vista Ultimate, but no office suites, multimedia packages or security software. Obviously, to match iLife and the Mac’s security, I could make the case and include them, but I wanted to show how close the Mac really is. Apple doesn’t compete in the entry level space, so it is not fair to compare an entry level machine against their top of the line laptop.
Mike
veggiedude on 10 Dec 2007 at 11:15 am: 8
Historically, the resell value of a Mac is better than a Dell by as much as $100, if not more. Also, life value of Macs last longer than a PC. Don’t have to mess with viruses, spyware, adware, etc. On a Mac, you can delve right into UNIX if you want; on a PC, you’d have to install Linux as a secondary OS.
Roberto on 10 Dec 2007 at 11:21 am: 9
The inspiron is almost 0,7 kg more and is 1,47″ thick, the mac has more value because it is more compact. So comparing only the cpu speed, graphics card and monitor is not fair.
Try to find a thin dell laptop and configure that…
best
Roberto
Jane on 10 Dec 2007 at 3:24 pm: 10
Although the Mac heads do have good points can’t why can’t some of them simply state the facts without mixing personal attacks into their posts?
Roberto on 10 Dec 2007 at 11:38 pm: 11
I agree with this article completely.
I have a MacBook and an older G5 iMac. Thought I’d go get a new iMac to run new software, and use as a standby machine in case the MacBook goes wonky (it is a rather flaky machine, I have to say). But for a few hundred less than the bottom-rung iMac I got a better-specified Quad Core PC. Which has 2 Firewire 400 ports included, funnily enough.
It runs Windows XP. Which in my book makes it preferable to the beta release some people call Leopard. I prefer OS X to Windows, yes, but only if it concerns Tiger. Leopard? Blech.