This isn't exactly news but since I've already posted 2 stories with bad news for Dell, I figured I go for the trifecta.
Review: Mac Pro Beats Dell on PriceBy ROBERT WESTON
The Associated Press-- For years, Macintosh computers have been praised for their cool looks and elegant simplicity while being knocked for often carrying a hefty price premium over Windows-based machines sold by Dell Inc. and others. It's time to think different _ again.
The recently released Mac Pro maintains the Apple shine in design, usability and software but also does something unexpected: It turns the old Mac versus Windows PC price equation on its head.
A low-end Mac Pro will cost you $2,124 compared with $3,071 for a nearly identically configured Dell Precision Workstation 490. The Mac is about $947 cheaper _ and the gap widens when you start piling on options such as more memory, faster processors and bigger hard drives.
Like all other Macs introduced this year, the Mac Pro uses microprocessors from Intel Corp. rather than Apple's previous suppliers, IBM Corp. and Freescale Semiconductor Inc. It's also capable of running Windows if you've got a copy of the Microsoft Corp. operating system and supporting software from Apple or others.
Dells pricing is so screwy it really is hard to compare but Apple has been cheaper on the high-end products for years. (Go price a 5T B RAID array on each site.)
We won't talk about Apple vs Dell pricing on laptops though. That's a whole different story.
Comments (4)
Apple has still failed to c... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Steve Savage | August 24, 2006 2:01 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Apple has still failed to create an expandable yet inexpensive PC. I guess its the fear that such low profit margin systems would undercut their own revenue is why.
Closed box systems like the Mac mini will persist. Sure they're cool but they're dead ends for the average user that wants to do system upgrades.
Anyway who buy's Dell nowadays, the've outsourced most of their hardware to Communist China and of course the quality has gone down so precipitously that even crappy HP's are better than the average Dell system.
The GX260/GX270 was infamous for blowing all its capacitors on the motherboard. We lost all 100 of them that we ordered at work...100 RMA's and 100 motherboard swaps later and we finally got them to work but was it really worth it?
We have a pile of blown power supplies because Dell has again relied on the wonders of communist technology for their latest batch of PC's. They sizzle, spark and then pop. Dead. Time to call Dell gold support.
1. Posted by Steve Savage | August 24, 2006 2:01 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 24, 2006 02:01
2. Posted by Jose' | August 24, 2006 12:25 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
>Apple has still failed to create an expandable yet inexpensive PC. I guess its the fear that such low profit margin systems would undercut their own revenue is why.
Closed box systems like the Mac mini will persist. Sure they're cool but they're dead ends for the average user that wants to do system upgrades.
I think you misunderstand the "average Apple user." They don't want a systems they can tiker with. They want systems that works.
2. Posted by Jose' | August 24, 2006 12:25 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 24, 2006 12:25
3. Posted by Joe | August 24, 2006 7:25 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Other than gamers, I think you will find that the average PC user doesn't care to expand their system either.
As for notebook prices, I just checked a few Mac/Dell equivalent configurations. At the high end the prices were comparable, with Dell being a tad cheaper. At the low end Dell definitley had an advantage.
At the low end the Mac's advantage comes with the built-in wireless, Bluetooth 2.0, camera, and microphone as well as Firewire (USB 2 sucks for hard drives), optical audio in/out, DVI, and 667 Mhz bus. Mac also provides 2 gig memory and 120 gig hard drive options. And, not that most people will ever have the chance to use it, but the Mac comes standard with Gigabit Ethernet.
3. Posted by Joe | August 24, 2006 7:25 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 24, 2006 19:25
4. Posted by Rube | August 25, 2006 4:57 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Apple doesn't make low-end systems, period. They don't compete in that market, and I can't say I blame them. Who wants to run OS X on a $200 laptop?
4. Posted by Rube | August 25, 2006 4:57 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 25, 2006 04:57