Apple, Please Give Us More Bang for Our Buck
Ah, the eternal argument. Do you get better value for your dollar from a PC or a Mac. We've seen Microsoft use the budget and specs approach to cleverly cut out Macs (eg. Lauren and the 17" laptop for under $1000), and we've seen the Apple fanbois do it relentlessly, speccing up a PC to match a Mac and finding the Mac comes out on par or better.
But how about if you dint' fudge things so much? What if your starting point was the Mac and it's price? What if you take the Mac as is and then go buy a PC of equivalent value? How would the Mac compare then?
To keep the exercise simple, we'll just look at the base model of each Mac and we'll stick to consumer machines only. Maybe we'll do pro machines another week.
I also wanted to avoid customization, but unfortunately found that often the nearest PC of equal value was a bit to a lot cheaper. Therefore I took the difference to spec up the PC. I wanted to do Acer as well in this comparison, but they don't display their prices on their website.
This is a hardware comparison. The OS should be irrelevant in the pricing anyway, as we could install Windows, OS X, or Linux on any of these units. All the PCs come with Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit. I will discuss software further down, though.
Mac mini $599
• 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 1066Mhz FSB 3MB cache
• 1GB memory 1066Mhz DDR3
• 120GB hard drive 5400RPM
• 8x double-layer SuperDrive
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics 128MB shared memory
• Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit)
• Built-in AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi (802.11n)
Dell Studio Slim Desktop $599
• Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E7400 (3MB L2, 2.8GHz, 1066FSB)
• 20 inch S2009WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel Monitor
• 16X DVD+/-RW Drive
• 4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz- 4DIMMs
• 640GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
• Integrated Intel® GMA X4500HD Graphics
• Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
HP Pavilion Elite m9500z $599
• AMD Phenom(TM) 8650 triple-core processor [2.3GHz]
• 4GB DDR2-800MHz dual channel SDRAM [4x1024] from 3GB
• 320GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
• 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 9300 [DVI, HDMI, VGA]
• LightScribe 16X max. DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive
• Integrated 10/100/1000 (Gigabit) Ethernet, No wireless LAN
• 15-in-1 memory card reader, 2 USB, 1394, audio
• Integrated 7.1 channel sound with front audio ports
In that lot, there's different things to weigh up. The Mac has faster memory but slower and much smaller hard disk; it has wireless networking, the other two don't, the HP and Dell have faster CPUs and heaps more RAM, the Mac and HP have FireWire; the Dell has a monitor, the other two don't.
Graphics? I don't know the answer to which is best, though the HP sounds like it could be. I suspect you need some sort of degree to work out all the different video options and which is best.
Overall though, the mini comes a comfortable last for hardware value as the memory, hard disk and CPU really kill it. Unfortunately, it pays heavily for its clever form factor. If that's what's most important to you though, then you'd see this differently.
iMac $1199
• 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 1066Mhz FSB 6MB cache
• 2GB memory 1066Mhz DDR3
• 320GB hard drive 7200RPM
• 8x double-layer SuperDrive
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics 256MB shared memory
• 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet
• Built-in AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi wireless networking (based on IEEE 802.11n draft specification); IEEE 802.11a/b/g compatible
• Built-in stereo speakers
Dell Studio XPS Desktop $1219*
• Intel® Core™ i7-920 Processor(8MB L3 Cache, 2.66GHz)
• 2Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
• 6GB Tri-Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 6 DIMMs
• 640GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
• Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability
• 23" Dell S2309W Full HD Widescreen Monitor
• ATI Radeon HD 3450 256MB
• Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
• Dell A525 30 Watt 2.1 Stereo Speakers with Subwoofer
• Dell USB Consumer Multimedia Keyboard
• Dell Premium Laser Mouse
• No Floppy Drive or Media Reader Included
• Dell 1505 WLAN PCIe card with11n mini-Card & external antenna
*The base price of this unit was $1099. I added the wireless and speakers.
HP All-in-one TouchSmart IQ500t $1149.99
• Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T6400 [2.0GHz, 2MB]
• 4GB DDR2-800MHz system memory [2x2048]
• 320GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
• 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS HD
• Slot-load SuperMulti DVD Burner
• Wireless-N LAN card and Bluetooth(R )
• 5-in-1 memory card reader, 2 USB, 1394, audio
• TV tuner, ATSC & NTSC with PVR, remote
• Integrated high-performance 2.0 speakers always included (No external speakers)
• HP low-profile, wireless keyboard and HP wireless optical mouse
• 22inch touch screen display
HP Pavillion m9600t $1199.98*
• Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-920 processor (2.66GHz, 1MB L2 + 8MB shared L3 cache with QPI Technology)
• 4GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [2x2048] from 3GB
• 640GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive from 500GB
• 512MB ATI Radeon HD 4350 [DVI, HDMI, VGA adapter]
• HP 2009m 20-inch 16:9 HD Ready Widescreen Monitor
• LightScribe 16X max. DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive
• Premium Wireless-N LAN card
• Integrated 7.1 channel sound with front audio ports
• 15-in-1 memory card reader, 2 USB, 1394, audio
• HP USB 2.0 stereo speakers
• HP multimedia keyboard and HP premium laser mouse
* The base price of this HP was $949. I added the 20" screen, the speakers and the wireless networking card.
Again. things to weigh up, but again the Mac would be last choice if it was on hardware alone, even if you only compare it to the HP TouchSmart which has the same form factor and therefore the same extra engineering costs. Bear in mind too, that that HP is a touch screen.
MacBook $1299
(For this, I choose the lower-end aluminum MacBook, rather than the true low-end MacBook, the white one, to stop any arguments about it being older technology)
• Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0Ghz 1066Mhz FSB 3MB cache
• 2GB DDR3 Memory
• 160GB hard drive 5400RPM
• 13.3 inch display (1280x800)
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics 256MB shared
• Multi-touch trackpad
• iSight camera
• Standard keyboard
• Aluminum unibody
• 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet
• Built-in AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi wireless networking (based on IEEE 802.11n draft specification); IEEE 802.11a/b/g compatible
• weight: 4.5lbs
Dell XPS13 $1284*
• Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8600 (3MB cache/2.4GHz/1066Mhz FSB)
• Edge-to-Edge 13.3" HD WXGA LCD with 2.0 Megapixel Camera
• 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1067MHz (2 Dimms)
• 500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
• Slot Load DVD+/-RW (DVD/CD read/write)
• NVIDIA® GeForce® 9500M - 256MB
• Dell Wireless 1510 802.11n Half Mini-Card
• High Definition Audio 2.0
• weight: 4.85lbs
* The base price of this unit was $1099. I spent the difference on better hard disk and graphics.
HP dv3t $1274.99*
• Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T9550 (2.66 GHz)
• 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 500GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• 512MB NVIDIA GeForce G 105M
• 13.3" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
• LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
• Webcam Only
• Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card with Bluetooth
• 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
• weight: 4.7lbs
* The base price of this unit was $649. I maxed out the CPU, the wireless, the graphics and the hard disk.
On the laptops,the story isn't much better for Apple, with the PC vendors again creaming Apple on the three main components: hard drive, CPU and memory.
The first thing that becomes obvious when looking at PC manufacturers prices is they are as bendy as a rubber chicken. On all PCs, there were deals and specials. That's an area Apple touches about as often as a Hilton heiress touches reality.
As I said I don't think we should consider the OS either, which eliminates the maintenance advantages of OS X. Let's, for equality, install Ubuntu on each. That takes the OS price out of the equation and the pros and cons of Windows and OS X. It means we are matching truly on just the machines.
If you're curious, OS X costs US$129 off the shelf. Windows Vista Home Premium will set you back $90 if you shop around. So, little difference there in terms of the sticker price of the machines. In fact, if Apple fanbois are right when they say the Apple hardware subsidizes the cost of OS X, then Apple must be losing truckloads on every OS X sold as an upgrade for an existing Mac, which has no subsidizing advantage - unless Apple built that into the original price.
If you argue that OS X makes the Mac much more valuable, I'll argue "go stick it on a PC then". That would make those Dells and HPs superb value!
I'm not considering the value of other software either as each vendor includes free software that has value, whether the Mac fanbois which to admit it or not. For example, nothing comes with the Mac to match Microsoft Works' functionality. And nothing comes on PCs to match iLife's functionality.
If I was buying any of these machines to run Linux and free apps, I'd buy the PCs as you clearly get more for your money.
Despite all this, I am still going to buy a Mac, plenty of other people are going to buy Macs. My reasoning is the investment I've already made in Mac software (eg Adobe CS), the software I love (e.g. Things, iLife) and of course, my data is all Mac-ified. For instance, it would be a major pain porting my 13,000 photos to another platform. Switching (either way), can be hard on both your wallet and your time.
But it's about the hardware price
However, this article is about the hardware. On the hardware, Apple is sadly under-specced and over-priced. Is it good enough to justify that with the OS X advantages argument? I don't think so. No wonder Apple won't license OS X to Dell or HP.
What do I want? I, and I'm sure we, want more bang for our buck. Look at the Mac mini, for instance. OS X needs a minimum of 2GB to run comfortably nowadays (thank you Safari), and a 120GB HDD is diddly-squat.
In all the examples above, the Macs did score a few advantages, eg FireWire, Bluetooth and memory speed, but the PCs scored a lot more, especially in the three critical areas, hard drive capacity, CPU speed and memory size.
So come on Apple, do your loyal Mac fans a favor and give us more for our money. Otherwise, you will keep hemorrhaging hackintoshes.
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Comments
“If you argue that OS X makes the Mac much more valuable, I’ll argue “go stick it on a PC then"”
well, yeah, you can try that comeback, but then you’d be really stupid, since reality does actually matter. 99.99% of buyers of all kinds are not ever going to even try to install Mac OS on a PC. a significant number tho do install Windows on Macs - since it is fully supported by OS X and can be seamlessly integrated on the desktop with third party software.
the obvious bottom line question for all buyers is, is the quality of the Mac OS and its ecosystem (including its near perfect integration with its own hardware, and the convenient tech support at your local Apple Store, etc.) worth the extra cost of the hardware, whatever it is? for most buyers, when you add up all the various expenditures involved, including software important to them, the cost difference is some hundreds of dollars.
obviously, you’re cheap (or maybe just another blogger scraping by). so several hundred dollars is a big deal for you. i’m not cheap, and i make a decent living. i always buy better/best quality products if i can afford them, and several hundred bucks is not a big deal at all.
and backing up to look at the big picture, the price of both PC’s and Macs have gone done over the decade, especially when you discount for the impact of inflation, while their powers and abilities have increased dramatically. at this point, whining about what you get plus or minus a few hundred bucks compared to Win 2000 PC’s and OS 9 Macs that actually cost quite a bit more in constant dollars is just so silly.
i don’t think i ever want to split a restaurant bill with you.
@Alfiejr
Stop with the hardware and software integration arguments. It doesn’t exist. Why does OS X run just as well on crappy Dells? The Hackintosh community has proven that. Its simple. Apple gouges us because they know they can. Windows is so bad that I’ll pay a $1000 more for an equivalent piece of hardware just to run OS X.
And Apple better hope that Adobe doesn’t wake up and make Photoshop, Premiere, After Effects, etc. available for Linux. Then Apple would be in serious trouble. I would jump ship in a second to be able to do video editing and graphics stuff on a Linux based PC if it saves me $1000 on the cost of the hardware.
jocknerd >> Since I want the OS to simply stay out of my way and let me run my apps without being annoyed by it, Windows 7 starts to look quite attractive. Then take the case that Photoshop CS4 is true 64-bit on the PC, but on the Mac it’s not. Even Adobe don’t give a flying fudge about OS X. They’re having to write CS5 from the ground up since they just Carbonized the OS 9 version 5 years ago and charged us $1,000’s for it!
Let’s face it, us Mac owner get gouged. That’s all there is to it.
An interesting article that honestly made me wonder what it is I’m getting for the extra outlay on a Mac. All I can think of, and something that wasn’t really covered in the article, was build quality, reliability and support - equating more or less to cost of ownership over the long-term. If there’s one thing I cherish about my Macs, it’s the fact that they’re, on the whole, so maintenance- and worry-free. I don’t attempt to argue that PCs aren’t reliable, as I’m in no position to do so. However, I can honestly say that it’s got to the stage for me that my anxiety levels increase at the mere thought of engaging with a Windows computer, thanks to so many problematic encounters over the years. Whilst the Mac’s “It just works” maxim is a little tarnished these days (malware is beginning its slow creep into the Apple-made sphere; hardware failures have become more prominent) I still find myself feeling that problems are the exception rather than the rule. And there’s every evidence of Apple’s Snow Leopard being a serious attempt to buff out some of the dark spots.
Frankly, I happily pay extra for the peace of mind that I get from using an Apple branded computer.
“OS X needs a minimum of 2GB to run comfortably nowadays “
Baloney! I’m running 10.5.6 on a 1.2 GHz iBook with 1280MB of RAM and it performs just fine. Including Safari.
And what’s with the repeated use of “fanbois”? You sound like some 14 year old zit-faced kid.
@ jocknerd: the “Hackintosh community” is that other 0.01%. props to their skill, but what they do is irrelevant. it’s not a realistic option for anyone else. you want Mac OS, you pay couple hundred extra and buy the hardware package. preloaded, with top-quality iLife thrown in. and with on the spot warranty service and free tech support at your local Apple Store.
plus the right to piss, moan, whine, and kevetch about Apple as much as you need to.
“Apple gouges us because they know they can.”
Basically, yep. If you’re like some people, you get to feel superior to people who can’t afford a Mac or that would rather not spend money on a more expensive corporate brand over another corporate brand just to show they you can. You get to label the 90% of the world who chose a different brand from you “cheap whiners.”
Apparently that’s worth a few hundred dollars to some.
If you’re me, you get the benefit of running Final Cut Studio, which is basically the only thing keeping me in the Mac “ecosystem” at this point. There’s a reason they don’t release it on other platforms.
“If there’s one thing I cherish about my Macs, it’s the fact that they’re, on the whole, so maintenance- and worry-free.”
While I only have my anecdotal evidence to go on, my iMac was a steaming pile of crap that cost me more money over its short 30-month life span than the last three PCs I’ve owned combined. There’s a reason why extended warranties are only for “suckers” and Mac users. It’s not so much that they are less reliable but that if something does go wrong, they are insanely expensive to fix.
Whatever stupid spin you can come up with for why this or that Apple hardware is the same or less expensive than a PC, you cannot justify the $800 Apple charges for a stinking motherboard in an iMac.
On the other hand, my Mac mini has worked like a champ for almost four years. Extremely, painfully slow, but reliable.
@Beeblebrox: Other than cast some groundless aspersions on some people’s motivations (which are quite often less than salutory, I agree), all you really did with your post was vent your anger at not having been prudent enough (or monied enough, to be fair) to buy Applecare for the iMac you mention. Occasionally, extended warranties can be a “rip-off” - there are legal moves in the UK right now to counteract those that clearly are. However, you yourself have just provided an example of the fact that they are offered for a reason. It’s a fact of life that reliability is variable, despite manufacturers’ best efforts—hard drive X may die after 2 months, 1 year or 10—so you weigh up the pros and cons of investing in an insurance package (or assurance package, depending on how cynical your point of view). Personally, I feel that if I couldn’t afford the repair costs for a manufacturer fault down the line, I attempt to invest in a back-up plan. Applecare is, as far as I’m concerned, excellent value, especially considering that, as you say, Mac components can be expensive to replace.
You have my commiserations on the outlay you incurred as a result of a (presumably) faulty iMac. Presumably its faults arose after the original 12-month warranty expired, otherwise you’d have taken the precaution of purchasing Applecare to guard against future calamities on an apparently problematic machine, yes? In my opinion, that would have been the wise thing to do. If the flaws manifested after the warranty expired, then you were very unfortunate, I agree. But, 1) You still presumably had 12 months’ of trouble-free usage, and 2) are still the owner of equipment provided by a manufacturer that is one of the most generous around, whose (apparent) sympathy—but more likely policy—can provide wonderful outcomes without costing you a penny. Just look at the number of folk who have had water-cooled G5s entirely repaired, and even replaced with Mac Pros, well outside the warranty period. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I myself started off with a refurbed PowerBook and ended up, after several months of repairs under warranty, with a brand-new, top of the line, Aluminium MacBook Pro with all its standard software. For that reason, I count Apple’s support as a boon to any Mac owner.
everyone has anecdotes, but those aren’t the same as stats. of the dozen or so Mac products i’ve purchased, three failed. two during warranty and easily replaced on the spot at the Apple store, one after three years (dead PPC motherboard), which was one year sooner than my four year replacement cycle. so i was unhappy. anyway, you can find bitter buyers of every brand of PC in the world on any blog forum with similar tales of woe. the people who think it’s all about them get nasty. the rest just chalk it up to the law of averages. things break.
reliable stats on the hardware reliability of various brands and models of computer gear are hard to find. to the extent they are available, Mac products fare well compared to others. that’s about all one can say definitely. (and that the 2007 XBox 360 was definitely a lemon.)
Do you like it or not? I like using my Macintosh computer (OS10.5) better than my Windows PC (XP) at work. That’s the bottom line. They both do similar things, but I enjoy my iMac more than the Dell PC. I don’t drive a BMW or a Mercedes Benz because I don’t like them. I drive a Honda Accord because I like it even though I can afford a BMW or a Mercedes Benz. All three will get me down the road just fine including a Chevrolet or a Ford. But in the end when I have to write the check I have to say to myself, “I like it!”
@Flyboybob, yes, I like it. I much prefer using a Mac to a Windows or Linux PC - that’s because of the OS.
But that doesn’t mean I can afford it. And when I can afford it, it’s that bit harder to justify knowing I’m getting less for my dollar, hardware-wise, *and* paying a premium for an OS that costs less than the Windows equivalent (OS X $129, Windows Ultimate OEM approx $170).
You can’t justify owning a Mac based on its price. It really is, as you say, about whether you can say “I like it!” or not. And that is all about security, maintenance and the whole usability of OS X.
I said “I like it!” for nineteen years before I was in a position to afford a Mac.
And now I find myself back at the same crossroad, with money tight, trying to justify buying an inferior hardware package with a superior OS.
And that’s what it’s all about - the OS. We don’t buy Macs for the hardware, we buy them for the OS. Whereas PC buyers are more inclined to put the hardware before the OS (because they can).
And that’s why Apple’s advertising is all about the OS, and Microsoft’s is all about the computer.
Which makes my article somewhat pointless, as Apple is never going to listen.
It’s funny, we always say of Windows, “you can’t polish a turd”. However, the same could be said of Mac hardware. Lovely on the outside, rather ordinary on the inside. All the shiny, fancy design doesn’t cover the fact that the hardware is significantly inferior to PCs of equal value.
Is Apple selling us shiny turds?
true, what can i say, yesterday my brother on the phone relaising i was in the room, said ohh macs are for (sorry for the racism) black musicians who don’t know any better , i took a knife and stuck it in the table inches away from his hand. i am nuts on that action alone.
but he is right, hardware wise, and he was talking about hardware, macs have always constrained themselves
but we have been a mac family for ages, had one of the first macs in our country, (Armenia)
i have used them all my life, since i was a toddler,
i have hated them i have loved them
but i above all, will not recommend any pc to anyone, for the reason that, i can’t build a mac, but i can build a pc.
i don’t have a aluminum shop to shape such bodies, but i do have a account on newegg to make any pc cheaper than the pc brand
well maybe not any its hard building out of standard pcs
but my point is “i like” is important, i do feel sorry when i don’t have a sd slot to use on my macbookpro, but hell i like it as it is, with its fen beautiful design, its curves and its miscurves, like a female sculpture, it is mine,
comparison is a waste of time, because a human looks for beauty and apple is the company that tries to suffice this need,
my same brother that almost got his hand chopped off, also says, PC laptop designers are tasteless (sorry again for the racism) asians, who do not understand about confront and decor.
tasteless is correct, some times they try and come up with nice looking products but 95% of the time its not NICE,
Ha ha!
That’s hilarious given the controversy at a Mac-developer conference when one speaker asserted that black people don’t use Macs. There’s a bit of a grain of truth to the statement—was not presented well at all by that speaker—which sort of relates to Chris Howard’s point: Macs are expensive, and it is hard to justify the price differential.
lol i know,
“ohh macs are for black musicians who don’t know any better”
well he works as a mac repairman in brooklyn nyc, every day he complains about rappers are djs with mac products who have no clue what to do with them
well thats what he says, idk if its true or not never been to his shop
but i see the point he tries to make, i have made the same point before too the creative individuals tend to buy macs, and hp and others have tried to squeeze into that market with commercials of serena williams and others showing off their creativity
i am majoring in digital media and its all macs for us too, i do not know what entices artists to use macs, as a matter of fact same goes to the many of the open source programmers i know and see,
but than i look across the room at my 600 dollar liquid cooled sli pc and say i wish i had os x on that too, wait i do
“but than i look across the room at my 600 dollar liquid cooled sli pc and say i wish i had os x on that too, wait i do “
Right! That does it! I’m getting a PC and putting an unnamed fruity OS on it!