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.