RegularMacworldreaders might remember an article I save a little more than a year ago comparing a Mac mini to a comparably - equipped Dell desktop . ( Well , severaldifferent equivalence , to be precise . ) I was inspired to perform these comparisons after read several genu - jerk articles in which pundit made statements to the impression of “ The Mac miniskirt isstillmore expensive than a budget Windows PC . ”

My conclusion : not necessarily true . When you really outfit a Mac mini and a Dell modelcomparably , the Mac was very damage - competitive .

[ editor program ’S annotation : This clause was written on Monday , Feb. 13 , 2006 , before Apple started shipping the MacBook Pro with revised specs and prices . A new comparability has been compiled using the new numbers andcan be find here . ]

Apple ’s made a big splash with last calendar month ’s unveiling of the first Intel - based PowerBoo … er , I mean , MacBook Pro . And with the dismissal of that laptop computer , slated for some time in February , comes the return of the “ But the Mac isstillmore expensive ! ” rant . In many showcase , these contention are just as blemished now as they were a year ago .

Case in point : thisblog submission from ZDNet ’s George Oucalled “ Dude ! The Mac Duo is almost $ 1000 more ! ” He claims a Dell Inspiron E1705 can be had for $ 1,432 , while the sound cost he could get on a MacBook Pro was $ 2,374 . Here ’s his comparison table :

establish on these specs , Mr. Ou claims that the Dell is a undecomposed computer — his words : “ with mostly ranking specifications ” — because it has a bigger screen door , an ocular drive that can publish DVDs at 8x instead of 4x , and a good video card . And the tabular array seems to make clean that the Dell is approximately $ 1,000 less than Apple ’s MacBook Pro . But just like the “ Dell ’s crummy for a good computing equipment ” claims from January 2005 , Mr. Ou ’s comparison does n’t really front atcomparablecomputers ( or at distinctive price , for that thing ) . For my own personal edification , I adjudicate to give it a try .

Ah , coupon …

Before I get to that compare , it should be charge out that in the table above , the Dell ’s “ $ 1,432 ” price isafter$650 in various Dell discount / coupon finaglings . award , net shopping eccentric ( and I consider myself to be one , so that ’s not an contumely ) will be able to rule a Dell coupon fairly easily , but your typical consumer ? And even then , this one ’s a walloper — it ’s not often that you may grease one’s palms a $ 2,100 computer for less than $ 1,500 . So I ’m go to front at even damage and then let you do the “ coupon math ” at the end .

( It should also be noted that everything in this article was base on Dell ’s prices on a particular 24-hour interval last hebdomad . As anyone who has done serious bargain - hunt on the Dell Web website knows , toll deepen daily — even by the hour and moment . )

Comparable ?

As with the “ Dell vs. Mac mini ” comparisons we see last year , the two systems listed above are just like . For starters , the Dell Inspiron is Dell ’s “ nursing home ” line of laptop , which are mostly lacking many features found in Apple ’s pro pipeline — the introductory Inspirons are closer in feature to Apple ’s iBooks . In fact , you ca n’t even build the E1705 to be more or less comparable to the MacBook Pro .

Unfortunately , Dell ’s “ professional ” laptops , the Latitude and Precision lines , are n’t currently available with Core Duo processors . So , since the level of Mr. Ou ’s compare was to bet at Core Duo - establish laptops , I had to stick with the Inspirons . I found an Inspiron that could be configure to be much more corresponding to the MacBook Pro than the E1705 : the 9400 . Here are the specification of the $ 2,499 MacBook Pro and a Dell Inspiron 9400 , configured as closely as I could get it via Dell ’s Small Business memory :

MacBook Pro vs. Dell Inspiron

  • custom option

Notes : A “ standard ” screen is available for the Dell for $ 149 less , but the UltraSharp is of corresponding timber to the screen of the MacBook Pro . Also , the same Inspiron 9400 configure through Dell ’s Medium & Large Business store was $ 2,944 on the day of my equivalence , $ 263 more , but included a 90 - day antivirus subscription and Word Perfect .

As you could see from the spectacles above , the two systems still are n’t perfectly comparable . The MacBook Pro offers a built - in television camera and microphone , faster networking , three-fold - nexus video output , optical audio in / out , an lit keyboard , ambient light sensor , and unique features such as the MagSafe power connection and Apple ’s Remote restraint . It ’s also significantly light — not just because of the smaller screen — and , establish on my experience with Dell and Apple laptop , uncompromising ( if a bit more scratch - prone ) .

The Dell , on the other hand , offer a importantly large sieve , more USB ports , a ready to hand medium card reader , fast ( and dual - layer ) DVD burning , S - Video output ( available on the MacBook Pro only via an optional adaptor ) , and a modem .

In my opinion — and some may take issue — the MacBook Pro is a well - equip machine overall than the Inspiron 9400 , with the exception of the Dell ’s with child blind size of it . For $ 200 less at “ regular ” cost .

It ’s artful not to include these various costs , which will end up tot century of dollars to the total cost of a typical Windows PC when comparing it to a Mac . ( And I ’m will out a discussion of intangibles ; see last year ’s article for much more on those . )

Same honest-to-goodness Sung dynasty and dance

Once you pass a little time trying to comparesimilarsystems — hardware , software program , the whole shebang — that “ $ 1,000 ” departure in price seems more than a bit overstated . In fact , give Dell ’s current lineup , acomparably - equipped Dell laptop is n’t go to save you much money , if any , over a MacBook Pro . Of of course , headline that state “ Dellisn’t$1,000 tacky than a Mac ” do n’t generate as much water - tank public lecture .

What about the Dell Coupon Argument ? For steal - searching oddball , Dell ’s random coupon do indeed bid meaning discount . But even if you ’re lucky enough to take advantage of Mr. Ou ’s $ 650 markdown , once you equip your Dell with all the software and anti - virus auspices necessary to actuallyuseit , the big terms differential shrinks significantly .

compare comparisons

As I note last class , there are for certain numbers in this comparability to which an fiery Dell devotee — or a Mac buff — might object . But even with a quibble here or there , the worldwide peak holds rightful : When you actually configure offerings from Apple and brand - name Windows PC vendorscomparably , you ’ll often find the two to be surprisingly price - competitive — even when the Mac is n’t trashy , the two are often close enough in Mary Leontyne Price that you could make your purchasing decision base on what youwantto buy rather than what you think your budget permit .

To be fair , one area in which Dell does hold a price advantage is that the caller allow you to remove feature of speech you do n’t want to save some money . And there are still people for whom a Windows microcomputer is a legitimately better option . But those in the market for a computer should do their own comparison — of comparable organisation — to see which system of rules will provide them with the best value .

2/14/2006 : Corrected specs on MacBook Pro optical drive .