For days , people have knock Macs for being more expensive than Windows PC . Although at one time that was the eccentric , those of us in the know realized a couple age ago that when you look atcomparably equippedMacs and brand name - name Windows PCs — that is , once you add the ironware features and software to a Windows microcomputer that come stock on a Mac — the differences in damage are much lowly , if they subsist at all . This aspect of “ price comparability ” has been lost on many tech pundits and analysts ( as is the fact that Macs generally come with an excellent software bundle unmatched on budget PCs ) .
Now , to be fair , one of the rebuttals to the above argument has always been , “ Well , what if I don’twantall the extra feature that come pedigree with the Mac ? What if I just require a cheap , limited computer ? ” And it was a valid item . But with last week ’s promulgation of the new $ 499 ( see Best Current Price ) Mac mini , Apple undercut that disputation something fierce . Now Mac user , too , can get a stripped down computing equipment for a band less money .
But it was only a matter of time before someone would reason , “ It ’s still not price - militant with the cheapest Dell . ” And within daylight we ’ve get our first such column and article , all of which go forth me call off my head , wondering if these guys are as bad at comparing product when they shop for themselves as they apparently are when compare products for their columns .
Thefirstone I amount across can be base at the popular on-line investment website The Motley Fool ( fool.com ) ; it include this gibe across the miniskirt ’s bow :
( I ’m assuming the “ 78 % more expensive ” comment refers to a system with a $ 999 Apple show and a $ 58 keyboard / mouse megabucks , ignoring the fact that the Mac miniskirt can also be used with the least expensive such peripherals on the market — a savvy shopper could get a 17 ” CRT , mouse , and keyboard for ~$70 . )
Another , standardized , comparison fall from InfoWorld ’s “ Tech Watch ” web log :
Mac Mini , $ 499 , 1.2GHz processor , 256 MB Aries , 40 GB surd drive , DVD - ROM / CD - RW … What you do n’t get are a admonisher , mouse keyboard .
For $ 399 [ from Dell ] you get a 2.4GHz processor tower with 512 megabyte tup , 40 GB unvoiced drive , CD or DVD ROM drive , and a 17 - inch monitor , a keyboard and a mouse .
ExtremeTechputs it the most succinctly :
Can you ? I decided to find out , using everyone ’s favourite budget PC maker , Dell , as a point of compare .
First , check out the Mac miniskirt ’s specs below — not unfit . Then take a look at the spec of the cheapest Dell desktop we can configure on the Dell site , the Dimension 2400 — currently “ starting at $ 399 ( after 10 % deduction ) ” :
The Dell includes a monitor — worth $ 45 , concord to Dell — and a ~$20 keyboard / mouse bundle . So let ’s take those forth to make the Dell “ equivalent ” to the Mac miniskirt and give it an even better apparent price advantage:$334 .
Now , look hard at those eyeglasses — do these really look like “ comparable ” computers to you ? countenance ’s take a close look at what $ 334reallygets you from Dell as compared to the $ 499 Mac miniskirt :
Heck , the Delldoesn’t even include antivirus software(a $ 62 option ) , which for Windows computing machine these days is like selling a car without brakes — in both cases you just bend it on and beg .
Once you take a hard look at the mythical “ $ 400 Dell , ” it becomes clear that to make it fairly corresponding to the Mac mini , you have to add a consecrate video card , DVD / CDRW capability , FireWire , Windows XP Pro , anti - virus protection , a recollective warranty , and some decorous software package . Ouch ! The cheapest Dell is not so tinny any more .
Does the Dell have any hardware advantage ? It does let in 3 PCI slot for enlargement . But let ’s be realistic here : How many people in the market for a sub-$500 reckoner areevergoing to upgrade their computer via PCI notice ? ( Besides the 1 who realize that they ask a FireWire port wine to connect their video camera , that is . Did I advert that a FireWire port is included on the Mac miniskirt ? Why , yes , I did . ) Some might point to the Dell ’s “ degenerate ” processor , but it ’s a Celeron . Sure , the Mac mini ’s 1.25GHz G4 has been around for a while , but the Dell ’s got aCeleron . I call it a wash — both these machines are underpowered for advanced user , but both will do for their target market . ( For those unfamiliar with the Celeron , it ’s Intel ’s budget processor . It has a smaller Level 2 cache and slower bus stop number , resulting in performance that ’s importantly deficient to the more expensive Pentium 4 . ) The only real hardware advantage for the Dell is that it has a faster hard drive ; whether the butt market place for this figurer will clear any benefits from this reward is debatable .
Now there are for certain number in this comparison with which an perfervid Dell devotee — or a Mac fan , for that matter — might brabble , but the spot is clear : When you seek to configure even the punk Dell comparably , it ’s no longer cheaper than the Mac mini ; in fact , it may even be more expensive .
And then there are the intangibles the Mac mini has in its favor : No viruses ; no spyware ; easier apparatus of peripherals ; a much smaller , more attractive , and quieter enclosing . And if you require wireless connectivity — AirPort or Bluetooth — you may order your Mac mini with these capacity build - in ; with the Dell , you ’re stuck using USB dongles and adaptor . Are n’t these “ feature of speech ” worth something ?
To be open , I do n’t advocate a Mac for everyone . As much as I ’d wish to , there are people whose needs would be better dish by getting a Windows PC ( although their numbers are recoil every day ) . And even though the Mac miniskirt is a discase down Mac , there are function to be some people who do n’t need the supererogatory functionality even the Mac miniskirt has over the meretricious Dell ; these people may be satisfied with the even - further - stripped - down Dell for a scrap less money . But for everyone else , the Mac program deserve a serious look , not half - broil “ comparisons ” that are n’t , well , comparable .
More to the percentage point : Articles that criticize the Mac miniskirt by comparing Apples and oranges answer no one . The next time you see a technical school author making such comparisons , send him or her the uniform resource locator to this clause ; maybe we can convince them to compare Apples to apples , instead .
[ Endnote : When I was compose this article , I also calculate at the bargain machines from other Windows PC vender . As I shop these companies ’ websites , something belt down out at me : The different ways in which Apple and the Windows PC vendors ( including Dell ) “ disrobe down ” their downcast - ending modeling . The Mac mini is stripped downexternally — no black eye , keyboard , or show — while still being a full - featured machineinternally . Windows PC makers generally take the diametric approach : You get a monitor , keyboard , and mouse , but limited hardware feature and piddling to no software . And speaking of software , why do so many Windows writers neglect to admit the value of roll up software , monetary or otherwise , when they “ compare ” information processing system ? I suppose it ’s because the “ free ” software that comes with most Windows PCs reek — in the budget microcomputer world , if it come with the computer it must not be very well . Tip to Windows writer : You ’ve been led wide . The software that come with a reckoner can be freeandgreat . ]
See more about Mac mini at Macworld ’s Mac mini Sir Frederick Handley Page .
( update 1/18 at 4:00 postmortem PT , add specific check from Apple that open up the Mac miniskirt does n’t void your guarantee unless you break it while opening it.)(Updated 1/26 at 10:45am PT , adding preeminence about the Dell 2400 ’s RAM upgrade terminal point .
