iMac and Dell Follow-Up
September 08, 2006 Filed in: Apple
This is going to be my last post fawning over the new
iMac, I promise, but I wanted to elaborate on the
iMac price versus the Dell XPS 410 price two posts ago. Here's a table of
the exact specs I chose for the Dell when
compared to the iMac. Please note that I've
highlighted where one machine has a clear
advantage over the other.
Some notes to finish up with: There are intangibles involved. For one, the included software on the Mac is certainly more diverse, but what comes on the Dell is pretty necessary. In fact, the lack of any permanent Office software on the iMac is a gaping hole. Also, I included power consumption because that does have an effect on one's electricity bill. Furthermore, I just like products that require less power. (As an aside, the wattage on the Dell does not take the monitor into consideration.)
To address some of the Mac's apparent shortcomings, on the Apple Store, I added Apple's USB modem, iWork (for text and slide editing), and a 256 MB nVidia GeForce 7600 GT, and the price came to $2,252 – only $14 more than the Dell.
Yes, you can still get cheaper computers than Macs, but when it comes to spec-by-spec comparisons, Apple's prices actually are competitive for what they offer. No, they still do not compete in the bargain-basement market, but the price-to-performance ratio is much definitely more attractive than it once was, and the iMac is a great example of that improvement.
Some notes to finish up with: There are intangibles involved. For one, the included software on the Mac is certainly more diverse, but what comes on the Dell is pretty necessary. In fact, the lack of any permanent Office software on the iMac is a gaping hole. Also, I included power consumption because that does have an effect on one's electricity bill. Furthermore, I just like products that require less power. (As an aside, the wattage on the Dell does not take the monitor into consideration.)
To address some of the Mac's apparent shortcomings, on the Apple Store, I added Apple's USB modem, iWork (for text and slide editing), and a 256 MB nVidia GeForce 7600 GT, and the price came to $2,252 – only $14 more than the Dell.
Yes, you can still get cheaper computers than Macs, but when it comes to spec-by-spec comparisons, Apple's prices actually are competitive for what they offer. No, they still do not compete in the bargain-basement market, but the price-to-performance ratio is much definitely more attractive than it once was, and the iMac is a great example of that improvement.