A certain Nameless person insulted all the Mac users on this blog by claiming that you pay double the price for a Mac and only insane liberals would buy one. Well here is a real world comparison between a Mac and a PC that are optioned equally and here are the results. This may be a little shocking for those who use regular instead of angry math:
MacBook Pro vs. Dell Inspiron
As with the “Dell vs. Mac mini” comparisons we saw last year, the two systems listed above are hardly comparable. For starters, the Dell Inspiron is Dell’s “home” line of laptops, which are generally lacking many features found in Apple’s pro line—the basic Inspirons are closer in features to Apple’s iBooks. In fact, you can’t even build the E1705 to be roughly comparable to the MacBook Pro.
Unfortunately, Dell’s “professional” laptops, the Latitude and Precision lines, aren’t currently available with Core Duo processors. So, since the point of Mr. Ou’s comparison was to look at Core Duo-based laptops, I had to stick with the Inspirons. I found an Inspiron that could be configured to be much more comparable to the MacBook Pro than the E1705: the 9400. Here are the specs of the $2,499 MacBook Pro and a Dell Inspiron 9400, configured as closely as I could get it via Dell’s Small Business store:
Notes: A “standard” screen is available for the Dell for $149 less, but the UltraSharp is of comparable quality to the screen of the MacBook Pro. Also, the same Inspiron 9400 configured through Dell’s Medium & Large Business store was $2,944 on the day of my comparison, $263 more, but included a 90-day antivirus subscription and Word Perfect.
As you can see from the specs above, the two systems still aren’t perfectly comparable. The MacBook Pro offers a built-in video camera and microphone, faster networking, dual-link video output, optical audio in/out, an illuminated keyboard, ambient light sensor, and unique features such as the MagSafe power connector and Apple’s Remote control. It’s also significantly lighter—not just because of the smaller screen—and, based on my experience with Dell and Apple laptops, sturdier (if a bit more scratch-prone).
The Dell, on the other hand, offers a significantly larger screen, more USB ports, a handy media card reader, faster (and dual-layer) DVD burning, S-Video output (available on the MacBook Pro only via an optional adapter), and a modem.
In my opinion—and some may disagree—the MacBook Pro is a better-equipped machine overall than the Inspiron 9400, with the exception of the Dell’s larger screen size. For $200 less at “regular” prices.
And what about stuff besides hardware? This turned out to be a major plus for the Mac mini in last year’s comparison, and not much has changed in the 13 months since. The Dell comes with basically nothing. The MacBook Pro comes with an entire suite of first-class software; as I mentioned last year, it would cost you hundreds of dollars to get similar software functionality on your Dell. Then there’s the whole virus and security advantage: With the Dell, the first thing you’ll need to do is buy virus protection software and subscribe to a virus update service.
It’s disingenuous not to include these various costs, which will end up adding hundreds of dollars to the total cost of a typical Windows PC when comparing it to a Mac. (And I’m leaving out a discussion of intangibles; see last year’s articles for much more on those.)
Same old song and dance
Once you spend a little time trying to compare similar systems—hardware, software, the whole shebang—that “$1,000” difference in price seems more than a bit overstated. In fact, given Dell’s current lineup, a comparably -equipped Dell laptop isn’t going to save you much money, if any, over a MacBook Pro. Of course, headlines that state “Dell isn’t $1,000 cheaper than a Mac” don’t generate as much water-cooler talk.
What about the Dell Coupon Argument? For bargain-searching geeks, Dell’s random coupons do indeed offer significant discounts. 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 protection necessary to actually use it, the big price differential shrinks significantly.
Comparing comparisons
As I noted last year, there are surely numbers in this comparison to which an ardent Dell fan—or a Mac fan—might object. But even with a quibble here or there, the general point holds true: 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 isn’t cheaper, the two are often close enough in price that you can make your purchasing decision based on what you want to buy rather than what you think your budget allows.
To be fair, one area in which Dell does hold a price advantage is that the company allows you to remove features you don’t want in order to save some money. And there are still people for whom a Windows PC is a legitimately better option. But those in the market for a computer should do their own comparisons—of comparable systems—to see which system will provide them with the best value.
