@ Anonymous Coward
""This is normal for a laptop" - Yes, but those price tags aren't..."
Dell M1530, closest comperable configuration in 15",4GB,320GB: $1489
- 8400M vs Apple 9400M graphics (winner Apple, big time.)
- no Vista Ultimate option (Ultimate is only real comparrison for OS X)
- cheap plastic case (apple is molded aluminum)
- 56watt battery w/ approx 3 hour life (Apple has 7 hours)
- sucky software, no video editing package, no music package, no Exchange integration (eqivalent adds $360 to price for Dell, winner Apple)
- heavier
- no single source support (dell for hardware, microsoft fee based for OS support)
- Same screen (but Apple also offers non-glossy option)
- no backlit kbd
Apple machine is $1599, a bit pricier, but requires no additional software, and from most vendors you get Parallels 3.0, a printer, and a carry bag free. Just buy Antivirus and 1 or 2 productivity apps and the Dell costs more.
Next step up: 15" MackbookPro with additional 9600M secondary video processor: $1999.
Oh, Dell offers no 15" with a more powerful graphics adapter... have to go to 17"...
M17x:
- cheap plastic case
- VERY short battery life
- 5 full pounds heavier
- no web camera
- no bluetooth
- no included software
Properly configured, it's a whoping $70 cheaper than Apple's 17" offering, and FAR more expensive than the 15".
Do NOT tell us Apple's machines are overpriced without backing that up with specific examples. Apple's hardware is spot on price wise with the competition, and this higher up you go, apple becomes the cheaper of the 2 offerings. Add just the MINIMUM reasonable software to a PC and the Mac is cheaper in every case when you compare like-like hardware.
No, apple does not offer a cheap $500 laptop. Why? $500 laptops SUCK and typically don't even run Windows by itself well, let alone any real demanding app likel managing 15,000 images or songs in a database, ort editing video.
Starting Mac at $999 blows away Dells comperable offer...