Posted on 02/14/2008 8:16:57 PM PST by jdm
I think this sort of thinking serves only to point out the obvious differences between a Mac user and a PC user. The $349 machine you purchased undoubtedly does what you want it to do. Great. Continue to do that.
My Mac has made computers fun again. Sure I pay a price for that - but as someone who has worked with just about every piece of computer history (from the Xerox STAR to the latest Suns) and everything in between, I just wanted a home machine that allowed me to do anything I ask it do to, not crash, not collect virii, and not have we tearing out my hair or spending hours trying to tweak performance out of it.
What I've gotten in my Mac Pro is a machine is is as solid as a rock, plays music or converts DVDs with the same level of simplicity, plays nice with all my other machines (Suns, Linux, and yes, even my Wife's Vista-running Dell), and is fast without requiring me to continually clean up registry entries and such.
I would highly recommend that before getting all non-linear about a stupid computer, try one - you'll find that Apple store folks to be really great and very helpful.
I could respond point by point, but once you have taken the conversation down that road, I’m gonig to choose the high road and opt out. I’ll remain polite and leave it at that.
All right. I retract the observation that you don't know what you are talking about. My apologies. It was not intended as an insult. Now show me that you do. Respond with your point by point rebuttal. Please.
You can start with how a one year old technology, a single, 2.4 GHz Intel® Core 2 Quad Q6600 "Kentsfield" processor with an 8MB L2 Cache and 1066 MHz FSB, is "virtually" the same as two, cutting edge, 2.8 GHz Intel® XEON™ E5462 "Harpertown," processors with 12MB L2 Cache and 1600 MHz FSB.
Then you might want to explain how a crippled 32 bit home operating system is somehow equivalent to a professional 64 bit OS.
You then might want to explain how an anemic 350 or 540 Watt Inspiron power supply compares favorably to a 970 Watt power supply (have you priced power supplies in that Wattage range?)
How is your example Inspiron a "comparably-equipped PC" when matched against the workstation class Mac Pro?
Schooner, you came on this web claiming you had "no dog in this fight," intending to establish your lack of bias, then you proceeded to make erroneous assertions, posting mis-information such as
"And if you run dual monitors, like I do, you apparently have to buy Apple's proprietary over-priced displays, which I see are 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 times the cost of a comparable size flat panel monitor for a PC."that showed you were ignorant of the Mac computer. You were apparently not aware that Microsoft is the publisher of Office 2008 for Mac and then you called the author of the opinion piece a "liar" and then, later, you essentially extending that liar epithet to me by repeating it after I factually rebutted your claim with sources, showing you the PCs built specifically to compete with the consumer grade iMac in the same market were all more expensive and lower powered than the iMac. Yet you, presented with this evidence, and not responding to the fact, switch the discussion to push the canard that low end, bargain basement PCs are somehow the equivalent of top-of-the-line workstation Macs. This shows you indeed have a dog in this fight... the PC dog.
By the way, that was confirmed in your first post with the "Flame away, Apple fanboys." Don't you think that could be construed as insulting to all Mac users?
When was the last time you actually used a Mac to do any work? Not just poke around the keyboard and move the mouse on the screen but actually use it?
Wow, just one of the two processors in a Mac Pro costs at retail about as much as that whole system.
And if you run dual monitors, like I do, you apparently have to buy Apple's proprietary over-priced displays,
Nope, anything with DVI (or dual DVI on the high end) will work, unless you want to downgrade quality and use a DVI-VGA adapter.
The thing is, you normally expect an OS to get more stable, and hopefully faster, with each release. OS X has done it, but Vista (Windows NT version 6.0) has done exactly the opposite.
Started with a Inspiron 530S 1GB, 250GB HD, Pentium dual core, base model
Dell offers an instant $390 off... best of the Dell discounts.
Starting price= $478.00
Processor... OK, upgraded to faster than the base iMac. Plus $40
OS.... Still only 32 bit, home edition... I upped it to Home Premium (as far as Dell lets you on this machine) trying to get closer to the full fledged features of OSX Leopard. Add $30
Memory on this build is 1GB to match iMac. $0
Monitor... you can keep your 22" analog... there is a reason for digital. Also your monitor does not have a webcam or microphone like the iMac... so I went with the 20" SP2008WFP with webcam and mic. It's both analog and digital. Extra $280
(Your 22" digital with webcam and mic is another $30 on top of the $280.)
Optical drive to include Roxio to meet the built in capability of the iMac, Plus $79
Graphics card to close equivalent of iMac's. Plus $60
Sound - Upped the sound but still no glass... $25
Bluetooth add $40
Wireless add $70
Firewire $30
Speakers - Add external stereo speakers to match iMac's built in... $20
Software - I should add ADobe Acrobat Standard 8 ($249) because the iMac can create and edit PDF files from any application... but I won't.
Setup - one month Phone support for setup... free on iMac $49
Data and App Transfer - One Time PC to PC transfer... unlimited included free on iMac... $29
$1230 base minus $390 coupon instant saving = $840.... total.
Not bad... for that you get a small limited expansion tower, no entertainment software installed, and lots of wires connecting everything snaking all over your desktop. And the aggravation of Windows...
Oh, I went back to try another build... and the $390 savings coupon was no longer available... these guys at Dell are crazy. Now the best deal was $260 off. Frankly, I have never gotten the same build price twice off of Dell...
Most of the list just sounds like the author doesn’t know what he’s doing.
No way would I limit myself with Mac.
What is limiting about a Mac?
This is a little off thread but, do make swords? I knew a guy that made custom knives when I lived in San Diego.
Too expensive and too limiting... out of the box dummy wear.
I believe the correct term would be “dummy-ware”.
Unless you plan to wear it of course.
Prices at Dell are most definitely a moving target. It's up to the buyer to go to certain websites where you are tipped off on Dell bargains. Dell now sells at Best Buy, Staples etc and prices are much higher there than if bought over the internet
There are lots of rebates, discounts, fire sales, give always in the PC world. Not so on planet Apple
give aways in the PC world.
Why mess around with Access? Filemaker is made by Apple and is completely cross-platform compatible. In otherwords, you can use the program and the data files on both the Windows and Apple system.
Screw Apple. I rather save the money. I put my own together and load XP and they are good enough and fun to work with. One thing I do like is DVI. All my computers have DVI connection to the LCD monitor. That’s where I spend more and treat myself
Right now I have an E2180 overclocked to 3.2 ghz on a Gigabyte.....lots of fun. Also have an Athlon X2 4600 on a biostar motherboard that has perfectly adequate on board video with DVI output to my monitor. I did a test installation of Vista and the on board video runs Vista Aero Glass very well. But I use and prefer XP
I must have been thinking of their I-Pods .... ;)
whatever the case... Apple markets itself as dummy-ware. Talk about limmiting yourself, nothing could be more limiting than not being able to srip out your system on the cheap.
Apple is the big socialist monopolistic power for the very reason that you can’t do anything their system won’t allow you to do.. (at least as easily and cheaply as a PC).
Market share does not make the monopolist. Macintosh is just lousy at capturing market share....
I’m not sure what you mean here. It’s Unix with a GUI.
You could use X-Windows and command line unix if limits was your worry..
Wintel is definitely the choice for build-it-yourselfers. If you like to mix and match and tinker and customize, it’s definitely the choice.
But you may not be aware aware that Macs ship with dual-link DVI ports and you can run up to eight HD displays.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.