Ron Schenone

These Apples Are Becoming Golden Delicious

Posted by on Jun 14, 2007 | 6 Comments

I must admit, I’m a PC person. I have been using Windows for so long that it has become almost like a friend. You know the kind of friend I am talking about. We all have at least one. They can be a pain in the butt but you still love them anyway. Apple computers have always been kind of a novelty. I have a few acquaintances who own Apple computers and they seem to really enjoy them. But for me I have always built my own desktop systems and PCs are what I know.

But I must admit that Apple during the past few years is really making people take notice of its products. No, I’m not talking about those dorky PC vs. Mac commercials. I seriously doubt that anyone is going to throw their PC in the trash and buy a Mac because the Apple guy appears cool, better dressed, and smarter than the PC guy does. It is like me running down and buying a Ford pickup because they use bigger bolts than the competition does. Who cares?

But what Apple is doing with its commercials is getting its name out. There is a lot of buzz about Apple and I believe it is becoming more noticed. Any company that can sell a million of anything deserves credit. Apple’s iPod falls in this category. The new iPhone is talked about everywhere and now it is entering into the browser arena with a beta version for Windows. I applaud Apple for its innovation and stepping up once again as a technology leader.

Yesterday I went to the Best Buy site to take a look at Apple laptop systems. One word describes what I saw. Pricey. One model I was interested in was selling for about $400 more than a comparable PC model. The screen on the Mac was 13″ and on the PC 15″. Interesting.

This is not a bash Apple article. But rather an observation. I believe that if Apple wishes to really compete against the PC vendors, it may wish to look at its pricing strategy. That is just my two cents.

What do you think? If you are a PC user would you pay $400 or more for a Mac? Let me know.

Comments welcome.

[tags]apple, computers, pc, laptop, pricing, [/tags]

  • John

    you realise that that 13″ screen is at 1280×800, which is likely to be the same resolution as the 15″ screen on that PC. And Apple’s 15″ laptops run at 1440×900… and now their 17″ers can get up to 1920×1200.

    youre right though, macs might not be quite the best value. They do love their profit margins. But ive used macs for years now, and honestly cant stand using XP or Vista any more. I guess that could just be personal preference though.

  • http://none Don’t want to share

    Yesterday evening a friend and myself ordered the highest config Dell we could possibly order and ordered a Mac Pro the same specs. The Mac Pro was actually less expensive. In fact, we could even configure twice the RAM on the Mac and it still managed to beat the Dell price. You also have to factor in that you don’t need antivirus, antispyware, anti root kit, etc. software on Mac OS X and on Windows you do. Mac doesn’t have activation, Windows does. Lots of other reasons Mac is a plus. I’m not a PC hater but you need to look at the “big picture” and not just a price tag when you buy a computer. Yes, price is important but it’s not everything. Macs are GOOD machines (including when used with Windows under Boot Camp, etc.). They are quality systems. And I’ve been an avid PC user/owner for years. I’ve gone through MCSE and several other certifications.

  • http://fractalbeanstalk.blogspot.com/ Tim Hodkinson

    There must be something worthwhile in the Mac system to have allowed it to survive for all these years. The fact that it’s more expensive than PCs just adds further support to this idea. I just can’t figure out what that special thing is besides the stylish packaging. Maybe it really does make a better graphics tool?

    I think the increased interest in Macs is just dissatisfied Windows users looking for options. It makes sense to consider this possibility right now, but I don’t see Mac or Windows surviving the growth of Open Source computing. Apple might pick up some disappointed Windows users, just because a lot of people believe, “you get what you pay for” and Linux is free (except for Conspire, I mean, Linspire). Sometimes you get what you pay for, and sometimes you get what other people pay for.

  • djz

    I’ve been using and supporting PC’s for over 15 years and just recently purchased a Mac mini (with all the hardware upgrades). Even though the price was steep, I quickly learned to love it. All the home desktops and laptops that I’m going to recommend and/or purchase in the future will be Macs (Mac mini or Macbook). I’m even considering putting an Xserve on my I.T. budget at work.

  • Michael Rosenthal

    Scot Finnie, Windows columnist of ComputerWorld, did a comparison of the latest mac notebooks with similarly configured PCs from major manufacturers and found the some of the PCs were actually more expensive. See his newsletter at: http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/91.htm

    One of the great virtues of the Apple approach is that they maintain total control over ever component, limiting choice to the higher end, thereby preventing the disappointment of incompatibilities that so often plague PC users. When they release an upgrade to their OS, it always works.

    Microsoft is always trying to accommodate the thousands of possible combinations of components that PC box manufacturers put together. The numerous tales of woe from early Vista adopters illustrate the problem that Microsoft has to deal with.

    PC manufacturers are competing with one another on bottom line and are often tempted to shave on quality to gain advantage in the marketplace. Apple competes with no one. Steve Jobs delights in being head of a software company, Just like his friend Bill. However, he has always insisted on controlling the box in which his software ships. Did I mention that he takes obvious pride in the elegance of the total package? That matters to some users more that others.

  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

    Hello John,
    Thanks for the comments and informtation.

    Don’t want to share,
    Thanks for the price comparison.

    Hi Tim,
    Open source should see some real growth this year.

    djz,
    I hope you enjoy your MAC.

    Michael,
    I did read Scots article. I’m a member of Scots forum and knew he had switched to a MAC.

    Thanks to you all for sharing your thoughts.
    Ron