Are MACS just really overpriced PCs?

[s44]

I like the stick. I'd use one on my desktop if it weren't so expensive.

 

[Painman]

Internallly: Mostly just an overpriced PC. MacOS: Different story. Apple has always been the innovator, but the reality is that a closed platform and a niche market will let you do that. You have to give Microsoft the credit it's due for putting out operating systems that work with the ridiculous amount of possible hardware configs out there. They have a huge responsibility on their shoulders, and for the most part they manage to carry it. It's easy for carefree Apple to poke its fun.

 

[SickBeast]

Originally posted by: Painman
Internallly: Mostly just an overpriced PC. MacOS: Different story. Apple has always been the innovator, but the reality is that a closed platform and a niche market will let you do that. You have to give Microsoft the credit it's due for putting out operating systems that work with the ridiculous amount of possible hardware configs out there. They have a huge responsibility on their shoulders, and for the most part they manage to carry it. It's easy for carefree Apple to poke its fun.

Agreed.

I'm willing to pay a bit extra for Apple's industrial design tho. OSX is pretty cool too. I find it's more responsive on less memory than Windows XP. It's also nicer to look at. Perhaps not quite as nice as Vista (for once).

 

[fierydemise]

Basically with a Mac your paying for the build quality, same way a Sony laptop costs more then a Dell, different markets, different priorities.

 

[ryansebiz]

Crapple is just overpriced PC parts with a proprietary OS.

 

[Laminator]

Originally posted by: fierydemise
Basically with a Mac your paying for the build quality, same way a Sony laptop costs more then a Dell, different markets, different priorities.

Hmmm...I like Apple products but I have to say that their build quality is not any better than that on most PC's. They do an impressive job of placing higher-end components into smaller packages but the trade-off is evident, especially on their laptops: bent/cracked chassis, torn cables, and lots of heat output.

Actually, Mac's and PC's are coming closer and closer together. Apple's stuff is made by well-known PC parts manufacturers, anyway - ASUS, Kingston, Foxconn, etc. With Boot Camp and the Intel processors, the line is blurred further. The funny thing is that Microsoft wins even more - Windows on Boot Camp and Microsoft software for OS X.

Their hardware is indeed expensive for what you get but if you configure their computers right, you can get a much better deal. For example, their base 17" LCD iMac costs $1,000 and gives you a 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo, 512MB of DDR2-667 RAM, a 24x DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, and GMA 950 graphics. For $1,200, you get a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo, 1GB of DDR2-667 RAM, a slow DVD-RW, and an ATI Radeon X1600 (Mobility?). Still more expensive than Dell, but only by about $150 and a much better deal than their previous offering. Apple is just like every other computer company - if you can calculate where they screw you on configuration upgrades, you can maximize your value.

But, yeah, you're really paying for the OS. If you don't care about OS X, you're paying a premium for crappy PC parts.

 

[Schadenfroh]

You pay to join the Apple CLub here on AT and to look at the shiny.......

 

[gsellis]

Macs are for folks not smart enough to run Windows. Windows is for folks not smart enough to run Linux. Each is priced accordingly

 

[Sunner]

Originally posted by: gsellis
Macs are for folks not smart enough to run Windows. Windows is for folks not smart enough to run Linux. Each is priced accordingly

Where does Solaris sit in that ladder?

 

[Merovingian]

Apple hardware is the best in the computer business, period. Apple OSX is better for most computer users, not you guys, most people. The software is not configurable enough for advanced users and there are not enough software/games available for some advanced users and gamers. All of this is fine cause new macs now run windows. Really though, I would not run a mac desktop despite it's superior design because it's too expensive for me and does not have the same performance as a rig I can build myself at a similar price. On the other hand, the laptops dominate, not just in design but in the one button mouse. You think that it's one button but it isn't. The track pad is able to determine whether or not there is one or two fingers on it at once. Put two fingers down and it acts as a "right click". It gets better. You put two fingers down and you can scroll not just up and down but also left and right by moving both fingers around the track pad. It's the little things that make it seem as if apple has a patent on computing finesse.

 

[Fike]

I saw a Mac advertised that could take 16 GB of RAM. WOW! That would be pretty awesome. For media work (photo, video, audio) that 16 GB must rock!

Also there is that one button mouse problem.

Otherwise, for the most part, ordinary Mac owners are just posuers with too much money. ;-)

 

[Fike]

okay, that two finger touchpad thing is truly cool....but not worth the money.

 

[Sunner]

Originally posted by: Fike
I saw a Mac advertised that could take 16 GB of RAM. WOW! That would be pretty awesome. For media work (photo, video, audio) that 16 GB must rock!

Also there is that one button mouse problem.

Otherwise, for the most part, ordinary Mac owners are just posuers with too much money. ;-)

Actually, most Mac owners I've ran into lately have been techies with far more advanced needs than your average AT'er(which doesn't say much really, but still...).

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: Sunner

Originally posted by: gsellis
Macs are for folks not smart enough to run Windows. Windows is for folks not smart enough to run Linux. Each is priced accordingly

Where does Solaris sit in that ladder?

Isn't Solaris free as well now?

 

[Sunner]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob

Originally posted by: Sunner

Originally posted by: gsellis
Macs are for folks not smart enough to run Windows. Windows is for folks not smart enough to run Linux. Each is priced accordingly

Where does Solaris sit in that ladder?

Isn't Solaris free as well now?

Indeed it is, but I'd say it's far harder to use than Linux(at least most distros, I guess LFS and such are exceptions), which is where I wonder where it sits

 

[bluemax]

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO
And in my opinion the mac style sucks big time. Plain white plastic boxes with rounded edges. No thanks, I'll take my sleek black aluminum case any day

I dunno'.... I take one look at that new iMac and think it's just the sexiest thing out there!

I love the reaction of people when they ask, "Where's the computer? That's just the screen."

"No - that IS the computer! It's all one piece - no box!"

[stunned silence]

 

[corkyg]

Apple conitnues to lead and Microsoft follows - hardware and OS. Vista was just catching up to OSX Tiger - no Leopard is about to hit the street and it passes Vista. Take a look:

Leopard

Of course, you may have to update your QuickTime to 7 in order to see it.

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: bluemax

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO
And in my opinion the mac style sucks big time. Plain white plastic boxes with rounded edges. No thanks, I'll take my sleek black aluminum case any day

I dunno'.... I take one look at that new iMac and think it's just the sexiest thing out there!

I love the reaction of people when they ask, "Where's the computer? That's just the screen."

"No - that IS the computer! It's all one piece - no box!"

[stunned silence]

Is the iMac still modular? Meaning, can you replace an individual component, such as the processor or the sound card?

 

[Tegeril]

Originally posted by: Midwayman
Ill be happy when Apple releases their OS without the hardware locks it has now. If I could install it without buying new hardware, Id give it a go.

That makes no sense for Apple. Their profits are made on hardware.

 

[bluemax]

Originally posted by: Leros
Is the iMac still modular? Meaning, can you replace an individual component, such as the processor or the sound card?

Internal audio and video can't easily be changed, no. CPU/RAM, yes.
If you need better Audio, you get a USB or Firewire device.

Better video...? A new iMac. Most people aren't buying iMacs for screaming 3D anyways - after all, it's not a big gaming platform, and lacks the RAM expansion for high-end 3D rendering software.

 

[WackyDan]

Originally posted by: Painman
Internallly: Mostly just an overpriced PC. MacOS: Different story. Apple has always been the innovator, but the reality is that a closed platform and a niche market will let you do that. You have to give Microsoft the credit it's due for putting out operating systems that work with the ridiculous amount of possible hardware configs out there. They have a huge responsibility on their shoulders, and for the most part they manage to carry it. It's easy for carefree Apple to poke its fun.

That's exactly where I was about to go.....

Macs have been the near the exact same hardware for many years even before the transistion to Intel. Now they are exactly the same. Keep in mind though that Apple doesn't ship as many systems as a Dell or HP, so their pricing from their suppliers is going to be a tad higher.... Not that it's where all their price difference is.

It's a very valid statement that OS X may be more stable than windows due to Apple having less hardware variety to support, though any 3rd part Mac peripheral can cause that to go down the tubes to some degree.

As far as the mindset that MACs are safe from spyware and viruses...... OSX is already being targeted aggressively, and I will be laughing at many of these MAC zeolots that brag about not running AV and anti spyware/malware get finally nailed by a good one....... .. and folks... I am a fan of Apple, having worked for them in the past.

 

[Oyeve]

My only dislike for Macs is the fact that I cant buy any old video card and slap it in a mac. The os on PC or mac is, imo, as good and stable as you, the user makes it. As for productivity, PC and Macs are equal. For years you always heard macs are great for graphics, blah blah blah, yet PCs have always bested macs in photoshop, Illustrator for years. Yes, Mac osx is cool and doesnt crash as much as XP but when osx does crash, it crashes bad. If Apple would alow you to upgrade the video cards and allow driver support for the card I would buy a highend mac. And why why why does Apple refuse to make a port replicator or a docking station for their laptops? My PBG4 has so many freaking cables hanging off it, drives me nuts!

 

[Laminator]

Originally posted by: Merovingian
Apple hardware is the best in the computer business, period.
...
Really though, I would not run a mac desktop despite it's superior design because it's too expensive for me and does not have the same performance as a rig I can build myself at a similar price.

I'd have to disagree slightly with that statement. I wouldn't call their design "superior". It seems like they take sacrifices to provide the form factor. The underclocked Mobility X1600 in the MacBook Pro is one example. Also, the iMac uses mobile parts. Not a big deal in terms of real-world performance, but just because something is thin and light doesn't mean that Apple has some special design magic to make all the components fit into the nice-looking case. They're subject to the same engineering constrictions as everyone else, and they don't actually build their own hardware. What you do get is the refinement, the OS, and the proprietary style.

 

[miniMUNCH]

To OP...more or less.

 

[Smartazz]

The hardware is pretty much the same, but I would probobly put Mac OSX on my computer if I was able to. Something like a dual boot between Vista and OSX.