Gateway bashing Apple commercial

[dullard]

I've seen Apple commercials bashing IBM compatable computers for years. Yet I never once saw any Apple bashing commercials. Well Gateway has finally done that. Is Gateway that desperate for Apple's roughly 5% marketshare? Why start now?

For those who haven't seen it, Gateway has their Profile 4 computer jumping over and around the iMac. Gateway then claims that they both have the same great looks (to me both look like ugly lamps) yet the Gateway runs thousands more software titles, runs them faster, and costs less.

Here is a quick comparison of typical similarly priced lower-end models:

Apple iMac
700 MHz G4
256 MB SDRAM
GeForce 2 MX
15" LCD
CDRW (I didn't find the speed without trying too hard)
40 GB HD
Apple Pro Speakers
Keyboard/mouse
Mac OS X and OS 9
1 year warranty (90 days technical support)
$1433 + shipping + tax

Gateway Profile 4 SE
2.53 GHz P4
256 MB DDR
GeForce 2 MX400
15" LCD
24x CDRW
40 GB HD
Speakers with subwoofer
Keyboard/mouse
Win XP Home
1 year warranty (1 year technical support)
$1469 + shipping + tax

I haven't used the 700 MHz G4, but I bet the Gateway will easily win almost all benchmarks.

 

[Paunchy]

Originally posted by: dullard
I've seen Apple commercials bashing IBM compatable computers for years. Yet I never once saw any Apple bashing commercials. Well Gateway has finally done that. Is Gateway that desperate for Apple's roughly 5% marketshare? Why start now?

For those who haven't seen it, Gateway has their Profile 4 computer jumping over and around the iMac. Gateway then claims that they both have the same great looks (to me both look like ugly lamps) yet the Gateway runs thousands more software titles, runs them faster, and costs less.

Here is a quick comparison of typical similarly priced lower-end models:

Apple iMac
700 MHz G4
256 MB SDRAM
GeForce 2 MX
15" LCD
CDRW (I didn't find the speed without trying too hard)
40 GB HD
Apple Pro Speakers
Keyboard/mouse
Mac OS X and OS 9
1 year warranty (90 days technical support)
$1433 + shipping + tax

Gateway Profile 4 SE
2.53 GHz P4
256 MB DDR
GeForce 2 MX400
15" LCD
24x CDRW
40 GB HD
Speakers with subwoofer
Keyboard/mouse
Mac OS X
1 year warranty (1 year technical support)
$1469 + shipping + tax

I haven't used the 700 MHz G4, but I bet the Gateway will easily win almost all benchmarks.

Gateway boxes ship with OS X now??? :Q

 

[Spike]

Originally posted by: Paunchy

Originally posted by: dullard
I've seen Apple commercials bashing IBM compatable computers for years. Yet I never once saw any Apple bashing commercials. Well Gateway has finally done that. Is Gateway that desperate for Apple's roughly 5% marketshare? Why start now?

For those who haven't seen it, Gateway has their Profile 4 computer jumping over and around the iMac. Gateway then claims that they both have the same great looks (to me both look like ugly lamps) yet the Gateway runs thousands more software titles, runs them faster, and costs less.

Here is a quick comparison of typical similarly priced lower-end models:

Apple iMac
700 MHz G4
256 MB SDRAM
GeForce 2 MX
15" LCD
CDRW (I didn't find the speed without trying too hard)
40 GB HD
Apple Pro Speakers
Keyboard/mouse
Mac OS X and OS 9
1 year warranty (90 days technical support)
$1433 + shipping + tax

Gateway Profile 4 SE
2.53 GHz P4
256 MB DDR
GeForce 2 MX400
15" LCD
24x CDRW
40 GB HD
Speakers with subwoofer
Keyboard/mouse
Mac OS X
1 year warranty (1 year technical support)
$1469 + shipping + tax

I haven't used the 700 MHz G4, but I bet the Gateway will easily win almost all benchmarks.

Gateway boxes ship with OS X now??? :Q

NOOOO!!! you beat me to it!!!!! I was gonna make some sarcastic comment on gateways coming with os x!!! grrrr!!!!

 

[dullard]

Gateway boxes ship with OS X now??? :Q

Copy and paste error. It was edited the same time you posted.

 

[ElFenix]

heh, i think gateway has less marketshare than them now. heh.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

I wouldn't buy either, but I'm more inclined to buy the Gateway because of the CPU jump -but less inclined because of the virtually non-existant video card in it. I mean, come on... for a 2.5GHz system, you seriously gonna put in a GeForce 2 MX.

nik

 

[Booster]

Originally posted by: ffmcobalt
I wouldn't buy either, but I'm more inclined to buy the Gateway because of the CPU jump -but less inclined because of the virtually non-existant video card in it. I mean, come on... for a 2.5GHz system, you seriously gonna put in a GeForce 2 MX.

nik

Yep, integrated is a problem. Sometimes they even pair P4 2GHZ with a SIS650GL chipset w/o AGP slot, and it costs more than 1K. Yuck.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: ffmcobalt
I wouldn't buy either, but I'm more inclined to buy the Gateway because of the CPU jump -but less inclined because of the virtually non-existant video card in it. I mean, come on... for a 2.5GHz system, you seriously gonna put in a GeForce 2 MX.

nik

Obviously neither are for the hardcore gamer. I put the 2.53 GHz P4 in there to keep the prices similar. The Profile 4 SE base model has a 1.7 GHz Celeron for $210 less. I could never justify buying a Celeron for any reason.

 

[Booster]

I could never justify buying a Celeron for any reason.

Agreed. Neither could I.

 

[ElFenix]

i'm thinking about a tualeron upgrade for my slot-1 bx... not bad for $150...

 

[notfred]

The only significant difference between the two machines you listed is the OS.

 

[Ryan]

refer to this: http://subscriber.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=27&threadid=859193

 

[diskop]

Anyone got a link to the commercial?

 

[Ryan]

Originally posted by: Booster

Originally posted by: ffmcobalt I wouldn't buy either, but I'm more inclined to buy the Gateway because of the CPU jump -but less inclined because of the virtually non-existant video card in it. I mean, come on... for a 2.5GHz system, you seriously gonna put in a GeForce 2 MX. nik

Yep, integrated is a problem. Sometimes they even pair P4 2GHZ with a SIS650GL chipset w/o AGP slot, and it costs more than 1K. Yuck.

At least Gateway included a GF2 mx200. intel integrated woudl have been WORLDS worse.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: rbloedow
refer to this: <a href="http://subscriber.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=27&threadid=859193">http://subscriber.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=27&threadid=859193</A>

Just goes to show that the Anandtech search is difficult, annoying, and never gives the results you want. But I think it is ok to have two different threads. I meant this thread to be about the anti-Apple commercials which are quite new to me (thus my title, my commercial questions in the first paragraph, and the location in off topic) - your thread is about the hardware.

 

[Ryan]

I wasn't shouting repost I just though you guys would like to see that discussion also I really wish I could see the commercial, though

 

[Bartman]

Did Gateway happen to mention the iMac comes with a DVD BURNER and dosen't look like crap! That GW is a large turd of a computer!

 

Funny how in the commercial the iGateway swivels the screen left and right but in real life it can only move up and down. Bizulshizt!!!

 

[So]

Originally posted by: Bartman
Did Gateway happen to mention the iMac comes with a DVD BURNER and dosen't look like crap! That GW is a large turd of a computer!

I can't agree with you on the "doesn't look like crap" one. Actually, I think the Gateway is less ugly.

The one thing the iMac has (hardware wise) is the DVD burner though. What, did you actually expect Gateway to say "we don't have a DVD burner in our computer, sorry" on the ad?

 

[Yzzim]

I'd take the Apple

Much better design and I've already got 2 IBM compatibles at home

For a little more $$ you can get a DVD burner built in with some awesome DV programs for OS X.

 

[Random Variable]

You can get in with a 2.66GHz or 2.8GHz Pentium 4, too.