Apple vs. Windows

OK, I'm a Mac guy. I admit it, years of supporting windows has only helped cement my position. Recently I picked up a MacBook Pro. Over the last week, there have been a lot of posts on Digg regarding the recent Microsoft commercials that attack Apple on price. The anti-Apple crowd crows about the "Apple Tax", and the Mac fanboys refer to the "ease of use" and "superior hardware designs". The anti-Apple crowd always try to list systems in the under $999 range to really show off the price difference. The Mac fanboys poke holes in their cheap systems. Here's my take on this argument. There is an "Apple Tax", but it's not $1,000 like most people would make you believe. On the other hand, it probably is around $500. I've detailed two systems below, and highlighted what I believe to be the winner in each category.

Brand	Apple	Dell
Model	MacBook Pro 15"	Studio 17
Price	$1,999.00	$1,868.00
Processor	2.4 Ghz Core 2 Duo 1066mhz FSB	2.6 Ghz Core 2 Duo 800mhz FSB
RAM	2GB Ram	3GB Ram
Hard Drive	250GB 5400rpm HD	250GB 5400rpm HD
Optical Drive	8x DL DVD±RW/CD-RW	6x Blueray
Video Card	Nvidia GeForce 9400M GT	256MB ATI Radeon HD 3650
Screen	15" LED backlit 1440x900	17" LED 1920x1200
Ports	2 USB 2.0	4 USB 2.0
	10/100/1000Base-T Ethernet	10/100/1000Base-T Ethernet
	Firewire 800	Firewire 400
	Mini Display Port	HDMI & VGA
	Audio in	Microphone
	Audio Out	2x Audio Out
	Express Card 34	Express Card Slot
	802.11n	802.11 agn
Battery	5 Hour Battery	8 Hour Battery
Height x Width x Depth	.95" x 14.35" x 9.82"	1.18" x 15.46" x 11.36"
Weight	5.5 Lbs	7.87 Lbs
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR	Bluetooth 2.0
Webcam	Apple iSight	2 Megapixel Webcam
Keyboard	Backlit Keyboard	Backlit Keyboard
Extras	Multitouch Trackpad	8-in-1 Media Card Reader
Software	iLife	Photoshop Elements + Premier Elements
	OSX	Windows Vista Ultimate

OK, first the Dell PC is cheaper than the Mac, winner Dell by $131. 

3GB RAM vs 2GB, winner Dell. 

Blueray DVD vs DVD, winner Dell.

17" Monitor vs 15.4" monitor, winner Dell. Mac fanboys always post about Apple using a high resolution display. I'll pause right here and point out that the display is the same resolution as Apple's MacBook Pro 17.

4 USB ports vs. 2, winner Dell.

HDMI and VGA ports vs. DisplayPort which requires an adapter to connect to non-Apple displays, winner Dell.

8 Hour battery vs. 5 Hour, winner Dell. That being said, the Studio 17 averages 2.5 hours compared to my MacBooks actual 4 hours.

Firewire 800 vs. 400, winner Apple.

Weight and Bluetooth also go to Apple.

I didn't choose a winner in the processor category because although the dell is faster, it runs the RAM on a slower front side bus so I called this one a draw.

I also called a draw on the graphics cards as they are each 256MB cards.

I didn't grade size as the Studio 17 has a bigger display. I did give Apple the nod on the weight however because the Studio 17 is 1.2 lbs heavier than the 17" MacBook Pro.

I couldn't find specs on the iSight so I left it as a draw.

Although I really like the multi-touch trackpad, it would be nice to have the card reader so I left that a draw as well.

I didn't count iWeb or Garageband when adding software to the PC, but I don't know anyone personally who uses Garageband, and I really hate to say this, but iWeb is not a good piece of software. It's easy, but inflexible. As for iDVD, the Dell comes with Windows Movie Maker and DVD authoring software.

As indicated by the yellow, the Dell has more features that beat the Mac and is $131 cheaper, so we have to add the $131 to the "Apple Tax". I would point out however, that I had to perform a lot of upgrades to equip the $649 Studio 17 similar to the Mac. Some features such as the Blueray drive are not available on the Mac. The Blueray drive requires the faster processor which added $350 to the base price, so I'll add that to the "Apple Tax". I also upgraded the battery which adds another $40 to the "Apple Tax" which leaves me at a total "Apple Tax" of $521. 

The Apple advantage:

The Mac will run OSX, Windows (with additional purchase.), or Linux. So far, it's not affected by malware and viruses, and the iLife suite is easier to use than the Adobe Elements collection. OSX is easier to use than Vista, and if you decided you didn't like it you can simply install Windows.

Bottom line, I think there is an "Apple Tax", but it's less than the anti-Apple people say, and the Mac user experience is worth every penny.