(Yeah, Mac magazines have these elaborate articles where they examine PC components/prices and show how Apple comes out about the same, etc., etc., but I don't buy it. Macs are just flat out more expensive.)
..........
Macs are very nice machines and I certainly prefer OSX to Windows anything.
Still, it's relatively easy to do a compare/contrast of Mac/PC components and pricing which proves B's point.
For example, I just went to the online Apple Store to spec an intro-level Macbook.
Here are the results:
Model: Macbook 13-inch
PRICE - (baseline unit with no options configured) $ 1,099.00
* PROCESSOR - 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo * MEMORY - 1GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM - 2x512MB * HARD DRIVE - 80GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm * INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE - Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) * WIRELESS NETWORK CARD - AirPort Extreme Card & Bluetooth * OPERATING SYSTEM - Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard * INTEGRATED WEBCAM - ISight camera * HD DISPLAY - 13 inch (not sure of the max resolution) * VIDEO CARD - Intel GMA 950 * BLUETOOTH - Internal bluetooth card
.............
Next, I browsed to Dell.com and spec'd an intro-level "home business" machine, the Inspiron 1525. I tried to match the components as closely as possible to the Macbook.
The results:
Model: Dell Inspiron 1525
PRICE - (configured to mirror the Macbook's components as closely as possible) $824.00
* PROCESSOR - Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/2MB cache) * MEMORY - 1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz (single module) * HARD DRIVE - 80GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM) * INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE - CD Writer / DVD player (Combo Drive) * WIRELESS NETWORK CARD - Dell Wireless 1395 802.11g Mini-Card * OPERATING SYSTEM - Windows Vista Home Premium Edition * INTEGRATED WEBCAM - Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam * HD DISPLAY - Anti-glare, widescreen 15.4 inch display (1280x800) * VIDEO CARD - Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 * BLUETOOTH - Dell Wireless 355 Bluetooth Internal (2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate)
The price difference is nearly 300 dollars. Substantial, to say the least.
And, if you opt for a Dell laptop loaded with Ubuntu 7.10 (see dell.com/open) instead of Vista, you save even more money.
An Inspiron 1420N, comparably spec'd to the Macbook 13 inch and the Inspiron 1525 (with a 14.1 inch wide screen display instead of the 1525's 15.4 wide screen) retails for $774.00 - a full $325.00 dollars less than the smaller screened Mac.
The point here is not to sing the praises of Dell over Apple but to show how even now, despite the switch to the Intel platform and significant drop in price over the years, Apple products remain substantially more expensive than similarly spec'd (if not similarly adored) PC offerings.
.d.