Mac vs. Windows Laptops
A few weeks ago, I bought my first
Apple
laptop, the MacBook Air. I’ve never loved a laptop more. Theskinny profile, the ease of carrying it around, the full-sizedkeyboard and screen, the slick
Mac OS X Leopard
operating system, the…
Okay, enough of that. I’m not interested in writing another “Macsare great, Windows computers are dog meat” religious conversionstory. I’ve been using both Macs and Windows PCs for years. Eachhas its pros and cons.
Instead, I’m interested in addressing the lingering concern aboutMacs: They’re more expensive than comparable Windows machines.
So I decided to see if this concern is valid. I didn’t perform anexhaustive, detailed survey. Rather, I compared the specs andprices of three current Apple laptops–the MacBook, MacBook Air,and MacBook Pro–against their likely Windows laptop competitors.(Keep in mind computer prices and specs change often. Prices andspecs mentioned in this article were accurate as of 6/20/08.)Here’s what I found.
MacBook vs. Dell XPS M1330
The
MacBook
is Apple’s most mainstream laptop, and Dell’s
XPS M1330
seems to be a reasonable counterpart. Both have 13.3-inch displaysand built-in Webcams, and are aimed at general-purpose users wholike multimedia features.
I configured online a MacBook and Dell XPS M1330 with specs asclosely matched as possible. Both had 2GB of memory, a 160GB harddrive running at 5400 rpm, a 2.4-GHz Intel Core Duo 2 processor,Intel integrated graphics media accelerator (X3100), and Bluetooth2.0. I chose the Dell 56Whr battery option (an extra $79), which iscomparable to the MacBook’s standard 55Whr battery. I also addedthe $99 optional bundle of Adobe Photoshop Elements and PremiereElements to the
Dell
laptop. The MacBook ships with Apple’s iPhoto and iMovieapplications, part of its iLife suite, at no extra cost.
The bottom line:
The Dell laptop that I configured cost $1308. The MacBook was$1299.
Worth noting:
When I upgraded the hard drive in both computers to 250GB, theDell laptop cost $1358 and the MacBook, $1399, tipping the balanceslightly in Dell’s favor. Also, Dell offers more configurationoptions than does Apple.
Price advantage:
Apple, by a hair.
MacBook Air vs. Lenovo ThinkPad X300
Lenovo has gone head-to-head with Apple with its ultra-thinThinkPad X300, going so far as to
creating a TV ad
spoofing the
MacBook Air
. The ThinkPad X300, compared to the Air, is a “no-compromiseultraportable,” Lenovo’s ad claims.
Our reviewer
agreed. Darren Gladstone wrote: “What the ThinkPad X300 lacks instyle, compared with the Air, it more than makes up for with betterfeatures and more functionality.”
It seemed fitting to compare the Air to the X300 in configurationsas closely matched as possible. Still, there were differences. WhenI configured these systems, the X300 was available only with anIntel Core 2 Duo chip at 1.2 GHz, while the Air could be configuredwith 1.6-GHz or 1.8-GHz versions of the Intel chip. In the X300’sfavor, that laptop can be configured with a built-in optical drive,but not the Air.
Here’s what my configurations of both laptops had in common: a13.3-inch display, 2GB of memory, light weight (the ThinkPad X300weighs about 3.4 pounds vs. the Air’s 3 pounds), a built-in Webcam,and a 64GB solid-state drive.
The bottom line:
The X300 cost $2612 as of 6/20/08. Add $99 for Adobe’s photo andvideo editing software and the total cost was $2711. In comparison,an Air with the 64GB solid-state drive is $3098. Add another $99for an external optical drive and the Air costs $3197, or $486 morethan the X300.
Worth noting:
When I configured these two systems, Lenovo had a “limited-timeoffer” of 20 percent off the X300. Without the discount, the X300 Iconfigured would have been $3370, plus $99 for the Adobe software,or $3469. That’s $272 more than the Air. Also, if you’re not weddedto a solid-state drive, you can buy an Air with an 80GB-hard drivefor $1799. Add the $99 external drive, and this Air costs $1898compared to the X300’s discounted total of $2711. That’s adifference in the Air’s favor of $813 with Lenovo’s 20 percent-offdiscount and a whopping $1571 without it. Also, a standard harddrive is not an option with the X300.
Price advantage:
The X300, but only if you get the discount. If you don’t, the Airgets the nod.
[Update: Soon after this article was published, the price of aMacBook Air with a 64GB solid-state drive dropped to $2598, makingthe Air less expensive than the ThinkPad X300--even with adiscount. --Editor]
MacBook Pro vs. HP’s Compaq 8710w Mobile Workstation
As its name implies, Apple’s
MacBook Pro
is designed for professional users. It’s a particular favoriteamong still image and video editors as well. So I compared it toHP’s
Compaq 8710w Mobile Workstation
, also built for professionals.
My configurations had this in common: 17-inch displays with 1680 by1050 pixel resolution, dedicated graphics cards, 250GB hard drivesat 5400 rpm, 2GB of memory, and 2.6-GHz Intel Core 2 Duoprocessors.
There were some differences, of course. For example, the HPcomputer features a biometric fingerprint scanner, which theMacBook Pro lacks.
The bottom line:
The MacBook Pro that I configured was $3049. The HP Compaq 8710wwas $3561. Adding the Adobe image and video editing software bringsit to $3661. The HP Compaq 8710w came standard with a three-year HPextended warranty. A similar warranty from Apple costs an extra$349. If you factor that in, the price difference makes the MacBookPro just $263 less than the HP notebook.
Worth noting:
HP offers similarly configured laptops marketed to consumers forless. For example, I configured an
HP dv9700t
for consumers with specs similar to the MacBook Pro and the HPCompaq 8710w for $1818 (I configured this system on 7/7/08, so itmay not provide an apples-to-apples price and spec comparison tothe systems I configured on 6/20.) The dv9700t I configured didn’tinclude an extended warranty, however, which would have added $249or $349, depending upon the warranty option chosen.
Price advantage:
The MacBook Pro.
Other Considerations
Price aside, there are other factors in the Mac vs. Windows debate.Among them:
Windows computers are perpetual targets for spyware and viruses.Macs are targeted, too, but not to the same degree.
The
Mac OS
and Apple computers both come from the same company. While Macsaren’t trouble free, you’re less likely to experience as manyunexplainable crashes and incompatibilities as you might on aWindows PC.
Apple has earned top scores from PC World readers in reliabilityand service. See “
Laptop Buying Tips, Part 1
,” for more detail
The Mac OS X Leopard is a clever, nimble operating system and apleasure to use.
Windows Vista
is a behemoth. While not the demon it’s often made out to be, itain’t the Mac OS, either.
Apple laptops have thoughtful design touches, such as keyboardsthat illuminate automatically in dim lighting.
There are many more laptop choices in the Windows world, and at agreater variety of price points.
There are still plenty of software applications available forWindows only. (You can run Windows on Macs, of course, usingApple’s Boot camp, which is included in Mac OS X Leopard, or athird-party virtualization program such as
Parallels Desktop for Mac
(
about $68
online).
Adding It All Up
Don’t buy into the old argument that Mac laptops are categoricallymore expensive than Windows machines. Sometimes that’s true–butthey’re often on par with, or cost less than, their closest Windowslaptop equivalents.
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