Yeah, you need to switch the port listings around. Although anyone who knows the machines could figure that out easily enough.

I am amazed such an inferior machine (no graphics card???) could cost so much more. That is atleast a $300 graphics card in the iMac, probably more.

Maybe PC manufacturers just don’t know how to make all-in-one systems price competitve? Would a PC tower fair this poorly?

I think the most interesting comparison will be the highest end Mac Pro against the XPS 600 Renegade.

I will never pay $1500 for a PC w/ intergrated Graphics! this includes notebooks as well! 

$1500 you can get an entry level Alienware!

And what about the Antivirus and Firewall software you have to subscribe to on the Gateway?

The value of iLife is also way ahead of the comparitive Winn apps described. Where is the website creator, or the Podcast creator and the RSS feed creator.

The price comparison is only the start. Any Mac will win these arguments hands down in my opinion.

So far I agree with everything, but I am wondering what the mac equivelant to quicken is?

Quicken equivalent for Mac OS X? Oh that’s simple Jeff. It’s Quicken

http://quicken.intuit.com/commerce/catalog/ product.jhtml?prodId=prod0000000000007992902

The mac equivelant to quicken is quicken

Jeff, the Mac equivalent to Quicken is… um… Quicken! Contrary to the ancient myths that refuse to die, many popular applications are readily available for the Mac. For example, you can even get MS Office for Mac and seamlessly swap documents with your PC friends.

But, if you go the “Made by Apple” route, you’ll find that aps like Apple’s answer to Word and PowerPoint, Pages and Keynote, are just $79 for the pair (called iWork) and they can import/export to the MS formats just fine, but are much easier to use and produce a higher quality professional file. In addition, they all work seamlessly with the iLife applications such as iTunes and iPhoto, directly accessing their libraries.

My friend once told me that the Mac is the only computer he could give his grandmother and not have to be there when it arrives. She could open it and run it all by herself, and he wouldn’t have to worry about configuring it for her.

Good point, Mike. As someone who *used* to be tech support for all his Windows-using friends, I can say for your own sanity, recommend a Mac for your friends, and family members. It’ll give you the time to do the things you want to do instead of futzing with Windows all day. About the comparison—it doesn’t surprise me. If you can put a price on your time (time spent debugging, time saved via ease-of-use, time not spent screwing around with virii), the Mac has always costed less over time. Now it just costs less right out of the box.

I know that you can buy converters from USB to legacy ports and even find gimp print drivers, but why? Legacy ports have gone the way of 3.5 floppies. Hello people, these are old world and you should walk away old stuff, its holding you back.

I have used this iMac and its way too cool for words. You need to go by an Apple store near you and experience this for yourself. It will blow your mind away with the great design of the hardware, fun screen, fun and easy OS, free cool software and lots of chooses of hardware/software to meet all your computer needs (well almost all).

Come on people bury your pride and test drive a Mac!

wmd

and Apple’s just upped the Specs at no extra cost on the MacBook Pros

the future looks bright.

Wow, some of those comments sound like they came from the Apple webpage.

hey! you forgot the remote!

Yawn.

It says $1199 on the Gateway website.  Besides, all-in-one is not cool anymore.  So limiting.

Did a quick comparison between a Dell PC and the iMac in Australia :

iMac $1999

Dell Dimension 9150 $1966
- faster DVD (16x)
- bigger monitor (19")
- faster processor (2.8 dual core)
- FAR EASIER TO UPGRADE!

OT : For some reason, I feel very insulted by the catch phrase on the Apple site “What’s an Intel chip doing in a Mac?  A whole lot more than its ever done in a PC”.

Urshino & Informer:

You are the exception, not the rule. The Apple tagline is quite appropriate. 

The average office worker doesn’t do much with a computer than what he’s required to do on the job. And as for the vast majority of home PC users, they also never come close to doing anything constructive with their PCs.  They’re (justifiably) too afraid of breaking something… and too afraid of security issues.

This is true even in the corporate world. In fact, my company has to be so concerned about security, even the PCs that are set aside for personal use by employees are ... crippled isn’t the word… try castrated:  No email, no gaming, and “parental” control filters that would bore a 5-year-old.

Also, in my personal experience, most home computer owners never upgrade so much as an extension cord on their PCs. Some will go as far as adding some RAM, but that’s about it. OS upgrades? On the home front, it’s generally only the purchase of a new PC that causes an operating system upgrade by default. 

I’m not talking about gamers (a whole different species of computer users--like hot rod drag racers) or geeks who enjoy the opportunity of meeting the challenge of fixing a broken PC. (And don’t even ask me about the leeches who make their living fixing and disinfecting PCs.)

As with cars, there will always be those who prefer to build and tinker than actually go anywhere. (example, Linux users)

Most people just want to get behind the wheel, turn the ignition and go when they push the pedal on the floor.  All my friends use a PC at home hate them and do as little as possible on them. (That is, except those who have heard so many bad things about them won’t touch any computer with a 10-foot pole.)

If they knew that, just like their car, they could get behind the wheel of a Mac, turn on the ignition, push the pedal to the floor and go and do things they’ve never before imagined, then they would actully enjoy using a home computer. That, in a nutshell, is what Apple’s all about.

Informer, I hear ya, but you gotta take a higher road than sarcasm and flippance. You might as well be another one of those people who talks about the OS they don’t use like it’s made of carved poop (oh wait, there are some of those here).

I suggest, if you have a real argument, to present it with valid backing and in a polite manner.

That also said, I do hope everyone in these comment boards can realize that not owning a Macintosh or not using one does in no way inhibit the ability to do amazing things with a computer. I know far too many people who have done far too many amazing things (and enjoyed them) on Windows-based PCs to take anyone seriously who believes that once you ditch a PC and get a Mac - it’s a whole new world and you can do all these amazing things you couldn’t do before. It is an upgrade for some, but definitely not for some others.

There is no magic bullet. Neither Windows nor OS X is perfect, neither platform is perfect.

For some background, I make my living on a G5 and am a de facto tech in a 180-computer Macintosh environment these days. Before I used Macs, I made a living doing the exact same thing on Windows-based PCs. I own Windows PCs, DIY-style. I build them, and I fix both Macs and PCs for folks in my spare time. Further, I worked in a computer store with a full tech department for three years as a salesman and minor tech (installing parts, fixing minor issues).

So I’m not coming from some fantasy world where I just think I’ve used a Mac. I use them every day, follow the news and trends, explore the insides and outsides and generally enjoy the OS X experience. I will admit, with no shame, that I hate OS 9 and was quite bitter with my Mac experience about 4 years ago. It’s much better now that OS X is around, though, so no more complaining from this guy.

I use both and enjoy both. However, I prefer Windows PCs at home because there is not a Mac available within the budget I set for myself that offers the speed, customizability, upgradability, gaming or specific applications that my Windows PCs do. Until that day comes, when all of my computing needs are satisfied by a Mac, I probably won’t own one. If I have need for a laptop, however, I would definitely buy an iBook or MacBook Pro.

In the end, as I’ve been saying for years now - I just hope we can all find a middle ground, realize that our own decisions on purchasing and using computers are just that - our own decisions - and that we can appreciate all colors of the computing spectrum.

Because either way you go, there’s some amazing technology, applications, creativity, fun and learning you can come across with either a Mac or PC. Find what you need, what fits you best - and go to town!!!

FT,

what have I said in this blog entry that causes you to say that?

I stated my personal views, just like this blog, and I have indicated that the all-in-one thing is not all that popular as desktops IMO.

But to be fair, they are popular for viewing and recording TV/video (as is the case in Japan and Korea).

What is the OP really trying to say?  That Macs are truely competitive in prices?  Can’t anyone see how he factored in the discounted Macs and choose any other PC?  Didn’t Rick produce a proper comparison of how PCs are still way ahead in the pricing game? 

Seriously what is new? and what will ever change?

I am no where as cynical/negative as some forumers that we all know.  I just give it out as I, and the people that I live and work with, as we see it.  I promote and assist in the use of personal computers for teachers and students, so it is in my interest that everything works the way they are suppose to with no gimmicks, no re-learning and no sudden changes.  I work with hundreds and hundreds of PCs.  So far, I’ve had no problems.  That is my situation, so if people think I’m the exception rather than the norm, then so be it.  I don’t go out of my way telling people that Apple sucks because I don’t have the time.

I still find that Apple caption insulting and arrogant. 

Poor taste IMO.

I find it wrong. Has a Mac Core Duo ever had the joy of processing Battlefront II?

For some reason, I feel very insulted by the catch phrase on the Apple site “What’s an Intel chip doing in a Mac?  A whole lot more than its ever done in a PCâ€?.

Why? Did you invent the boring PC? I saw a commercial from Hefty that said my trash bags are wimpy and that I should have Heft trash bags. Did I get offended that they claimed my trash bags were wimpy? Of course not!

Only Windows PC zealots are offended by Apple’s ads, in my opinion.

I suggest, if you have a real argument, to present it with valid backing and in a polite manner.

Dylan, you aren’t the admin here. Get off your high horse.

There is no magic bullet. Neither Windows nor OS X is perfect, neither platform is perfect.

Nobody is claiming otherwise, but many here believe that one is a much better experience than the other and they are expressing that opinion.

Your experience isn’t common, IMHO. You never ever ever have spyware or viruses or any problems on any of your Windows PCs, yet every Mac you touch explodes and crumbles with problems and crashes all the time.

In the end, as I’ve been saying for years now - I just hope we can all find a middle ground, realize that our own decisions on purchasing and using computers are just that - our own decisions - and that we can appreciate all colors of the computing spectrum.

Funk, everyone here knows that it’s their opinion that they are expressing. Every time someone says, “The Mac is better than PCs” you get all bent out of shape and tell everyone that there is no best and that it’s just their opinion, since your “Crapintosh” days on PC Magazine’s forums 4 years ago.

Yeah, we get it. Just because I think Windows is garbage doesn’t mean that everyone else in the world thinks it’s garbage, not that your reasons for using the PC have anything to do with liking WIndows.

I think Windows is garbage. I own Windows PCs and use them every day. We don’t need to hold hands and sing Kumbaya about that. You shouldn’t take offense by my opinion any more than I take offense to someone who might hate the blender I own in my kitchen.

Most people justify using Windows because they want to use some software that isn’t on the Mac or play some games that aren’t on the Mac, or they want to build their own computer and can’t on the Mac, etc. Those are the reasons you gave in this thread.

For me, I can’t justify using Windows as my main systemm. I can afford a Mac desktop (my quad G5 costs less than the Opteron 280 DIY PC configured the same). I can’t run iLife on a PC nor can I run Final Cut Studio on a Windows PC. But the big thing is I really can’t stand Windows. It has so many hassles and issues that OS X doesn’t have, and all of that wastes too much of my time. I also can’t stand the Windows GUI and have explained, in great detail, what I don’t like about it.

You might as well be another one of those people who talks about the OS they don’t use like it’s made of carved poop

LordDaMan isn’t on this board.

Has a Mac Core Duo ever had the joy of processing Battlefront II?

Why didn’t you say Halo 2? a

Nick,

For your round two, why don’t you compare the “quad” 2.5 Ghz G5 to a dual 2.4 Ghz Opteron 280 from BOXX or HP.

HINT - the G5 will be around $900 less.

Informer,

If you respond to a post or an article with a yawn and some weak arguments, you can expect to be pounded by folks who will have the upper hand on you in said argument.

*shrug* I was merely making a suggestion. It’s your choice.