By the way, he's not just a reporter. He is CNBC's Silicon Valley Bureau chief. He runs that satellite office.
Guess who was the the bureau chief before him? Steve Dowling, Apple's current head of Public Relations.
Goldman's Chart
Norton Anti-virus $50/yr
Multimedia Software $80-$104
Photoshop $140
Video Editing $100
Music Software $100
Geek Squad Visit $129
What the hell is classified under "multimedia" software? Photoshop Elements would be an acceptable PC alternative to iPhoto, it's $99. Premiere Elements would be an acceptable PC alternative to iMovie, it's $99. Although you can buy Photoshop and Premiere Elements together for $149. I'm going to assume "music" software refers to a PC alternative to GarageBand, which would be something like Mackey's Tracktion for $99 or Sony's ACID for $49.98, depending on your use. I don't understand the Geek Squad visit, as most people would just call their PC manufacturer for service and support. Additionally, beginning with OneCare's relaunch later this year, Microsoft will start providing free anti-virus to Windows users.
Like always, Goldman's way out of reality. At least make a solid argument.
Cont'd
Mac Laptops Weight: 1.2 lbs lighter
Mac Battery Life: 4x better (8 hours)
Faster Chip
Higher-Res Screen
I'm going to give Goldman the benefit of the doubt here, and assume he's referring specifically to the $699 Laptop Hunters HP notebook and the new 17" MacBook Pro, not just a blanket across the board comparison to all Apple's notebooks.