Dell Laptop to MacBook Pro Price Comparison

[rhsgolfer33]

Heres numbers that are a little more valid.

Dell E1505 w/o discount: $2047, w/ discount $1637.60
(* designates inferior to MBP)

Core Duo 1.83ghz
XP Pro
15.4" XGA w/ TrueLife*
1 GB (2x512) DDR2 533*
IIG 950*
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps)
53 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery*
Dell Wireless 350 Bluetooth Internal (2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate)

Apple MBP w/o discount: $2099
(* designates inferior to Dell E1505)

Core Duo 1.83ghz
OS X Tiger
15.4" display
1 GB (2x512) DDR2 667
ATI X1600 128mb
4x SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)*
AirPort Extreme Card & Bluetooth
60 WHr battery

The MBP is definetly comparable, in my mind much better. Its lighter, thinner, better looking, has iSight, OS X, FrontRow, backlit keyboard, way better GPU, brighter screen, iLife, magsafe, faster ram, fire wire, and gigabit ethernet. So without the discount on the Dell you get all of this for about $42 more, thast a pretty good deal if you ask me. Even if you get the Dell on discount I still think the MBP is a good deal, better features plus OS X and good support.

 

[Gurutech]

Dell has very different philosophy than Apple's. And there are even several seminars conducted by my college of business on this subject. (which I attended one time.. was bit curious)

If you want to compare Apple's MBP with something, I'd compare with Thinkpad T series.

If you don't want to do that, and bash Apple for your own fun... then have some fun.

 

[bigmudcake]

If i were doing that, then I would take half the money I saved from buying a Dell and buy pro movie software.

Of course I could also suggest trying to use the software that came with the Mac to implement a spreadsheet with fomulas to work out the savings per day I would make on the overall purchase, but that would be a bit harsh.

Hahahahahahahahaha! You cannot be serious. I've used the WinXP programs and I've used iLife. There is no comparison. I challenge you to take 3 hours of DV footage, import it into a PC, create a movie and burn it to DVD in NTSC and PAL formats, with professional looking menus and transitions, taking one afternoon to do it ... using software provided only with Win XP.

Then import photos from a digital camera and publish a webpage with a slide show in less than half an hour.

Then take a couple of the clips you downloaded from your DV camera and create another webpage with the clips optimized for the web, again in less than 30 minutes.

The last two are what I did last Thursday ... took me less than half an to publish using iWeb, the first time I even used it ... link

 

[ieani]

If i were doing that, then I would take half the money I saved from buying a Dell and buy pro movie software.

Of course I could also suggest trying to use the software that came with the Mac to implement a spreadsheet with fomulas to work out the savings per day I would make on the overall purchase, but that would be a bit harsh.

What are you saving? Your just paying less for an inferior machine. Use your spreadsheet and take the price of the Dell and double it to account for a swift future replacement. Thats the true cost of purchasing a budget PC.

 

[QCassidy352]

man, you just don't get it, do you? The comparison you did failed to take many many things in to account, and although others have pointed out where you erred, you just refuse to admit that your comparison was incomplete.

oh, and I really like Gekko's comparison of the 2 dells. What do you have to say to that? The Latitude seems like a HUGE rip off compared to the inspiron, and yet, they're both Dells... weird.

It's almost as if that comparison, like your original comparison, focused only on certain things and ignored other factors.

At first I thought this was a legitimate point, but others are right; this is just trolling.

 

[rhsgolfer33]

What are you saving? Your just paying less for an inferior machine. Use your spreadsheet and take the price of the Dell and double it to account for a swift future replacement. Thats the true cost of purchasing a budget PC.

Not to mention hes gonna need spyware tools, antivirus, registry cleaner, etc.

Oh, and what spreadsheet tool comes with PCs? Last I checked no one was bundling Microsoft Office with their PCs.

 

[bigmudcake]

The 2 Dells - The Latitude is a huge ripoff, and I would be making the same points here I would be making to the Sales Rep at Dell if they thought they could justify the cost.

I think the average consumer still wouldnt get why there is a huge difference in price. They are the ones that dont get it.

man, you just don't get it, do you? The comparison you did failed to take many many things in to account, and although others have pointed out where you erred, you just refuse to admit that your comparison was incomplete.

oh, and I really like Gekko's comparison of the 2 dells. What do you have to say to that? The Latitude seems like a HUGE rip off compared to the inspiron, and yet, they're both Dells... weird.

It's almost as if that comparison, like your original comparison, focused only on certain things and ignored other factors.

At first I thought this was a legitimate point, but others are right; this is just trolling.

 

[ieani]

Not to mention hes gonna need spyware tools, antivirus, registry cleaner, etc.

Oh, and what spreadsheet tool comes with PCs? Last I checked no one was bundling Microsoft Office with their PCs.

He uses MS Paint.

 

[bigmudcake]

You need to check again MS Works is bundled.

I could have gone with the option of MS Office Small Business
Edition for $319 extra (Word/Excel/PowerPoint/Outlook/Publisher/Business Contract Manager) and made a big thing about it, but that would be just trolling, and not part of the original objective comparison.

Not to mention hes gonna need spyware tools, antivirus, registry cleaner, etc.

Oh, and what spreadsheet tool comes with PCs? Last I checked no one was bundling Microsoft Office with their PCs.

 

[iShane]

And Dells suck...

They Sure do.

 

[Oblivious]

Next time, try comparing a comparable Dell to Apple's MacBook Pro.
Actually, don't bother, I'll do it for you right now.

(Prices in USD, superior specs in bold)

Dell Inspiron E1705
Processor- Intel Core Duo 2.0 GHz/667MHz FSB
Operating System- Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005
LCD screen- 17 inch wide screen display at 1440 x 900 pixels (bigger screen size, but the same resolution, and that's what matters most)
Memory- 1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
GPU- 256MB ATi Mobility Radeon X1400
Hard Drive- 100GB SATA HD at 5400RPM
Networking- 10/100 Network Card and modem, 802.11g wireless card, integrated Bluetooth 2.0
Optical Drive- 8x DL Superdrive
Software- Microsoft Works Suite 2006 (Includes only Microsoft Word)
Battery- 53 watt lithium ion battery
Warranty and Services- 4? year limited warranty and 13 month calling service (unlimited first month and 5 calls after that)
Extras- Windows XP Media Center Remote Control and various anti-SpyWare/virus crap

Price- $2,738.00 (Or $2190.40 with the %20 off limited time offer)

Apple MacBook Pro
Processor- Intel Core Duo at 2.0GHZ/667MHz FSB
Operating System- Mac OS X Tiger with Front Row (Opinions may vary)
LCD Screen- 15.4" wide screen display at 1440 x 900 pixels
Memory- 1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
GPU- 256MB ATi Mobility Radeon X1600 with Dual-Link DVI
Hard Drive- 100GB SATA HD at 5200RPM
Networking- 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11g AirPort Extreme wireless networking, Bluetooth 2.0
Optical Drive- 4x SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Software- iLife '06, iWork '06 trial, other various apps
Battery- 60 watt Lithium Polymer battery
Warranty- 3-year AppleCare Protection Plan with unlimited phone support
Extras- Apple Remote, built-in iSight, light-weight and thin

Price- $2848.00

So here are two very similar computers (hardware-wise), and you can see that the price is marginally different (without the Dell's limited time offer).

I know I missed several specifics of each machine, but there is a general hardware overview.

 

[hulugu]

I was showing the software that came with each computer,

If you want to get into nitty gritty then I could say
that MacBook Pro comes without Word Processor/Spreadsheet software at all, one would expect to come with Pro Computers.

iLife is more comparable to Windows XP itself in what it offers (not quality though) as in Media Player, Movie Maker.

You've got to be kidding me. A Pro-user interested in using a Word Processor/Spreadsheet is going to ditch Works immediately and install a copy of Microsoft Office. Works is soy filler for people who don't know any better. And you make the same mistake with iLife versus Media Player, Movie Maker.

Your argument is interesting at the surface because it notes at best that Apple is charging a premium over Dell. That's interesting, and it tells us something about Dell's business model versus Apple's. But, it does not offer a comparison about the quality or usefulness of the computers. You're not only ignoring the differences in software (iLife vs. Movie Maker) but you're ignoring several specific (and costly) hardware advantages that the MacBook Pro has over the Dell.
Finally, if the computers were exactly the same (exactly down to the screws) you would merely find out that Apple charges a premium. Woopdeedoo.

I think the Dell versus Apple comparisons should heretefore die a quick death, the horse is not only dead but has been processed into dogfood and glue and now resides in Duke's stomach and the wall of Mrs. Smith's 4th grade class as macaroni art.

Let it go.

 

[Timepass]

like the person above stated it is like beating a dead horse. Hard core apple fans are going to add on a bunch of extra crap to the dell to make it price go sky high things that are not really fair and then neglect to add to the apple. Biggest thing I see is xp pro over home and then going to pro they dont add on a remote desktop software for the apple but that just one example. The other is they dont add in apple care which is a lot crappier than what dell offers in hardware warrenties.

While on the other camp you have the ones claiming apple is over price by not keeping the price balanced and not adding in enough stuff to the dell or adding in the extra to apple.

Right now I think the apple macbook is a little over price but not that much but I think all apple computers are general a little over priced. It is call the apple premium and in some ways a price that is worth paying for a lot of the stuff from apple. Just it is not as big as people seem to make it out to be. Most being around 100 buck marker And the other huge market up from apple is when you upgrade pass base model.

 

[truz]

I don't know why you are comparing a Dell and a Mac. They are two different machines You buy a Mac to get off Windows because it's pissing you off due to the errors. Your not a kid anymore, Windows is a toy machine for little boys. Mac is a real machine for Men.

Mac:
Smart, Sexy, Secure, Stable....


Dell:
Dumb, Ugly, Infected, Blue Screens.


it's that simple........

 

[mramella]

Latitude D820, Intel Core Duo T2500, 2.00GHz, 667Mhz, 2M L2 Cache, Dual Core $2,321.00
1 15.4 inch Wide Screen WUXGA (1900X1400 - 2.1 MegaPix) LCD for Latitude D820 $0.00
1 2.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 2 DIMM for Dell Latitude Notebooks $0.00
1 Internal English Keyboard for Latitude Notebooks $0.00
1 512MB NVIDIA Quadro NVS 120M TurboCache, Latitude D820 $0.00
1 100GB Hard Drive 9.5MM 7200RPM for Dell Latitude DX20 $0.00
1 Touchpad with UPEK fingerprintreader, Latitude D820 $0.00
1 No Floppy Drive for Latitude D-Family Notebooks $0.00
1 Windows XP Professional, SP2 with media, for Latitude English, Factory Installed $0.00
1 Dell Wireless 350 Bluetooth Module for Latitude $0.00
1 90W AC Adapter for Latitude D-Family $0.00
1 8X DVD+/-RW with Roxio CreatorDell Edition Digital Media andCyberlink Power DVD, for Latitude 120L $0.00
1 Intel 3945 WLAN (802.11a/g) mini Card Latitude, Factory Install $0.00
1 No Resource CD for Dell Optiplex,Precision and Latitude Systems $0.00
1 9-Cell/85 WHr Primary Battery for Latitude D820 $0.00
1 Type 7 Contract - Mail-In Service, 24x7 Technical Support, Initial Year $0.00
1 Type 7 Contract - Mail-In Service, 24x7 Technical Support, 2YR Extended $0.00
1 Thank you for choosing 3 Year Economy Plan $0.00
1 Thank You for buying Dell $0.00
1 Please visit WWW.Dell.COM $0.00
1 Standard On-Site Installation Declined $0.00
1 Thank you for choosing Dell $0.00
1 Purchase is NOT intended for resell $0.00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sub-Total $2,321.00
Shipping $0.00
Tax $98.04
Total Price $2,419.04

All discounts applied to this order are reflected in the subtotal, shipping, and total amounts.

 

[Clydefrog]

regardless, still doesn't have OSX, crappy build quality, plus its a dell!

 

[DeathChill]

regardless, still doesn't have OSX, crappy build quality, plus its a dell!

That's quite a hilarious argument. Something beats the snot out of the MBP and now the argument changes from the specifications to the fact that it's a Dell and doesn't have OS X.

 

[mramella]

Oh, forgot to mention - the Latitude D820 is expandable to 4 GB's of RAM!

 

[flyfish29]

Maybe the same processor, and similar features. But it is still comparing "Apples" and Oranges. With Apple you are getting a sleek design and some added features that, IMHO, are well worth the extra cash.

Even if you compare just hardware and leave out the Windows vs. OSX part you still are not able to compare quality and reliability of hardware exactly. I have both Dell laptops and Apple in my school (I am a principal) and we have many more problems with hardware on the Dells. I experienced the same when I worked in another school- we were always having mother boards and hard drives go bad, but with the Apple machines (both brands were desktops in this particular school) we had nothing go bad. And we actually had twice as many Apple machines as Dells and the Dells were the newer machines even.

Question- is Dell shipping that machine for free? I know we don't always get our dell's shipped free but that may just be an education thing.

 

[Felldownthewell]

The major differences are screen resolution and the graphics cards. Size and weight, as well as design are factors as well. OSX, while it may get some viruses, it gets less than Windows does, and has the added stability which some people like. Of course design and OS are personal preferance.

I bought my MBP because I like its components (especially the graphics card- my other option was a thin and light alienware), I like the design (and weight and screen resolution), and I wanted to try OSX. I looked at the dell and it wasn't what I needed, so I went with apple.

The point is that people know that a $1 shirt from Target (or whatever the Australian equivalent is- I wasn't shopping much when I was in Australia.) will cover them as well as a $20 shirt from a nicer store, but the nicer one will look better, last longer, and will feel better to wear. People buy brand name cereal instead of store brand- for whatever reason- and the same extends to computers. If people want a generic, poor quality dell, they will get it. If they want a high end, quality apple product, they will buy that. Price comparisons and "oh it had this and oh it had that" will make absolutley no difference.

 

[mramella]

I actually bought a MBP from Amazon. Unfortunately, it had both the infamous whining noise and the high-pitch ringing noise (lucky me - I had both issues!).

I sent it into Apple Care. They had the machine for nearly two weeks. When I finally got the machine back, neither issue was resolved .

So, out of frustration, and as a last resort, I had to unfortunately return my MBP for a full refund (thank God Amazon was good enough to give me a full refund, without paying the 15% restocking fee).

I then stumbled across the Dell D820. I was stunned to see that the graphics card and the sreen resolution are each way higher than the MBP (512 MB graphics card vs. 256 MB, and 1900X1400 resolution vs. 1440x900). I was also stunned by the battery life (6 hrs. vs. 3.5 hrs.). And, of course, the RAM expansion (4 GB's vs. 2 GB's). And last, but not least, the Dell is a tiny bit cheaper, but not by much.

Only real bummer is that I miss out on the MBP's sleek design. The Dell is 1.38" thick and weighs about a 1/2 pound more than the MBP. Oh well, at least I don't have to deal with the whine anymore...

My Dell is not being shipped for another few weeks, so I do have time to decide if I want to cancel my Dell order, and go back to the MBP. But with the Apple Care experience mentioned above, I'm leaning towards the Dell...

 

[killmoms]

My Dell is not being shipped for another few weeks, so I do have time to decide if I want to cancel my Dell order, and go back to the MBP. But with the Apple Care experience mentioned above, I'm leaning towards the Dell...

Definitely should've bought it from an Apple Store (or THE Apple Store online) where you could've at least just gone and demanded a replacement.

 

[flyfish29]

My Dell is not being shipped for another few weeks, so I do have time to decide if I want to cancel my Dell order, and go back to the MBP. But with the Apple Care experience mentioned above, I'm leaning towards the Dell...

Yeah, and Dell has such a good customer service/warranty department!

Are you buying a computer for the experience you have ACQUIRING it or USING it? Because the ACQUISITION of a product is very small potatoes when compared to how many hours you will spend USING a product.

No really, I can understand some of your reasoning and frustration with the customer service. I had a bad experience with a refurbished iMac, but after it is all said and done it was a small price to pay for having a fantastic machine that never has needed any major maintenence or reinstalling of software! (Unfortuantely I had to reinstall my iBook software but that is the very first time I have had to do that to any of my Macs since owning my first one 15 years ago.)

 

[odedia]

Didn't feel like reading the whole thread, but I wanted to add anyway that the MAckbook uses faster RAM (667mhz) comapred to 533mhz on the dell. Plus dell doesn't have optical out.

 

[flyfish29]

Oh yeah, and the Dell doesn't have that cool power cord release thing with the magnet! That can make a big difference for those that have pulled their laptop off a table by tripping on the cord!

Don't forget about iChatAV and scrolling trackpad!