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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2005-10-18, 09:57

First off, you guys know me...a spec whore, I'm not. So bear that in mind when reading this.

Sometimes, in discussions with some of my PC-using buddies who are up on stuff (specs, features, etc.), I never really have much of an answer to things like Apple's pricing vs. specs and components used.

We all know the troubles they've had with Motorola (and now IBM) over the years, and getting Macs up to snuff on purely the processor side of things. But I'm not really talking about that (because that seems to be out of Apple's control, and just some bad luck and things like that).

What I'm talking about are things like hard drives, graphics cards, etc.

In so many areas, Macs are first out of the gate (wireless capabilities spring immediately to mind). But I look around at other sites (Dell and Sony mostly) and talk to PC-using buddies and they've all got 7200rpm drives in laptops and 128MB graphics, even on things priced the same (or much less) than the closest PowerBook competitor.

I look at Apple's $2600-plus PowerBook with 5400rpm (and until this year, it was 4200rpm!). And at some of their other offerings, and you think "okay, I know there are problems on the processor end of things right now, but what's the honest reason for some of these legit cases of something seeming under-spec'd...especially when you factor in the money we lay out for it!"

Can anyone speak to this?

I definitely don't need a lecture on how the OS trumps all and makes up for it (I know that, but still). No, I'm truly curious on why Apple DOESN'T go balls-out more on the components, in areas where they CAN make a difference and go head-to-head a bit more?

The old reliable "well, the OS is more slick and stable than anything you guys are using" retort wears thin, and doesn't always fit. No, I'm not looking for "ammunition" (I don't get into those silly pissing contests). But it makes ME wonder - as a loyal, devoted Mac user - why I find myself having to excuse or explain away things sometimes...



IS there much of a difference (in price) between 4200, 5400 and 7200rpm drives? Is that part of it? Simply pricing? What about between 32, 64 and 128MB variations of a family of graphics cards? That a money concern too? Too big for Apple to absorb or swallow?

Is it because Apple isn't making stuff for 95% of the users out there, and they have to make more on each unit and HAVE to charge the high prices (but often outfit it with lower-spec'd parts to even it all out some?).

Or does it come down more to design and technology reasons? Apple's stuff, being so thin, sleek and small in many cases (particlarly the PowerBooks)...does that limit them on being able to put in the fastest (hottest?) components? Do they do it to themselves then? Do they "put the design cart before the performance horse" in some cases?

Or is it a bit of all the above (pricing, combined with design not leaving much wiggle room AND marketshare factors).

Why doesn't a $2,600 17" PowerBook have the same types of things a similar Dell or Sony would have?

Set the OS, bundled software and other great features Macs have aside...I'm talking strictly about bread-and-butter components that are available to anyone to use, should they choose (hard drives, graphics cards, optical drives, etc.).
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