Download Magazine - Jonathan Hoyle

In addition, Apple now offers a faster frontside bus and a standard 8X dual-layer Superdrive on both models.
The Dell model was more or less unchanged, except in name. Today, Dell was offering a free upgrade to 1 GB of
RAM, though you get there by using all 4 slots. A 160GB hard drive was now standard, as was a 16X dual-layer
DVD burner. Pretty much everything else had to be added on, so the "bait and switch" price of $951 didn't last long.
No free printer this time around either, but Dell's interface for choosing options is a bit snazzier than 6 months ago.
Still way too complicated for my taste, though. And why change the model's name all the time? I hate that in TV's,
stereos, and pretty much everything else. Apple's simple product lineup is a model for how it should be done... Now
if only they could get others to follow!
So when you get to the bottom line in the detailed shootout page, you'll see that the iMac costs $1,299 (I didn't need
to add anything to the base this time), and the Dell costs $1,592 after wading through three pages of options, each of
which was delightfully complicated. Yet if you buy the iMac--even though it costs less than the Dell-- you'll still
wind out ahead on these cool capabilities, which aren't priced into the Dell:
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Built-in video camera
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Built-in Bluetooth 2.0 wireless (not even an option with the Dell)
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Incredible software for creating, revising, and managing digital content.
•
The world's most advanced--and easiest to use--operating system, "Tiger".
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Zero viruses or worms, and no adware or spyware either. A complete lack of Windows-style "ghosts in the
machine."
•
A tiny footprint in a case that's not only beautiful and functional, but light. The Apple model in this
comparison weighs only 15.5 pounds, whereas the basic Dell Dimension 510 weighs 31 pounds--not
including the separate monitor! It's hard to price such a benefit, but I don't think anyone would doubt that
15 pounds lighter is worth something. Especially if you're intending to use the machine as a second TV.
With the new iMac, this is an obvious use. With the Dell, it'll always be a PC even if you hook a TV tuner
to it.
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An all-in-one design that's just one step up from notebook status. With one of these iMacs, if you need to
move your computer to another room, it doesn't take a dolly and a bunch of guys to help. With everything
built in, setup is as simple as can be. This is an intangible benefit that's impossible to price.
This is precisely the move Apple needed to make to keep retail momentum going toward the Mac as a result of the
iPod's "halo effect." And I predict it's also the tonic to keep Mac desktop sales rising even as Apple plans a huge
transition from PowerPC chips to Intel ones.
Next up, Apple's laptops and PowerMacs! I'll be back to look at those soon, I'm sure.
MPN, LLC 2005 macCompanion
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November 2005, Volume 3 Issue 11