🚀 go-pugleaf

docjoe@interramp.com (Joe Ragosta) wrote:
>In article <DD16n3.M6q@eskimo.com>, oakley@eskimo.com (Reid Conti) wrote:
>
>> Umm right I think Mac users are a tad, well, stupid when it comes to
>> pricing.  I think macs are excellent computers for most of the
>> population, if you use ms-windows give up and use a mac, its better.  But
>> Macs have always been more expensive and I look at their prices compared
>> to compaq and packard bell, and they are still MUCH more expensive and
>> usually don't include a monitor or keyboard, yet manage to be more
>> expensive than overpriced PCs.
>
>You're living in the past. I've done side by side comparisons a number of
>times. Whle Macs won't match Packard Bell prices, they consistently match
>or beat IBM, Compaq, HP, and NEC prices.
>
>Coincidentally, these four vendors are four of the five largest PC firms.
>(Packard Bell is the 5th).
>
>No one ever said a Mac was a cheap as a cheap, store assembled clone or
>even a branded cheapie machine. It is very competitive with the top name
>brand PCs.

I agree with this.  Macs have gotten a lot cheaper, and a lot more competitive with the PC market.  Part of the reason for this is the new Mac Clones being built.  But you have to realize that you have just compared Macintosh prices with IBM/Compaq/HP & NEC.  These companies always sell less-compatible computers for higher prices.  Basically you are paying the extra price for customer support.  Lets compare a system from a third party vendor (not one of the big 5), to either a CloneMac or a true Mac.  --The prices are close, but you will still get a comperable (apples and oranges, I know.) PC for cheaper.  And upgradability if more flexible in the current PC.  (I know that this too is changing with the coming PCI-bus PowerMacs.)

--Now, Where I have a problem is more with the underlying philosophy of those who support the different OS's.  ((Here I'm talking OS, _NOT_ hardware))  Look at the amount of freeware available for all the different platforms.  I have downloaded _WAY_ more less-than-impressive cripple-ware for Macintosh that charge higher "shareware" fees that I have seen for any other platform.  Software prices in general are higher for Macintosh than for DOS/Windows  (OS2 also has quite high prices)
Hopefully with Caldera leading the pack, things like WP6.0 will be in line with Windows prices and not Macintosh prices.  ---I know, you are all arguing, "well at least its availble for Mac, what about Linux?"---I know, and I accept this.  I hope this changes in the future because I'm sick of shelling out $40.00 to unpack a .zip file from a windowing environment.

Jeff Halverson