Time to check your facts.
http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/07/09/cost.of.mac.vs.pc.laptops/
Defects will happen, it's how a company handles them to keep a customer happy is what counts.
Did you even read the article?
The writer was a Mac owner that preferred Macs.
All of the "facts" were taken right out of the "How to Defend Apple's Prices" book written by Apple fanboys.
Look how laughable the comparison between the MacBook Air and X300 is. "Similarly equipped machines"? Yeah, aside from the fact that the X300 has user-serviceable parts, 3 USB ports, built-in ethernet, headphone AND microphone jacks, a built-in optical drive, and optional extended life batteries.
The MacBook Air is more of an accessory computer, while the X300 is a fully functioning notebook PC.
Sure the X300 has "slower" ULV C2Ds, but so what? Any regular visitor to this forum is well aware of the massive heating problems the MacBook Air has and is well aware of the fact that the MacBook Air regularly throttles down to 800MHz and disables a single core to be able to run cool.
The X300 is also built better than the MacBook Air. The MacBook Air is anodized aluminum that is part of the reason for the heating issues. The X300 has a re-enforced shell that is stronger than any Apple notebook.
So, again, fully functioning PC with nearly all of the features of a standard PC.. versus a computer that is designed to be an accessory to a fully functional computer, and it can't even run at full speed because it gets too hot.
The MacBook versus Dell XPS M1330 is hilarious too. This is the typical Apple fanboy "you have to compare systems of the same size!" argument. Why? Why do I have to? People are NOT buying the MacBook because it is small. They're buying it because it's the only Apple notebook they can afford!
If Apple had a reasonably priced 15.4" notebook, I guarantee you it would fly off shelves and sell more than any of the iBooks and MacBooks ever have combined.
I find it funny he mentions battery life. He forgets that the MacBook screen is basically too dim to use at any setting under 50%, and keeping it that high takes battery life down to about 3.5 hours. Which is the same as most PCs out there.
He also mentions Adobe Photoshop Elements. Why do I need that? Windows Photo Gallery is built-in. It does everything iTunes does, except "Events". Picassa is free for Windows and it is regarded by many as better than iPhoto. HP Photosmart Essentials does everything iTunes does, minus events, and has all of the same "photo book" junk that you can make ON YOUR OWN EQUIPMENT. HP sells the books, you design and print out the pages yourself.
So you don't need that.
Whats even funnier about the MacBook versus XPS M1330 comparison is that the writer fails to mention all of the features. For $1353, less than the $1299 MacBook after taxes, you get dedicated graphics! Wow! Not only that, but HDMI is standard on the system. You don't need to worry about stupid adapters that cost a lot of money. It has VGA. Two USB, Firewire, headphone and microphone and (gasp!) full size ExpressCard 54! The MBP doesn't even have that.
Even better is that the XPS M1330 is LIGHTER than the MacBook.
More than a pound lighter.
Now lets look at the even more funny MacBook Pro versus HP comparison. First all, the price is wrong. The most expensive model in that line is less than $3,200. I don't know where he got the HDD from, the HP ships with a 160GB HDD. Yes its smaller but (gasp) the USER can upgrade it! Without ripping the system apart and voiding the warranty. It's also a 7200RPM drive.
The HP also ships with a WORKSTATION CLASS GPU.
You know, Apple tries to claim the MacBook Pro is the "Professional notebook" of them all. But you know what? It's not. If it were, it would be the worst built of all business class notebooks. The case bends, warps, rusts, scratches, and dents easier than even a $500 Compaq from Wal-Mart. Business class notebooks from Lenovo (with spill-proof keyboards!), HP, Dell, etc. are all built like tanks and can take massive amounts of abuse and not shot a single mark.
The GPU it comes with is at the bottom of the list of mid-range consumer GPUs currently available. Again, that HP ships with a workstation class mobile GPU that is faster than the GeForce 8600M GT in the MBP.
That HP also supports up to 8GB of RAM.
It also has the option to support blu-ray drives!
It also has 6! USB ports, firewire, VGA, HDMI, expansion card slots, various secure card readers, memory card readers, etc.
When it comes to build quality, and connections, the MacBook Pro is literally leagues BEHIND that particular HP system.
It's hilarious that the writer of that article would even compare the two. The HP is so much better that its not even a contest.
The HP also comes with a 3 year warranty standard that includes 24-7 tech support that doesn't close on Friday at 6 (and every day, not open on weekends) like AppleCare. It has 3 years of ON-SITE support. For an extra $99 you can make a "Traveler warranty" with next day service wherever you are.
It's hilarious when Apple fanboys try to use this argument of "you must compare class and size" or something stupid like that. Because, even when you use that same argument, the Macs get out performed even more. A system that is similar size and price on the PC side comes with endless connectivity, upgrade options, expansion card possibilities, STANDARD VIDEO CONNECTIVITY, etc.
Now let's be realistic for a second. Head over to Gateway.
For $1049, $50 less than the entry level MacBook, you get this:
15.4" screen, 160GB HDD, 3GB of RAM, Fingerprint reader, DVD writer, S-Video, VGA, HDMI output, Radeon HD 2600 512MB (equivalent to the 8600M GT in the $2,499 MacBook Pro), 2.4GHz C2D. It also has bluetooth, 802.11n, memory card reader, etc.
Now lets head over to HP. Let's look at the dv5z. 2.2GHz Turion Ultra (yeah its not a C2D but it keeps up with it), 1680x1050 GLASS display (15.4), 2GB of RAM, Radeon HD 3450 (uses a hybrid crossfire mode, so the IGP and dedicated GPU work together to render the picture, making it faster than any GPU in any of the Macs right now), webcam/mic/fingerprint reader, 160GB HDD, blu-ray, high capacity battery, HDMI output, memory card reader, Vista 64-bit, etc. for $1,202.99. Take out blu-ray and go back to just a DVD writer and you're at just over $1,000.
That right there proves you're getting more hardware for half the cost of a MacBook Pro. Want to compare to the MacBook based on specs? Let's do that at HP real fast. The dv6500t ends up being about $600 less than an equivalently spec'ed MacBook.
