Hi,
Replying to your first comment, I made this comparison simply because of 2 facts.
1.)Apple is a computer company, so is Dell.
2.)Dell has the closest offering to compare iMac to, the XPS one. Sony does have Vaio LT, which is way more advanced in HTPC area, and more expensive.
I do not agree with you Dell being a bad brand, I'm using an Inspiron 8600 laotop for 3.5 years now and beside the fact tha it had never failed me, I upgraded RAM, Optical Drive, added Bluetooth and even upgraded my CPU from Pentium-M 725 (1.6Ghz) to Pentium-M 765 (2.1Ghz). Dell was kind enough to publish the service manual online. The only thing that I can complain is the quality of materials used for the enclosure and overall bad worksmanship. But my needs of a computer changed, so I want my next computer to be a MBP.
Now the Apple question. Apple is beyond a computer manufacturing company. It's a design studio focusing on computer technology related product, designing elements not only visually (Mac), but also functionally. (OSX). Dell on the other hand is focusing on manufacturing computer to sell to masses, design is merely a focus point.
Apple does everything in house. Hardware and software. Surely Apple wants more people to use their products, but Apple also has two philosophies that it will never forget. Their products have to be well designed and exclusive and their performance has to be remarkably good. Yes iMac is an all in one, yes Mac Pro is way too expensive for a normal consumer and yes if Apple makes an entry level Tower/SFF, many people would buy it. Why don't they do it?
Because Apple brand should be exclusive, at leaset more exclusive than Dell, Sony, Toshiba, HP etc. Because Apple believes an average customer won't need a tower with all the cables, they simply need a computer that just works and eveything is embedded.
You, as a power user, have a major problem with this. You want to upgrade, change and customize your machine, that's fine, but this is just not in the mainstream idea of Apple. There is nothing you can do but going the Linux or Windows way for that.
Think of Apple as an exclusive restaurant with an exclusive dish and exquisite atmosphere. That exclusive dish (OSX) has a recipe and everybody wants to have it, but the restaurant does not allow it to be out in the wild, they simply say: "You can come and eat any time!". Some people complain that they live far, they cannot come to the restaurant and they say that they want to order via phone or take out the food to eat at home. Restaurant managers believe that the food and the atmosphere are one thing that cannot be seperated. And you critisize them because that do not offer the recipe, or take out options. That's fine, then do not eat here, but don't mock people of by pointing out how expensive the food is, or how there are more delicious food that is very similar but costs less. Everybody is coming to this restaurant because they love it. You know it's good, too, but simply it's too hard for you to come to the restaurant or the food is way too expensive, and that's why you try to convince people that there are other alternatives, too. But you do not have to push people. (That was a long example, but I hope you get my point)
iMac is a fast computer. The speeds of processors are higher than it's competitors. You say 4GB RAM limit, I say 2GB is enough for today. You want more, here is Mac Pro supporting 32GB. Display is inferior, I give you that. There are more responsive, brighter displays out here, and apple was lacking to update even the ACD line. But that's it. As an all-in-one, iMac is a very good computer, and resaonably priced, too.
OSX is a great operating system. So it Ubuntu, so is Windows XP. But there is one thing OSX has that no other system has. It simply works without giving you a questionmark in your head what to do next. Every task is done so simple, that even a person with no history of computer usage can start using it in 10 minutes. Nothing to setup, nothing to tweak, nothing to adjust. This is where Apple shines. There are peple who spend 199 USD on a 1GB GeForce 6200 card with 64 bit memory bus, just because it has one gigabytes of ram so it must be fast. For there kind of people, Mac is an oasis on a desert.
Right now Apple is focused on the huge mass who don't know much about computer technology. It might lost the focus on the power users, but this doesn't meat that they are going to continue like this.
