Need your expertise please

[jc0481]

I am the IT guy in my family. I switched to the mac in November of last year it was so worth it. Anyways, we talk about macs between my mother in law and myself. I mentioned to her that she should buy a mac. The imac would be a better fit for her. Her one argument is "I would buy a mac but they are so expensive". I get that from most people actually. I don't have any proof to show that they are not that expensive. Have you guys run into this same problem before and what was your solution?? Do you know of any good websites I can prove to people they are not that expensive? Hope you guys can help.

JC

 

[illicium]

go to dell.com and build a desktop with as close to the same specs as you can to the imac you think she would get. dont forget to include vista ultimate and anti-virus software and all that good stuff and you'll find that the dell is about the same or even more expensive in many cases. when you start adding bluetooth, and a web cam, and built in wireless that the iMac has built in, those littles costs here and there add up fast on the dell

EDIT: I said to make sure to add vista ultimate because its the closest thing to leopard even tho it trails far behind

EDIT #2: Also it may be hard to convince her because she can go to best buy and get a cheap pc that will probably suit her needs just fine, not that I personally would recommend that, but like i said, it depends on what her needs are and if they justify the price of an iMac

 

[mkrishnan]

I personally disagree with the approach in the previous post, although I understand its rationale (to create a level playing field). To the purchaser, the cost of hardware and features they don't know they want or need is irrelevant.

I would say it would be better to start simply by talking to her about what she needs and getting a thorough understanding, then building a Mac configuration that is appropriate, and showing her how it would work for her needs. Then show her the price and get her feedback on the price. Make sure she accounts for software purchases in her pricing for either Windows or MacOS. Make modifications as necessary. Also make sure she considers total cost of ownership and the projected lifetime of the computer.

But you may well end up in a place where her needs appear to her to be more inexpensively met with a PC. If that's the case, you should respect that. It's your place to politely make a rule that you will not be the "IT guy" for Windows computers, but it's not your place to tell everyone that doesn't want a Mac that they're nincompoops.

 

[tersono]

Whilst I agree in principle with MKrishnan's point of view (I work as a Windows sysadmin anyhow, so it would be kinda counter-productive to hate Windows *grin*), I have to say that I take a slightly different approach, which can be summed up by the following:

"I'l happily advise you what to buy whether you go Mac or Windows, but there's two points I'd like you to take into consideration. Firstly, whilst the initial outlay for a Mac might seem higher (which is simply because Apple don't produce hardware for the extreme low end of the market), it's very much the case that you get what you pay for. In the long term, your Mac is likely to cost you considerably less than an average PC - especially given that when you come to upgrade again, you will probably be able to re-sell the Mac for a fairly decent percentage of what you paid for it.
Secondly, if you buy a Mac, I'll happily help you with any problems you may have. If you buy Windows, you're on your own....

The second paragraph usually gets 'em