Before we do these price comparisons, here's the fine print: Dell's prices are volatile. The figures that appear here are based on various and sundry free optical drive and RAM upgrade offers, which may or may not be around when you recheck the accuracy of these totals.
iMac:
At $999, the summer 2001 iMac is $100 pricier than its predecessor. But Apple gives it better standard equipment. In addition to the 500MHz G3, there's a 20GB hard drive, 128MB of RAM (just enough for Mac OS X), and a CD burner. Pricing a Dell product is difficult. So many options that a single click can change the structure drastically. However, I found a Dimension L at $819, featuring an 800MHz Intel Celeron, which many feel is the equivalent of the iMac's G3. Display size is the same as the iMac, as is hard drive space and RAM. All right, the iMac costs $180 more, but it's cuter. I never heard anyone refer to a Dell as cute or even distinctive. After all, what beauty can be found in the confines of a beige box?
iBook:
Apple's consumer laptop is an absolute standout. Slim and elegant at the same time, just how does its entry-level $1,299 price-tag compare with the closest equivalent in the Dell line, the Inspiron 4000? Well, the best comparison is to the mid-range iBook, at $1,499, featuring a DVD drive. The Dell equivalent is $1,477 with a similar set of options. The real difference is that the Dell has a 14.1" display, while the iBook is stuck at 12.1". In order to match up the iBook's standard Ethernet and FireWire ports, I had to opt for PC cards, not an elegant solution. The iBook is still the big winner in this comparison.
PowerBook G4:
The $2,599 entry-level PowerBook is often compared in pricing and features to the Sony Vaio, because both are slim and elegant. But since we're using Dell here, I chose that company's latest and greatest from its Small Business line, the Latitude C810 and will compare it to the $3,499 version of the PowerBook, with a 500MHz G4 processor. Both have 15-inch displays, and hard drive, optical drive and RAM configurations are similar. The Dell, featuring a 1.13GHz Pentium III (which the G4 eats for lunch) tips the scales at $3,155, but has no built-in FireWire option. By the time you factor that into the equation, the price differential is minimized. In addition, the Dell weighs in at 7.2 pounds, nearly two pounds more than the PowerBook, and can't hold a candle to the Apple laptop in the looks department.
PowerMac G4:
Here's the real surprise. These results essentially reverse the results of the previous comparison I ran! To get an accurate picture, I looked at Dell's professional line and configured a Precision Workstation 530 this time out, since Dell touts it as its "latest and greatest." The PowerMac G4 in this equation is the top-of-the-line $3,499 model featuring twin 800MHz G4 processors, 256MB of RAM, 80GB Ultra ATA hard drive, gigabit Ethernet and SuperDrive (which burns CDs and DVDs). The Dell has two 1.7 Pentium 4 Processors, but the largest available Ultra ATA drive on the Dell is 40GB. It doesn't have gigabit Ethernet, and there's no SuperDrive option. Yet it clocks in at $3,609. Now it's true other desktop Dells can be configured in similar fashion for hundreds less. For example, I was able to set up a Dell Dimension 8100 for $2,007. It lacks dual-processors, gigabit Ethernet and SuperDrive. The closest equivalent PowerMac is the $2,499 G4/867 model, which has the faster Ethernet feature, and the SuperDrive, which more than accounts for the difference. So, amazingly enough, here, too, Apple meets and beats the competition head on.
So how has Apple virtually eliminated its historical pricing disadvantages in its newest model line? Well, looking at the numbers, it's clear the company didn't sacrifice profit margins. In the most recent quarter, Apple's were 29.4 percent, compared to 18.0 percent for Dell.
Regardless of how it happened, Apple's new G4 product line has all but erased the perception that its computers are much more expensive than the competition. And that, my friends, is a wonderful development for the future.
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