So,

Since first released their Intel range of computers [starting with the iMac and MacBook Pro in January, the Mac minis added in March, and yesterday's addition of the MacBooks] I have said they are the best computers on the market at the moment.

All Apple products carry a premium price. Be it the iPod or the iMac, all the way down to the Mini-VGA/DVI – VGA/DVI adapters [$35], you pay a little bit more than competitors for a picture of an apple on the case instead of a Dell/HP logo.

In my opinion, this premium is almost always worth it. It’s typically around 10-20%, but unless you have a specific reason NOT to buy an Apple, it’s worth paying.

Interestingly enough, the release of the MacBooks yesterday seems to have thrown a spanner in the works with the whole premium thing. I configured a MacBook to the specs I would want to buy it with [1GB RAM/80GB HDD], and with my education discount, it came to around $2100. It costs around $2400 retail.

To figure out how that fares in the market compared to similar machines, i headed on over to Dell.com.au and had a look around.

After much futzing around, trying to figure out which of their Inspiron, Latitude or Precision lines a 2Ghz Core Duo with 1GB RAM and 80GB HDD fits into, I finally found that the Inspiron 640M fit most of the bill.

It has a base starting price of $1599, which is substantially cheaper than the MacBook. I went into the customise page, and configured it with equal specs where possible.

The screen size is a slightly larger 14.1″ compared to the MB’s 13″, but the resolution of both screens is exactly the same, meaning it’s an entirely moot point. [and frankly, after having used a 15" and a 12" laptop for similar purposes, I much prefer the smaller end of the laptop screen size choices]

The rest of the specs fit almost exactly. The processor in the Dell is a 1.83GHz Core Duo, as opposed to the MB’s 2Ghz. Dell offers an upgrade for $450.

After all was said and done, and I had two equally comparable, the Dell was $2065. Compared to the education discount price of the MacBook at $2118, the difference comes down to a matter of $60.

In my opinion, buying a computer that can run both OS X and Windows, and comes bundled with all the iLife suite applications, as well as all the other fantastic things that OS X comes with, is definitely worth it. Not to mention the fact that Apple’s machines just look so damn good!

In fact, after you add Dell’s “How-To Helpdesk” Support option, which would equate it to the Apple support option, the difference comes down to $20. You know what, for an Apple over a Dell, i’ll skip a haircut. Or maybe I’ll just win poker for once.

cheers