Apple Tax Investigated - Part I: Introduction and Baseline
Steve Ballmer in March of 2009, brashly stated that buying an Apple computer was tantamount to spending $500 on a logo. It has been long assumed that the machines released by Cupertino-based Apple Computer Co. carried a premium over comparable machine. This cost differential is known as the “Apple Tax”, the amount one would have to pay for a Mac over a comparable PC. The new line of iMacs (and the new Mac Mini) featured a price drop, ditching the Intel GMA950 graphics for the much improved Nvidia 9400M, a base-model doubling of memory, and a jump to DDR3 1066 memory standard. With this seemingly large increase in value, is the dreaded Apple Tax still too much? Is Ballmer right that you’re paying $500 for a logo? To find out, we’re going to do a little comparison.
Introduction:
The consensus from respected reviewers such as Ars Technica is that the 24” iMac model maximizes value of the current line, though not the cheapest unit in the Mac line. To get a feel for the current Apple Tax, we’ll explore two avenues to obtain competing systems: buy a prebuilt computer and build a system. In each case, we’ll find a configuration to match (as close as we can) the iMac and compare the prices. If there is any headroom left, we’ll see how much hardware improvement we can get before reaching the iMac's $1500 price tag.
Note: I will use the term "performance" (or similar terms) frequently in this review. Due to limited resources, I cannot procure and thoroughly test each system described in this review. In this article, performance refers to expected performance, not necessarily actual, in general, not over specific benchmarks. In some instances, a direct comparison is fairly straight forward: 500GB is less than 640GB, DDR3 1333 is faster than DDR3 1066. Other times, it is not the case: a 2.8GHz Phenom II X4 is not necessarily faster in application than a 2.66GHz Core i7, one graphics card is good in some functions but not in some where a competing card excels. The majority of identified differences in this article are either part of the former category or have been tested by other parties (such as Tom's Hardware and Anandtech).
Baseline:
System: 24" iMac All-in-one desktop
Price: $1499
CPU: 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo
RAM: 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1066
HDD: 640GB 7200RPM
Optical: 8x Super-Multi
Display: 24” flat-panel, 1920x1200 native resolution
Video: Integrated Nvidia 9400M, 256MB shared
OS: Mac OS 10.5.X (Leopard)
Other: built-in speakers, 2.0MP camera, microphone, Apple Keyboard (no number pad) and Mighty Mouse, 2-year limited warranty (90-day full), from Apple website
NEXT IN PART II: Prebuilt Systems - We'll take a gander at a few prebuilt desktops from Dell and Lenovo, and consult a custom PC service to see what $1500 can get us.
Introduction:
The consensus from respected reviewers such as Ars Technica is that the 24” iMac model maximizes value of the current line, though not the cheapest unit in the Mac line. To get a feel for the current Apple Tax, we’ll explore two avenues to obtain competing systems: buy a prebuilt computer and build a system. In each case, we’ll find a configuration to match (as close as we can) the iMac and compare the prices. If there is any headroom left, we’ll see how much hardware improvement we can get before reaching the iMac's $1500 price tag.
Note: I will use the term "performance" (or similar terms) frequently in this review. Due to limited resources, I cannot procure and thoroughly test each system described in this review. In this article, performance refers to expected performance, not necessarily actual, in general, not over specific benchmarks. In some instances, a direct comparison is fairly straight forward: 500GB is less than 640GB, DDR3 1333 is faster than DDR3 1066. Other times, it is not the case: a 2.8GHz Phenom II X4 is not necessarily faster in application than a 2.66GHz Core i7, one graphics card is good in some functions but not in some where a competing card excels. The majority of identified differences in this article are either part of the former category or have been tested by other parties (such as Tom's Hardware and Anandtech).
Baseline:
System: 24" iMac All-in-one desktop
Price: $1499
CPU: 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo
RAM: 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1066
HDD: 640GB 7200RPM
Optical: 8x Super-Multi
Display: 24” flat-panel, 1920x1200 native resolution
Video: Integrated Nvidia 9400M, 256MB shared
OS: Mac OS 10.5.X (Leopard)
Other: built-in speakers, 2.0MP camera, microphone, Apple Keyboard (no number pad) and Mighty Mouse, 2-year limited warranty (90-day full), from Apple website
NEXT IN PART II: Prebuilt Systems - We'll take a gander at a few prebuilt desktops from Dell and Lenovo, and consult a custom PC service to see what $1500 can get us.