Most of us in the Apple community have always had a full
understanding that Macs hold their value and generally outlast PCs by a
long shot. Although no computer is immune to failures and manufacturing
defects, modern Macs have something that their PC counterparts do not -
special attention to aesthetics, software interface, and superior
engineering across the board, from case to the OS to the last tiny
screw used.
With these factors and the stability of Mac OS X, combined with many
applications that "just work", modern Macs certainly hold their value -
even the late PowerPC machines manufactured five to six years ago, and
especially notebooks.
What does that mean to the typical PC consumer who is thinking about
switching and wants to try a Mac, but is used to cheap, disposable PC
pricing?
Quite frankly, the price of a new Mac is one of the most common
deterrents to switching. If you are impartial to the interface,
aesthetics, and OS, there are always Windows options selling for much
less.
Thankfully, there are affordable Mac options out there if you look
hard enough, especially on
eBay.
As chance had it, I recently had the opportunity to find out if
there was enough interest for a Mac from several family members who
were all in need of a laptop. After I came across a lot of five
14" 1.42 GHz iBook G4
units on eBay, I couldn't resist! After discussing details with the
interested parties, I generated commitment from three family
members.
That was enough for me to go for it. I placed a bid and won the lot
for just over $1,100. Although I had to buy power supplies and some RAM
upgrades, I was still able to keep the cost of the iBooks under $300
each with maxed out RAM (1.5 GB) and original 65W Apple power supplies.
This was easily a savings of about $100 each over market value.
iBook vs. Netbook
Compare the
14" 1.42 GHz iBook with any netbook in the same $300 price range. This
top-of-the-line iBook running Mac
OS X 10.5 "Leopard" with its adequate 14" 1024 x 768 screen,
maxed out with 1.5 GB of RAM, Core Image capable Radeon 9550 graphics,
along with Bluetooth, a scrolling trackpad, a 60 GB hard drive, and
AirPort Extreme certainly has enough features to make it a viable
computer for several years to come.
Compare that
with a 10" 1.6 GHz netbook with Windows XP, a shrunken keyboard,
1 GB of RAM, integrated graphics, and a 1024 x 600 screen, such as
the Lenovo S10-2
that Tommy Thomas reviewed on Low End Mac yesterday.
I was even able to convince my grandmother, a lifelong Windows user,
to try one, which later brought the total to four family members who
purchased one of these iBooks from me. (I kept one for myself to tether
to the 22" HD monitor in the bedroom that I will later control with a
Bluetooth diNovo
Edge keyboard.)
The moral of this story is that sometimes you can buy in bulk to
satisfy the needs of several people and pass along the savings. This
also holds true for Macs when the deals are there. Schools,
governments, and universities are always selling used lots on eBay and
through other public auctions.
Down with cheap disposable PCs! Spread some Apple Joy instead!
Dan Bashur lives in central Ohio with his wife and children. He uses various PowerPC G3 and G4 Macs running Tiger and Leopard. Besides finding new uses for Macs and other tech, Dan enjoys writing (fantasy novel series in the works), is an avid gamer, and a member of Sony's Gamer Advisor Panel. You can read more of Dan Bashur's work on ProjectGamers.com, where he contributes regular articles about the PSP, classic gaming, and ways you can use Sony gaming hardware with your Mac.
