Dell rumored to give MacBook Air a run for its money - Page 2

I don't think this particular issue is about Windows/OSX. I think it's more about the physical machines themselves.

OSX being proprietary is best left for another day and thread.

Even if I were to completely erase OSX from my MBA and install XP/Vista (Yecch!) my MBA would still be (IMHO) the top-tier superior machine from a build-quality and all-around useful piece of hardware. This is of course that one realizes the MBA and all ultralights for the market it is intended. Some people on this forum still thinks super-ultralights should contain the same performance specs as machines weighing 2-3+ its physical weight.

Nonetheless, I run XP using VMware on my MBA and the performance of the XP virtual machine is faster than my prior dedicated Sony Vaio. My XP VM is used for all my corporate domain work and gets more use than the OSX-side which I use for everything else like browsing, email, etc.

"all these problems" What problems?

The lack of competition on the hardware front, and the very high prices of Apple hardware.

I don't think the high price is the issue per se, its the high price coupled with the now seemingly more common feeling that there is a lack of value/performance in the products.

the quality and performance is no longer there and as 'PC' and general component prices drop its harder to justify paying sometimes normally double the price just to run OSX.

doubly hard when you know that the actual margins on the products is massive! I guess some people just like to give iCon their cash.

Go and tell Dell to develop their own 'OSX".

Right and people who buy laptops are concerned about the margins the company is making on the sale.

Like I said...no MacBook Air update until at least spring. With the exception of a 17" Unibody MBP, the notebook line is set for a few months. Now there needs to be a round of updates for their desktop line up across the board, MacMini, iMac, and MacPro (and Xserve). By then, it will be time for iPod, and/or iPhone updates.

The 12" Powerbook had a full size keyboard, and it didn't have bezel around the keyboard. The Air has a wider than usual bezel around the screen and keyboard.


You need to explain how it would be in Apple's interests, because that's the only reason they'll take up your request - it needs to be in their best interests. Apple don't care about the customer to the point of losing profits just to make everyone happy. They are a businesses. However, in my experience, Apple's support is quite good. I don't have to place a call to another continent to get help, I get someone that I can understand. And I can bring the machine to some place reasonably local to me rather than placing a call, or having the computer shipped to another part of the country to get fixed. If you're only adding the cost of the subcomponents to arrive at a value for the machine, you're missing a lot of the picture. And forgetting that there's a lot of value in the OS that the gross margin figures don't account for because they don't pay a third party for a license.

How will Apple be more successful if they allowed people to officially run OS X on non-Apple hardware? Remember, Apple is a business, market share and installed base is less important than net profits. The only reason Dell isn't hurting as much as other PC makers is because they aren't chained to any retail business model, they are mainly a web store, their retail sales are a side show. A loss in hardware sales and added support costs of supporting third party hardware may mean that they'll have to sell 10 individual copies of OS X for every lost hardware sale to make the same money. As long as Apple is raking in the money, there's no need to address the concerns of the budget-minded, that would be a serious business mistake. Not understanding how to operate a business seems to be a common theme among a lot of tech geeks - that might help explain part of why so many small PC retailers die premature deaths. The idea that you want Apple to compete against other companies also selling Apple's product is also ludicrous. Why would anyone want to compete against themselves? I think that's evidence in itself that the complainers are either crazy or aren't thinking things through.

Curious that you say that. I thought that the thread was all about how this new, thin Dell would compete with the MBA.

Dell doesn't make all bad machines. Some of their lower end "cheap" computers are just that.. cheap, and kind of crappy, but that doesn't speak for everything. Many of their machines are made very well, and are awesome machines. The "Dell sucks!!" mentality many places is just as bad as the "Macs use 1 mouse button, and is only for for graphics design" crap spread around most places too.

Given their average sale price, most of Dell's sales are to the low end though. Mac fans don't pay any attention to the more expensive Dells except when they want to show that the Mac equivalent is cheaper for the same feature set.

I've never had to deal with a high-end Dell, though I own some Compaq & DEC workstations and Compaq business notebooks, which are all pretty nice machines, at least the ones that I have.

With regards to the removable battery, I think you'll lose that bet. That involves extra thickness, both with case and battery.

It's funny all this talk...
I used Vista for over a year - not a single driver problem.
Now if you had a PC that was 5 years old... Yes, you would run into problems... I believe the same problem would run with the Mac OS!

I am on 10.5.6 and it may seem a bit more stable than Vista (although I never experienced the crashes people said... Mind you I buy new computers, so I didn't run into issues. My friend owns a Mac and he can't upgrade to Mac OS 10.5

Keep in mind folks, that I have been through countless hardware issues with Apple. Now this can happen with any computer - Mac or Windows, but the most hardware issues have been with Apple... Take it for what its worth - burnt pixels out of box, gradient displays and loud annoying hums from the fans. And yes PCs are noisy, but when the Mac is virtually silent and you hear these annoying hum noises... it can be hell in a quiet room... Google it...
"iMac gradient display issues" or "iMac humming noises"

I am not the only one folks...
Apple needs to build a better product if they want to charge a premium for outdated specs. Period.

Now I still like Apple, but I don't think they are that much better than PCs... Sorry. I paid $2300 CDN for my iMac. I expected better than that of a $500 PC.

This is just your opinion, and one that is not held by all. Apple's laptops have been selling very well for quite some time now, so evidently many people are satisfied with their level of value and performance.

As for the high margins, kudos for Apple for being able to pull that off. The most successful companies are those that carefully set their margin targets and stick to them with thoughtful product development and clever engineering.

Just the same way that Microsoft is successful by letting people run Windows on any hardware?

Look at it this way... Apple have made a desirable OS. The only way to get that desirable OS is to buy their overpriced, locked down hardware. There are suckers out there who will fall for this, and gladly let Apple rip them off just to get OSX, which gives Apple the impression that they can continue as they are. On the other hand, there are many thousands more who are slightly wiser than this, and who realise the tactics Apple are using. If Apple want *my* business and *my* money, they are going to have to give *me* the product *I* want, not what they tell me I should have. If they don't, then I will just have to find some other way to use their product, which means they don't get any of my business or any of my money, but I still have the pleasure of using their product .

What I want is a reasonably priced laptop running OSX. Apple fail to provide me with the reasonably priced hardware, so I am also therefore disqualified from running OSX. However, I can easily get around being disqualified from running the OS, which ultimately means Apple gets nothing from me instead of the £70 or so I'd be prepared to pay for their OS.

Michael Dell should shut down Dell and give the money back to its' shareholders.

Macs are PC's. They use the same damn parts. You'd like to think you are getting something special with a mac but it's the same parts found in a million other computers out there.

If the MacBook Air was at all a large seller (I often forget it is a current model) I'd be concerned.

While true, Apple is using A lot of "standard" PC parts, all the boards, and components are still custom designed and fabricated with top of the line components.

Sure, if you think of a computer as no more than a pile of ICs and a display panel. At least Apple doesn't use RealTek ICs and floor-sweepings for memory chips that I'm aware of, among other things.

I spent six years working as a computer technician and I've repaired thousands of Dell computers, old and new, 'high-end' and introductory. They're crap. The XPS machines are certainly better, but they're still built with parts from the highest bidder, and they still have a depressing failure rate. And Dell's customer support is still inbred. At least the XPS towers are somewhat well designed and easy to take apart, though nothing like a Mac Pro. But they're every bit as huge.

There's a good reason why Dell has a terrible reputation among the people who actually build and repair computers. It isn't just a trend with them.


Only true to an extent when you compare very high-end computers. Certain common items like the processor are universal, of course, but even components like RAM tend to be much cheaper and less reliable in your typical HP, Gateway, Dell. Motherboards are often custom-designed for the Apple computers and special capabilities are implemented well. What really sets the two apart, though, is the degree to which Apples are carefully designed and tested. You rarely see the same sort of reliability in another system. Buy your family members home-made computers and you'll start to see the difference here.

Actually, I've owned laptops and desktops from many different manufacturers, and oddly enough even with Dell's craptastic design (at least for budget models), they have been very reliable. My parents have an older XPS desktop from 5 years ago and it is still running perfectly with no issues. My current workhorse laptop is a 17" Inspiron that I've had for 3-4 years or so that I've used for 8+ hours daily, and I've had no problems with it.

It's still all the same. None of these companies make thier own ram. It's all made in foundries. And often times the same brands are made side by side on the same tool sets in the same factory.
Motherboards in laptops are custom designed for pretty much everyone. And these are using generic nvidia chipsets which can be found in other notebooks. So while the layout may be custom the chips on the board are not.

Apple has more issues than Windows PCs? , which is why they always lead in reliability studies, right.

So Apple should help our their competitors in this case Dell by licensing out their OSX to them, the only reason why Microsoft licenses Windows to Dell is because they don't compete with them.

as has been said lower down this thread....

a rip off is a rip off.

If you are happy with that, cool....

millions aren't.

apple devotees don't always tell the truth.

the chief high priest of the church of apple allows no blasphemy.

As Apple's sales continue to rise with machines that cost over $1000. Where is the feel that they are not worth the value/performance?

The prices of components drop as they go from being cutting edge and new to older hardware. They newest components aren't cheap at all.

How do you really know Apple's margins are so much more outrageous than any one else's.

How can we have a productive discussion with that type of attitude.

Translation: "I can steal OS X which ultimately means Apple gets nothing from me instead of the £70 or so I'd be preparted to pay for their OS."

Sorry, but you are contradicting yourself. If you're prepared to pay £70 or so for OS X, then do it.

What the heck do you mean by rip off?

Why do you feel the need to come on this forum and tell us we are getting ripped off? Is it your money we are spending?

Why can't some of you get it through your thick heads that everybody is different and what you find value in is not what someone else finds value in. If you choose to buy your Dell or HP, go ahead, just don't expect everyone else to be doing the same. Millions are also happy to pay Apple's price.

Lame, come up with something else.

You might want to check Apple's comments about the Air... Or just check out Apple's homepage to see its ranking in the top sellers list.

It has sold quite well.

now then hot shot, you need to re-read what I posted...

here's a hint...

If you are happy with that, cool....

yes everyone is different....you've proved that !

I would, but I can't run that on my PC.

That's why they buy Macs instead of PCs!

When I saw the name 'Adamo,' I thought of the Belgian singer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvatore_Adamo


Anyway...

If Dell comes up with a breakthrough design, then I'll all for it. But if their goal is to change the company's image using design, then that would involve a lot more than the occasional 'halo' product.

Honestly, Dell has made noises like this before. It's their way of getting the 'low-hanging fruit' (ie. People who already like the Dell brand and would be easily swayed by a good-looking product.)

Apple's sales have risen on the back of iPod, a stable economy, the bad job MS did with Vista...at least initially and a tremendously clever and 'cool' ad campaign.

even now we speak about Apple and the cult of Mac and this amazing success when in truth they likely have less than 10% marketshare. It won't last unless Apple change.

The opportunity was there and Apple took it fair play to them.

on the margin side...

it has been documented on a thread on here or maybe at MR that Dell operate in the 6-8%range.

Apple computers are in the 30-35% range, iPhone at 55% and ipod in the mid 40's.

Oh really, what are you running on your PC? You've already implied it's OS X. Either I've misunderstood, it's "OS X" coded from the ground up by someone other than Apple, or you're just unwilling to admit to yourself that you're a thief. The option is there for you to pay Apple for OS X, you are not taking that opportunity but using OS X anyway. Shame on you.

it was meant to be tongue in cheek....

but your reply adds validity to it and your laughing mate below!