No Macs for under €1,000

Apple has raised the entry-level price of its desktop computers to €1,020. It means that the cheapest Mac is now over twice the price of the cheapest PC. The price hike is due to the incorporation of Intel dual core chips.

Comments

[Ed Byrne]

Well, there's still the Mac Mini ... BYOKWM but a nonetheless.

[Adrian]

Well, if we're counting BYOKWM machines (ie without monitor or keyboard) the price for an entry-level PC goes down even more, to about €300!
(Am a Mac user, by the way.)

[neonesc]

Well, i think for the sake of 21 euro Apple missed a trick but there you go, if you want a good computer your going to have to pay for it.

My problem is that you seem to indicate there is some sort of comparability between a 500 euro PC and a 1,020 euro iMac. They can be no comparison made in this scenario.

The problem is that Apple don't make cheap computers full stop. If you want a cheap computer don't look here. On the other hand if you want comparative value for your 1,020 euro then look no further.

An iMac – A totally user friendly and powerful operating system that is currently light years ahead of even Vista, the excellent iLife software that comes with the Mac. Oh and the built in video camera, the unsurpassed sleek design, built in Wi-fi capabilites and so on. All part of the purchase price.

What do you get on a PC for under a 1,000 euro? - a shodily built big box with crappy standalone monitor, clunkie keyboard, no software (please, I'm not counting "Internet Explorer") and oh yeah -an outdated potentially virus riddled operating system (Vista included).

If none of this matters to you then buy a sub 1000 euro PC, you'll be very happy with your saving and you can continue to use your computer to send smutty emails to work colleagues and create thrilling excel spreadsheets.

Yes, I'm ANOTHER smug Mac user but if we're all so unbearably smug then there must be something to these Macs don't you think?

[Adrian]

Good points, Neonesc, but can't agree with you on the design -- I still say that the new iMac looks like a Tesco check-out monitor. I have the older G4 model (17 inch Superdrive), the one with the rotating screen on the demi-dome base. Best-looking computer of all time.

[neonesc]

Thanks, I hadn't expected such a moderated response to my knee-jerk reactionary posting.

Well, it's a matter of personal taste maybe. But I can see where your coming from. I do think the design of the new iMacs is the way forward but they're maybe not quite there yet.

Although they are amazingly thin considering the consumer tech available at the moment, I think they have a few more centimetres to lose in depth before they are as perfectly proportioned at the previous iMac G4 design.