Dell’s newly released laptop, the Inspiron 8500, is being touted as a breakthrough. Well, maybe for PCs! Here’s an except from the CNET review:
Dell should bundle a big supply of popcorn with its new Inspiron 8500 series because the laptop’s awesome 15.4-inch, wide-aspect display will have you watching DVD movies all night. This completely redesigned desktop replacement has plenty more in store as well, including the fastest mobile Pentium 4-M CPUs; integrated dual-band antennae for 802.11b and 802.11g wireless; and sizzling performance. All of these features are wrapped in a silver case that you can customize with QuickSnap lid covers in a variety of colors.
Wow! a 15 inch wide-aspect screen in a laptop? What an innovation! Built-in wireless? Who’d have imagined such a thing?
Maybe Apple? The ones who brought out a lighter, longer-battery life, inch-thin, gigabit Ethernet, CD-slot-loading, widescreen, stylish 15″ laptop years ago? The ones who now are releasing a 17″ version? It seems that the reason Dell is profitable is that they let others take all the risk of innovation, then years later, they create a cheap knock-off. This thing looks like a snap-together model and has 8 big screws on the face of the screen. It weighs in at 7 pounds (the PB is 4.6 pounds), is 50% thicker than the PowerBook (the PowerBook is 1.1″ thick”, and measures 10.9″ deep and 14.2″ wide. It’s as DEEP as the PowerBook is WIDE! (8.6″ deep, 10.9″ wide). Better get a suitcase to carry this thing in.
Dude, you’re getting a piece of crap!
[You know, despite all my lefty rants on this blog, it’s the computer-related entries that seem to get comments. The PC war is obviously more worthy of discourse. Maybe we should find out what computers our leaders are using. I’m sorry to say that I have heard many times that Mr. Bush uses a Mac in the White House. I have a feeling he thinks “it’s purty.”]
You’re wrong.
What is the deal with anti-Mac people always posting anonymously? C’mon, have some cojones.
$3000+ pricetag?! There is only one Apple laptop that sells for more than $3,000 – the $3,299 17″ PowerBook with DVD writer, 802.11g, gigabit ethernet, bluetooth, etc. etc. etc. Try finding those features on a PC laptop under 7 pounds and under that price.
Yes, Apple also sells a $3,799 tower with gobs of stuff built in; but these are the exception for those with lots of cash to burn. (And if you have that kind of cash, try the $8,248 XServe ultimate configuration.) But I’m sure you could get a Dell server for an inflated price, too.
I understand that people think Macs are expensive – and some of them are. But if you outfit a PC with all the items that are standard on a Mac I think you’ll find the cost comparable. Unless, of course, you’re buying a no-name piece of crap. Bottom line, you get what you pay for. An expensive Mac from 6 years ago still works well, while a 6 year old PC is generally sitting in a landfill.
Hmm. Maybe that explains one of Apple’s problems – if only they’d build cheaper, less reliable computers, people would buy more of them to replace old ones… there area huge number of old, outdated Macs still being used out there.
Granted Apple makes a slicker computer…if you can choke down the $3000+ pricetag. And the big screen IS a first for the PC laptop industry (except for that VPR Matrix piece of crap). I’d buy one in a second if they’d slim it down just a bit. I’ve always had good luck with Dells, and my line of work isn’t conducive to using a Mac…and I still can’t stand the OS anyway.
My statement: Apple is the best. Why cloud things with facts when nobody reads them anyway. Opinions seem to be the only things that matter in arguments now….. But now, this coming from a System Administrator (myself, although it is a small collection of 15 computers that i administrate… and a bunch more that other grad students break and come begging me for help with) I find Apple the least hassle. I deal with Sun stations running Solaris, Dells and Gateways running Windoze NT, 2000, XP, a couple of Linux servers… and yet.. I use an Apple. And i’m no “graphic artist” or publisher or other pigeonholed user… I’m an Engineer. Why do i use an Apple? because i want a computer that doesn’t take up all my time fixing and maintaining. I want one that works, dammit. and only my Apple does that. Granted, I am forced to use the Solaris computational servers every now and again, but only because those lazy bastards that write the software programs won’t code a version for Mac…. and the stupid this is… OS X is unix based, and they have 4 other unix versions…. (Solaris, Irix, HP-UX, Linux) all of which are x-windows capable and can take advantage of X11 or native opengl….. and one more reason why macs rule (as if their “purdy” looks weren’t enough) all those annoying, hard drive crashing, network clogging email viruses just don’t seem to affect me…. in fact.. i sit back and laugh when the “kids” come crawling to my office begging for my wisdom to help them retrieve a thesis forever deleted by one of those annoying viruses… of course, they have never heard of the concept of a backup copy….
oh.. and idisk is pointless… as is the backup utility from .mac since it only lets you “backup” to idisk (100 megs worth) or cd/dvd… what about those of us who back up daily and don’t want to sit around and burn cd’s every night… that’s why i have a samba file server dammit…
anyway… you forgot to mention that “you can customize with QuickSnap lid covers” was also available on Apple Powerbooks pre-1995…… a little late again for Mr. Dell?