CNBC: PCs need to pay $600 extra to perform as well as Mac
Win a Cooler Master Universal CPU cooler and a Modular Power Supply
Yes you read it correctly. This is what CNBC’s Silicon Valley bureau Chief Jim Goldman, who has covered tech world for CNBC since 2003, had to say in the video embedded below.
Jim Goldman explains the “true cost” of owning a PC. He says that Mac’s higher price includes things that you do not get in a "stripped-down PC".
Here’s a list of things that "you’re also gonna want to buy" according to Jim:
Norton Anti-Virus: $50/year
Multimedia Software: $80-$104
Photoshop: $140
Video Editing: $100
Music Software: $100
Geek Squad Visit: $129
We would politely like to remind Jim, that we have Free Open Source alternatives for those software. A football mom who wants to retouch or edit her son’s weekend pics doesn’t need to buy Photoshop. There are many free alternatives like Paint .NET, GIMP, Irfan View.
If you thought that is it, Jim says that Mac’s have faster chips in them and higher screen resolution.
We will leave the commentary to you knowledgeable readers on Jim and his “true cost” of owning a PC.
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Awesome made-up stat’s and costs–kudos to the researchers that obviously didn’t do any research. Questions are:
What does “multimedia software” mean, and how does it cost a penny? Regarding “music software” that apparently costs a PC user $100, the same free program that comes with Mac’s is also available for PC’s for free–iTunes.
Lastly, Mac’s having “faster chips and higher screen resolutions” is completely fabricated as Mac’s use the same type and speed Intel CPU’s offered with PC’s, and the same screen resolutions as any monitor you can buy/get with a PC.
Those of us who actually understand a few things about computers would like to remind Jim that he needs to come up with real numbers rather than reaching up his rectum for data.
1. There are many free Anti-virus programs out there that have free virus definitions for life included. Avast and AVG are just two.
2. A clarification on “Multimedia Software” would be nice, as I’m pretty sure Video Editing and Music software are both Multimedia applications. More generated numbers used to inflate the price of a Windows based machine.
3. Photoshop. Macs don’t even come with Photoshop included, so once again, your pulling numbers out of your rectum.
4. Video Editing. Windows Movie Maker has been reviewed as better than Final Cut, and is totally free, whereas the single user version of Final Cut is in the neighbourhood of $100.
5. Music Software. Since when did iTunes cost money? and since when was it better than WinAmp and other totally free options, including Windows Media Player?
6. Geek Squad. If you actually need assistance from these people, then you might as well get a Mac. All it takes is some common sense to run a Windows based machine flawlessly.
Conclusion: Jim Goldman has been bought out by Apple, CNBC needs to fix that.
Best regards,
Bluescreen of Death
PS: I use Linux, so I’m not a windows fanboy.
Thanks so much for the great article!