[ale] stupid pricing games

[Jim Kinney]

Good points, Robert. For me, as _I_ am front line support (as well as
tier 2-9, architect, tape monkey, and anything else for making systems
run for the family) I have such a strong preference for free software
over _ANY_ non-free software I can't provide much in the way of
support when the call happens.

Hardware is hardware is hardware.... Some is better than others. I can
run free software on mac hardware now but I can't _buy_ it without the
OSX software and I sure can't build it. So I avoid it.

On Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 10:42 AM, Robert L.
Harris<robert.l.harris at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>  A bit of insight from someone who until recently was buying both for
> work.  The quality of hardware,
> it's ability to just survive day to day abuse,  the Mac will outlive the
> dell.  I've returned more Dells than
> I can count but I've only had 1 Mac issue and that was a bad WD drive.
>
>   On a more important note, I had to call both vendors for support not
> too long ago.  On the Dell, when
> I booted it, it reported the license as 'pirated' even though it was
> legit, little sticker on the back and
> everything.  Microsoft refused to do anything and told me I had to go
> buy a new OS.   Doesn't matter
> if it was brute-forced, mis-detected or whatever, they did not even
> care, I was SOL, no discussion.
>
>   My apple airport extreme, little white box, went offline.  I called
> apple and they informed me the
> support on the device was 80+ days gone.  The next line spoken was from
> the tech on the other side:
> "Do you have another apple product?"  I told them I had a macbook pro
> here.  They checked the serial
> and it was still in support.  They listed my call and the airport under
> the macbook.  While diagnosing I
> accidently hung up on the tech.  He called me back before I could hit
> the redial button.  We spent two
> hours figuring out the firmware had lost it's config (first time I've
> seen this) and resetting it.
>
>   When you,  your wife, child, boss needs something fixed NOW!,  which
> response do you want?
>
> Robert
>
>
> On 7/1/09 8:30 AM, Geoffrey wrote:
>> Pat Regan wrote:
>>
>>> Geoffrey wrote:
>>>
>>>> Well, the dell I'm comparing my Mac with is a top of the line high end
>>>> laptop, so I would have expected it to have a 'top of the line high end'
>>>> display.  The damn thing is like a freaking mirror.
>>>>
>>>>
>>> When I last bought a "high end" laptop the business class Latitude I was
>>> considering buying was significantly cheaper than the closest comparable
>>> Macbook that I could find.  From what I've seen of Apple's current
>>> pricing, this is likely still the case.
>>>
>>
>> I would disagree.  I can compare the purchase of a Mac for my daughter
>> and a Dell for my daughter's boyfriend.  Virtually the same hardware,
>> except the Mac has a larger hard drive.
>>
>> Dell: $1800
>> Mac:  $2100
>>
>> Grant it, there is a $300 difference, but I consider that well worth the
>> difference (in my perceived) hardware quality.
>>
>> Both were purchased on a student discount offering from the two vendors,
>> thus I would expect I'm making a fair comparison.
>>
>> Not to mention that I got a free iTouch with the Mac purchase (another
>> $199 value), which was subsquently given to a very happy nephew for
>> graduation. ;)
>>
>>
>
> --
>
> :wq!
> ====================================================================
> Robert L. Harris                     | GPG Key ID: E344DA3B
>                                          @ x-hkp://pgp.mit.edu
> DISCLAIMER:
>       These are MY OPINIONS             With Dreams To Be A King,
>        ALONE.  I speak for              First One Should Be A Man
>        no-one else.                       - Manowar
>
>
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-- 
-- 
James P. Kinney III
Actively in pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness