[ale] stupid pricing games

[Robert L. Harris]

And that's exactly it.  It's a preference to avoid the OSX due to cost.  
Something apple
needs to think about.  At home I've decided wife and kids get Macs (my 
oldest wants
linux though, he might get 2 machines :> ).  All my servers, firewall, 
etc are Linux.
After the call to M$, I've banned windows from the house...

Robert


On 7/1/09 10:48 AM, Jim Kinney wrote:
> 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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>>      
>
>
>
>    

-- 

: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