Dell is circling the bowl

[McCartman]

Rapidly declining PC sales and pretty much a complete failure in the mobile market has left Dell with a very bleak future.

finance.yahoo.com/news/Dell-shares-fall-earnings-rb-573865974.html

In 1997 Michael Dell was asked what advice he would give to Steve Jobs, who had just returned to Apple. Dell said "Shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders."

As of market close today, it would take almost 15 Dell companies to equal what Apple is worth.

McCartman's take: The irony is that the value of a Mac to a user is worth about 15 Dell computers! ;D

[cottonberry]

I didn't read the entire article, but I'm sure "the bad economy is to blame." <sarcasm>

Then why are so many of us defecting to the other side, willingly paying the apple tax to have something quality, without bloat/crapware.

I thoroughly researched the xps z series of laptops that Dell has before I got my new mac air. They look like they may be well built. But then all the mediocre to bad reviews that some had posted about them, I said no way.

It's been wonderful so far!

[McCartman]

Feb 22, 2012 9:42:01 GMT -5 cottonberry said:

I didn't read the entire article, but I'm sure "the bad economy is to blame." <sarcasm>

Exactly. In fact, Apple was the only company during the depths of the recession to have steadily increasing sales on computers. When things get tight, it is actually beneficial to companies that produce great quality products - even if the initial cost is more. People want better value and lower cost long term.

[4430]

I started with local computer whizz buying 4 then when he took a job at a local mfg plant overseeing their computers he recommended going Dell .

I've had nothing but good service from Dell I always brought the workstation and have been well pleased.

So educate me why should I look at and buy Apple ?

What Apple would replace the workstation and why would it be better as I know nothing about Apple ?

So tell me layman terms as I'm not a computer whizz by by stretch .
I am looking to replace one of my workstations .

[McCartman]

I still have an old Dell too - kids use it every day. It is going to be 8 yrs old next month. The optical drives no longer work, the monitor is getting wiggy, but that ol' pig just won't die - despite my wishes that it would. However, lots of people are saying their quality has gone to pot since then.

I don't think that is Dell's main problem though. The mobile revolution is going to kill them. iPads are eating into traditional computer sales big time. Dell has tried to enter the mobile sector with its Streak tablet, but they have pretty much chalked them up as a failure.

As for Macs - think of them as the Harley Davidson of computers. They are more "expensive" initially, but retain their value very well. The iMac I am typing this on is over four years old now. I see this same model on Craigslist for about $800. It was considered a mid-range consumer grade system, when I bought it. Compare that to what you can get out of a 4+ yr old mid-range PC. I put "expensive" in quotes above because if you equip a new PC the same as a new Mac, there really isn't that much difference in cost. Every Mac comes with a pile of premium grade software that would take several hundred dollars to equip a PC with. Around 90% of Mac users do not even run anti-virus on their computers. There is very little malware out there for the Mac OS. This past year, there have been a few instances of malware popping up, but Apple responded with a security update and Mac OS now has malware protection built right into the operating system.

You have a few options to replace a Dell workstation. The Mac Mini, the iMac, or the Mac Pro. The Mini is a very small, compact computer with impressive power. You use your existing USB keyboard, mouse, and monitor. It is the cheapest way to get into a Mac. The Mini is what I started out with when I made the switch from Windows. Next in line is the iMac - which is an all-in-one system. The computer components are built right into a flat screen display. You have this "monitor" sitting on your desk and that is it. Power cord goes to that and that is it for wires. Keyboard and mouse that comes with it are both wireless. Makes for a very clean desk and compact since you don't have that large tower case sitting there too. The Mac Pro is closest form-wise to a traditional PC workstation. You have a large case with expansion slots, etc. However, the Mac Pro is EXTREMELY powerful and EXTREMELY expensive. They run multiple processing cores, piles of RAM, etc. That machine is geared toward the professional market - those that are into heavy graphics and video processing. It is not uncommon for Hollywood feature films to be edited on these machines these days. Way more power there than the average consumer really needs.

Here is a link that shows all the different models. You can read up on them and their specs...

www.apple.com/mac/