The Mac Observer: AAPLTalk System Shootouts - US$1,300 Laptop System Shootout

DATES CONFIGURED: 4/22/03
Must Include: 12.1"+ Display, CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive

Note: Read the AAPLTalk System Shootout FAQ before proceeding!!!
All images and logos are copyright to the respective companies listed.

Total must be within $25 of $1,300 INCLUDING SHIPPING!*

Company

Apple

Dell

HP/Compaq

Gateway

Sony
*(slightly over
price limit)

Toshiba

Best of Field

iBook Combo Drive

Inspirion 600M

pavilion ze4365us

400 S

VAIO GRS700

Satellite 1410-S174

Dimensions:

132 cubic in.
11.2" x 9.1" x 1.3"

150 cubic in.
1.2"x 12.4"x 10.1"

218 cubic in.
1.57 x 13.0 x 10.7

Unknown;
assuming 230 cu. in.

234 cubic in.
1.7" x 12.9" x 10.7"

243 cubic in.
12.8"x11.2"x1.7"

Weight:
(all bays filled)

4.9 lbs.

5.3 lbs.

7.3 lbs.

Unknown;
assuming 7.3 lbs.

7.5 lbs.

7.8 lbs.

Battery Life:

up to 5 hrs.

up to 4 hrs.

Unknown;
assuming 2.5 hrs.

up to 3.5 hrs.

2.5 hrs.

Processor:
(Notes)

900 MHz PowerPC G3
1.0 GHz P4

1.3 GHz Pentium M
1.4 GHz P4

1.8 GHz Ath. XP 2200+
2.3 GHz P4

2.0 GHz Pentium 4

1.8 GHz Pentium 4-M
1.4 GHz P4

1.8 GHz Celeron
1.3 GHz P4

L1 Cache:

64k

32k

128k

32k

L2 Cache:

512K

1.0 MB

256K

512K

256k

L3 Cache:

RAM Type:

SDRAM PC100

DDR PC2100

DDR PC1600

Front Side Bus:

100 MHz

400 MHz

266 MHz

400 MHz

266 MHz

RAM Amount:

128 MB (1 DIMM)

384 MB (2 DIMM)

512 MB (2 DIMM)

256 MB (1 DIMM)

256 MB (1 x 256)

Max. RAM:

640 MB (1+1 open)

768 MB (2 slots)

1.0 GB (2 slots)

512 MB (2 slots)

1.0 GB (2 slots)

512 MB (2 slots)

Hard Drive
Capacity:

40 GB

30 GB

40 GB

30 GB

Hard Drive Type:

Ultra ATA 66

Ultra ATA 100

Ultra ATA 100 (?)

Ultra ATA 66

Hard Drive Speed:

4200 RPM

4200 RPM (?)

4200 RPM

CD-ROM:

24x CD

CD-RW:

24x10x CD-RW

8x8x CD-RW

24x10x CD-RW

16x10x CD-RW

?x?x CD-RW

DVD-ROM:

8x DVD

?x DVD

DVD-/+RW:

Floppy Drive:

Yes

Other Drive:

6-in-one card reader

Memory stick slot

PCMCIA Slot?

802.11b Card Slot

Yes

Bay Type:

Fixed

Swappable

Fixed

Swappable

Fixed

USB Ports:

2 USB 1.1

2 USB 2.0

2 USB 1.1

2 USB 2.0

3 USB 1.1

FireWire Ports:

1 port @ 400 Mbps

Legacy Ports:

Legacy-Free

1 Par; 1 Ser.

1 Par; 1 Ser.; 1 PS/2

1 Par

1 Par.

Video Card:

ATI Mobility
Radeon 7500

ATI Mobility
Radeon 9000

ATI Mobility Radeon

ATI Mobility
Radeon 7500

NVIDIA
GeForce4 420 Go

Video RAM:

32 MB DDR

64 MB (shared)

32 MB DDR

16 MB

Dual-Disp. Supp:

Mirroring only

Mirroring only (?)

Mirror & Span

VGA Out:

Yes

DVI Out:

S-Video Out:

Yes

RCA Out:

Yes

Display:

12.1" TFT XGA

14.1" TFT XGA

15" TFT XGA

14.1" TFT XGA

14.0" TFT XGA

15" TFT XGA

Native Res:

1024x768

Audio In:

Built-in microphone

Line-in port

Audio Out:

Speaker/HP Jack
Line out

Speakers:

Stereo

Ethernet:

10/100

10/100/1000

10/100

56k Modem:

Yes

Wi-Fi Card?

optional (802.11b)

Yes (802.11b)

optional (802.11b)

Bluetooth Wireless?

optional (USB)

Hardware Extras

Spare battery

Spare power adapter
Ext. USB Floppy Drive

Included OS:

Mac OS X 10.2;
OS 9.2 DB/Classic;
BSD Unix; Apache

Windows XP Home Edition

DOS/Windows Support:

DOS/98/ME/2000/XP
(via Virtual PC)

DOS/95/98/ME/2000/NT/XP (Native)

Mac Support:

Mac OS 8,9,X (Native)

Mac OS 8 (via emulation)

Linux Support:

Various flavors (native)

UNIX OS Support:

Various flavors (native)

Java 2 Support:

Native

(Must be downloaded)

Zero-Config
Networking:

Rendezvous

Save-as PDF:

Native (any file)

(requires 3rd-party app.)

Handwriting Recognition:

Inkwell

Word Processor

AppleWorks 6.2
(Word compatible)

Word XP

WordPerfect 10
(Word compatible)

Word XP

MS Works 7.0

Spreadsheet:

AppleWorks 6.2
(Excel compatible)

MS Works 6.0

Quattro Pro 10
(Excel compatible)

MS Works 7.0

Presentation:

AppleWorks 6.2

Database:

AppleWorks 6.2

MS Works 6.0

MS Works 7.0

Drawing/Painting:

AppleWorks 6.2

Projects/Planning:

Web Browser

IE 5.2

IE 6

E-Mail/PIM:

OS X Mail
Address Book
iCal, iSync

Outlook Express 6

Media Players:
*free download

QuickTime 6
DVD Player
WMP 7*
RealOne*

Media Player 8
DVD Player
QuickTime 6*; RealOne

Media Player 8, DVD Player
QuickTime 6*; RealOne*

Media Player 8
DVD Player
QuickTime 6*; RealOne

Media Player 8
DVD Player
QuickTime 6*; RealOne*

Financial:

Quicken 2003 Deluxe

Money 2003

Quicken Basic 2001

Reference:

World Book OS X

Encarta
Streets & Trips

Encyclopedia Brittanica

Encarta
Streets & Trips

Encarta

Digital Photos:

iPhoto 2

Image Expert
PictureIt!

HP Photo Toolkit

Picture It!

Photoshop Elements
PictureGear Studio

Digital Video
Editing:

iMovie 3

MovieMaker 2

DVGate
MovieShaker

MovieMaker 2

CD Burning/
Music:

iTunes 4
Disc Burner
Sound Studio

MusicMatch 6.0
Easy CD Creator

Easy CD Creator

SonicStage

Unknown (?)

DVD Burning/
Authoring:

Disc Burner

Sonic MyDVD

Games
Included:

Chess
Otto Matic
Deimos Rising

Mine Sweeper, Asstd. classic games

Age of Empires
Mine Sweeper
Asstd. classic games

Mine Sweeper, Asstd. classic games

Additional
Software:

Asstd. system software

Free Services:

1 month Earthlink

6 months Earthlink

1 year AOL

3 Months AOL

Viruses/
Security:

about 50 known viruses

over 50,000 known viruses

Firewall:

Yes

Warranty:

1 yr. ltd./mail-in
90 days phone

1 yr. ltd./mail-in
1 yr. phone

1 yr. ltd./mail-in
90 day phone

1 yr. ltd./mail-in
1 yr. phone

1 yr. ltd./mail-in
90 days phone

1 yr. ltd./mail-in
1 yr. phone

Consumer
Affairs
Quality Rating:

"Good Guys"

"Rogues Gallery"

"Poor"

Navigation?

Easy

Poor

Customization?

Some

Full

Some

Full

Some

None

Subotal:

$1,299

$1,234

$1,460

$1,299

$1,359*

$1,309

- Rebates if any:

- $150

+ Ground Shipping:

No Charge

$49

n/c

$10

Total Price
as configured:
(tax not included)

$1,299

$1,283

$1,310

$1,299

$1,359*
(allowed)

$1,319

The information above is as accurate as I could make it based on a reasonable time studying the respective companies' Web sites. There is no guarantee that these configurations, prices, and features are the best that one could come up with; assorted bundles, free internet access, free extra memory, and so on can most likely be found for any of the above systems. The point of this chart is to demonstrate that Apple's lineup holds its own against any brand-name computer, even in areas in which it has traditionally had resistance. In short, do not base your purchasing decisions solely on this chart or information. Neither I, nor The Mac Observer will be held responsible or liable for any purchase decisions you make based on this presentation.

Charles Gaba started the AAPLTalk System Shootouts at AAPLTalk.com, and has brought them to TMO. Charles is the creative talent behind Brainwrap Web Design.

AAPLTalk System Shootouts Archives

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