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by Charles Gaba
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Visit Charle Gaba's new System Shootout site for the latest shootouts!
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MODELS from Apples online store |
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iBook CD-ROM
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iBook
Combo Drive |
14" iBook
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12" PowerBook G4
Combo / *SuperDrive |
PowerBook G4
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PowerBook G4
SuperDrive |
17" PowerBook G4
(Mega-portable) |
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$1,000
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$1,300
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$1,500
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$1,600 / $1,800*
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$2,000
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$2,600
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$3,300
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Dimensions:
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132 cubic in. 11.2" x 9.1" x 1.3"
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175 cubic in.
12.7" x 10.2" x 1.4" |
112 cubic in.
10.9" x 8.6" x 1.2" |
127 cubic in. 1.0" x 13.4" x 9.5"
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157 cubic in.
15.4" x 10.2" x 1.0" |
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Weight:
all bays filled |
4.9 lbs.
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5.9 lbs.
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4.6 lbs.
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5.4 lbs.
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6.8 lbs.
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Battery Life:
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5 hrs.
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6 hrs.
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5 hrs.
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4.5 hrs.
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Processor:
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800 MHz PPC G3
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900 MHz PowerPC G3
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867 MHz G4 w/AltiVec
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1.0 GHz G4 w/AltiVec
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Roughly equal to...
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 900 MHz Pent. 4 |
1.0 GHz Pentium 4 |
1.3 GHz Pentium 4 |
1.5 GHz Pentium 4 |
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L1 Cache:
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64k
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L2 Cache:
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512K
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256k
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L3 Cache:
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--
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1 MB DDR
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RAM Type:
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SDRAM PC100
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DDR-SDRAM PC2100
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SDRAM PC133
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DDR-SDRAM
PC2700 |
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Front Side Bus:
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100 MHz
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133 MHz
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167 MHz
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RAM Amount:
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128 MB (1 x 128)
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256 MB (2 DIMM)
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256 MB (1 DIMM)
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512 MB (2 x 256)
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512 MB (1 DIMM)
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Max. RAM:
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640 MB / (1 + 1 slot open)
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1.0 GB / (2 slots)
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Hard Drive
Capacity: |
30 GB
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40 GB
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60 GB
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Hard Drive Type/Speed:
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Ultra ATA 66 / 4200 RPM
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Ultra ATA 100/
4200 RPM |
Ultra ATA 66 / 4200 RPM
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Ultra ATA 100/
4200 RPM |
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CD Drive:
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24x CD-ROM
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24x10x24x CD-RW
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24x10x24x CD-RW
or 8x4x24x CD-RW* |
8x8x24x CD-RW
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8x4x24x CD-RW
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DVD Drive:
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--
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8x DVD
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8x DVD
or 1x1x8x DVD-RW* |
8x DVD
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1x1x8x DVD-RW
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PCMCIA Slot:
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internal 802.11b slot
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internal 802.11g slot
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internal 802.11b slot + 1 PCMCIA slot
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internal 802.11g slot
+ 1 PCMCIA slot |
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USB Ports:
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2
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FireWire Ports:
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1 400 Mbps port
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1 400 Mbps port
1 800 Mbps port |
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Video Card:
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ATI Mobility Radeon 7500
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NVIDIA
GeForce 420 Go |
ATI Mobility Radeon 9000
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NVIDIA
GeForce 440 Go |
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Video RAM:
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32 MB dedicated DDR-SDRAM
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64 MB dedicated DDR-SDRAM
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VGA Out:
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Yes (mirroring only; adapter included)
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Yes (spanning or mirroring; adapter included)
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S-Video Out:
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Yes (optional adapter)
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Yes (adapter included)
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RCA Out:
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Yes (optional adapter)
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Yes (adapter included)
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DVI Out:
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--
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Yes (adapter included)
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Display:
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12.1" TFT XGA
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14.1" TFT XGA
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12.1" TFT XGA
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15.2" TFT XGA (widescreen)
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17" TFT XGA
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Native display resolution:
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1024x768 (0.8 Mpx)
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1280x854 (1.1 Mpx)
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1440x900 (1.3 Mpx)
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Max. External
display resolution: |
1024x768 (0.8 Mpx)
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1600x1200 (1.9 Mpx)
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2048x1536 (3.1 Mpx)
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Microphone/
Audio In: |
Built-in microphone; also digital audio-ready
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Built-in microphone, Line-in port; digital audio-ready
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Headphone
& Speaker Jacks: |
Yes; also digital audio-ready
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Stereo Speakers:
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Yes
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Ethernet:
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Yes
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Gigabit Ethernet:
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--
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Yes
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Modem:
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Yes (56k internal v.92)
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Wi-Fi Network Card?
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optional 802.11b (Airport) card
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optional 802.11g
(Airport Extreme) card |
optional 802.11b
(Airport) card |
built-in 802.11b
(Airport) card |
built-in 802.11g
(Airport Extreme) card |
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Wi-Fi Antennae?
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Integrated (internal)
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Wi-Fi Base Station?
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built-in 802.11b: Base Station
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built-in 802.11g
Base Station |
built-in 802.11b Base Station
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built-in 802.11g
Base Station |
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Bluetooth?
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optional Bluetooth card
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Built-in Bluetooth
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optional Bluetooth card
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Built-in Bluetooth
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Included OS:
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Mac OS X 10.2; Mac OS 9.2 (dual-boot system); BSD Unix (full Unix core under OS X; full Apache Web Server; OS X fully Java 2 compliant); Rendezvous Zero-Config Networking; system-wide save-as-PDF support (any file); system-wide handwriting recognition
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Mac OS X 10.2; Mac OS 9.2 (via Classic Mode); BSD Unix (full Unix core under OS X; full Apache Web Server; OS X fully Java 2 compliant); Rendezvous Zero-Config Networking; system-wide save-as-PDF support (any file); system-wide handwriting recognition | |||||||||||
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DOS/Windows Support:
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DOS/95/98/ME/2000/XP (via Virtual PC)
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Linux Support:
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LinuxPPC, Yellow Dog, Mandrake (Native); Redhat, etc (via Virtual PC)
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Word Processor:
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AppleWorks 6.2 (Word compatible)
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Word X Test Drive
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Spreadsheet:
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AppleWorks 6.2 (Excel compatible)
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Excel X Test Drive
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Presentation:
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AppleWorks 6.2
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MSFT PowerPoint X Test Drive
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Database:
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AppleWorks 6.2
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FileMaker Pro 6 Trial
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Drawing/Painting:
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AppleWorks 6.2
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Art Directors Toolkit; Graphic Converter; OmniGraffle
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Calendar/PIM:
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OS X Address Book; iCal; iSync; MSFT Entourage X Test Drive
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Project/Planning:
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--
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OmniOutliner
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Financial:
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Quicken 2003 Deluxe
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QuickBooks Pro New Users Edition
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Reference:
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World Book 2003 OS X
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--
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Digital
Photography: |
iPhoto 2, PixelNhance
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iPhoto 2; Graphic Converter
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Digital Video
Editing: |
iMovie 3
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CD Burning/
Music: |
iTunes 4; Disk Burner
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DVD Burning/
Authoring: |
Disk Burner
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Disk Burner
and iDVD 3* |
Disk Burner
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iDVD 3, Disk Burner
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Games:
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Chess; Otto Matic; Deimos Rising
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Chess
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Other Software Included:
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QuickTime 6, DVD Player; FaxSTF, Mac OS X Mail, Microsoft IE 5.2; Netscape 4.8; Outlook Express 5; Earthlink; AOL; Acrobat Reader 5.0; Apple Hardware Test CD; iCal; iSync; other assorted additional software bundled w/OS
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QuickTime 6, iChat, DVD Player, Microsoft IE 5.2, Acrobat Reader, FAXstf, Developer Tools, Apple Hardware Test | |||||||||||
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Free Services:
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1 month free Earthlink
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Virus/
Security Issues: |
only 45 known viruses (compared with well over 50,000 for Windows); built-in Firewall; not vulnerable to IIS DDoS attacks
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Warranty:
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1 yr. ltd.; 1 yr. mail-in; 90 days phone
3 year AppleCare Protection Plan available for $249 |
1 yr. ltd.; 1 yr. mail-in; 90 days phone
3 year AppleCare Protection Plan available for $349 |
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Received an exemplary "Good Guys" rating from ConsumerAffairs.com
(other 5 major U.S. PC makers all received negative "Rogues Gallery" rating) |
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Total Price:
(Free Shipping; (tax not included) |
$999
tax not included |
$1,299
tax not included |
$1,499
tax not included |
$1,599 / $1,799*
tax not included |
$1,999
tax not included |
$2,599
tax not included |
$3,299
tax not included |
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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 Back to The Mac Observer For More Mac News! |
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