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

	DATES CONFIGURED: 11/01/02 - 11/06/02 Must Include: 12.1"+ Display, CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive Note: Read the AAPLTalk System Shootout FAQ before procededing!!! 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

Toshiba

BOLD

= Best of Field

iBook Combo Drive

Inspirion 2650

Presario 910us

Solo 1450SE

VAIO PCG-FXA63

Satellite 1410-S174

Dimensions:

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

202 cubic in.
1.4"x 12.9"x 10.8"

209 cubic in.
1.5"x 12.8"x 10.6"

210 cubic in.
12.6" x 10.4" x 1.6"

188 cubic in.
1.4"x12.8"x10.5"

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

Weight:
(all bays filled)

4.9 lbs

7.5 lbs

6.5 lbs

6.2 lbs

7.1 lbs.

7.8 lbs.

Battery Life:

5 hrs.

2-3 hrs.

Unknown;
assuming 2.5 hrs

1-3 hrs.

2.5 hrs.

Processor:
Rating Notes

900 MHz P4
800 MHz
PowerPC G3

1.8 GHz P4
1.8 GHz
M Pentium 4

1.8 GHz P4
1.35 GHz
AMD Athlon XP 1500+

950 MHz P4
1.33 GHz
Intel Celeron

1.8 GHz P4
1.4 GHz
AMD Athlon XP 1600+

1.3 GHz P4
1.8 GHz
Intel Celeron

L1 Cache:

64k

32k

128k

32k

128k

32k

L2 Cache:

512K on-chip

256K on-chip

128K on-chip

256K on-chip

256k on-chip

L3 Cache:

Memory Type:

SDRAM PC100

SDRAM PC133

DDR PC2100

SDRAM PC133

DDR PC2100

DDR PC1600

Frontside Bus:

100 MHz

400 MHz

200 MHz

133 MHz

200 MHz

266 MHz

Memory Amount:

128 MB (1 DIMM)

256 MB (2 DIMM)

256 MB (1 DIMM)

256 MB (1 x 256)

Max RAM:

640 MB (1+1 open)

512 MB (1+1 open)

384 MB (2 slots)

512 MB (2 slots)

Hard Drive Capacity:

30 GB

20 GB

30 GB

Hard Drive Speed:

Ultra ATA 66

Ultra ATA 100

Ultra DMA 100

Ultra ATA 100

Ultra ATA 66

Hard Drive Speed:

4200 rpm

CD-Rom:

24x CD

CD-RW:

16x8x CD-RW

24x10x CD-RW

(?x?x CD-RW)

8x8x CD-RW

16x10x CD-RW

?x?x CD-RW

DVD-Rom:

8x DVD

?x DVD

DVD-/+RW:

Floppy Drive:

Yes

Zip/Other Drive:

Memory stick slot

PC Card Slot?

802.11b Card Slot

Yes

Type of Bays:

Fixed

Swappable

Fixed

USB Ports:

Firewire Ports:

Legacy Ports:

1 Par; 1 PS/2

1 Par; 1 Ser.

1 Par.

Graphics Card:
Rating Notes

ATI Mobility
Radeon 7500

nVidia
GeForce2Go

ATI Mobility Radeon

Intel 3D AGP

ATI Rage Mobility

nVidia
GeForce4 420 Go

Video RAM:

32 MB

16 MB DDR

16 MB (shared)

8 MB

16 MB

VGA Out:

Yes

S-Video Out:

Yes

Composite Out:

Yes

DVI Out:

Display:

12.1" TFT XGA

14.1" TFT XGA

15" TFT XGA

Max. display resolution:

1024x768

Microphone/
Audio In:

Built-in microphone
Digital audio-ready

Line-in port
Digital audio-ready

Headphone
& Speaker Jacks:

Yes
Digital Audio-ready

Stereo Speakers:

Yes

10/100 Ethernet:

Yes

Gigabit Ethernet:

56k Internal Modem:

Yes

802.11b Wi-Fi Card?

802.11b Antennae?

Yes (internal)

Bluetooth Wireless?

Hardware Extras Included:

HP DeskJet 3820

Spare power adapter

Included OS:

Mac OS X 10.2;
Mac OS 9.2;
BSD Unix;
Apache Web Server

Windows XP Home Edition

DOS/Windows Support:

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

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

Mac OS Support:

Mac OS 8,9,X (Native)

Mac OS 8 (via emulation)

Linux OS Support:

Various flavors (native)

UNIX OS Support:

Various flavors (native)

Java 2 Support:

Native

(Must be downloaded)

Zero-Config
Networking:

Rendezvous

Word Processor Included:

AppleWorks 6.2
(Word compatible)

MSFT Word XP

MSFT Works 6.0

MSFT Word XP

WordPerfect 10
(Word compatible)

Save-as PDF:

Native (any file)

(requires 3rd-party app.)

Spreadsheet Software Included:

AppleWorks 6.2
(Excel compatible)

MSFT Works 6.0

MSFT Excel XP

Quattro Pro 10
(Excel compatible)

Presentation Software Included:

AppleWorks 6.2

Corel Presentations
(PwrPt. compatible)

Database Software Included:

AppleWorks 6.2

MSFT Works 6.0

Drawing/Painting Software Included:

AppleWorks 6.2

Handwriting Recognition:

Inkwell

Calendar/PIM Software Included:

Address Book/
iCal / iSync

MSFT Works 6.0

MSFT Outlook XP

CorelCentral 10

Planning/Project Software Included:

MSFT Publisher XP

Web Browser Included:

Internet Explorer 5.2

Internet Explorer 6

E-Mail/Address Book Included:

OS X Mail/
Address Book

Outlook Express 6

MSFT Outlook XP

CorelCentral 10

Outlook Express 6

Media Player Included:

Quicktime 6
DVD Player
Media Player 7 avail.
RealOne Player avail.

Media Player 8; DVD Player
Quicktime 6 avail.; RealOne Player avail.

Financial Software Included:

Quicken 2003 Deluxe

Money 2002

Money 2001

Quicken New Users

Quicken 2002

Quicken Basic 2001

Reference Software Included:

World Book OS X

Encarta 2002
Streets & Trips

Encarta 2000

Digital Photo Management:

iPhoto 1.1; PixelNhance

Image Expert 2002
PictureIt! 2002

Digital Print
Smart Capture

Digital Video Editing:

iMovie 2

MovieMaker 2

PicoPlayer
MovieShaker
DV Gate

MovieMaker 2

Music Software/
CD Burning Software:

iTunes 3
Disc Burner

MusicMatch 6.0
Direct CD

Unknown (?)

SonicStage
ScreenBlast ACID
SoundForge

Unknown (?)

Games Included:

Chess
Otto Matic
Deimos Rising

Mine Sweeper, Asstd. classic games

Additional Software Included

FaxSTF
Palm Desktop
Asstd. system software

Asstd. system software

Asstd. system software
"2 software titles (?)"

Free ISP/
Other Services

1 month EarthLink

6 months Earthlink

1 year AOL

3 Months AOL

Virus Susceptibility/
Security Issues

45 known viruses

50,000+ known viruses

50,000+ viruses
Norton AntiVirus

Built-in Firewall?

Yes

Warranty:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Quality of Products & Service:
Consumer Affairs

"Good Guys"

"Rogues Gallery"

"Poor"

Navigation?

Easy

Poor

Customization Allowed?

Some

Full

Some

Full

Almost None

None

Subotal:
(includes rebates, add-ons, etc.)

$1,299

$1,267

$1,250

$1,252

$1,300

$1,309

+ Ground Shipping:

No Charge

$45

$50

$49

No Charge

$10

Total Price
as configured:

$1,299
tax not included

$1,312
tax not included

$1,300
tax not included

$1301
tax not included

$1,300
tax not included

$1,319
tax not included

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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