CNBC Can’t Get Mac vs. PC Facts Straight

The Mac vs. PC argument is being stoked by Microsoft’s “Laptop Hunters” commercials and a fresh round of Apple’s “Get a Mac Ads.” Fanboys on both side of the debate are making their cases, but Jim Goldman, CNBC’s silicon valley bureau chief, made some of the most ridiculous pro-Mac arguments I’ve ever heard on TV.

Avram from Laptop Mag picked apart Goldman’s five-minute “On the Money” appearance line by line in this article. If CNBC can’t get some pretty basic computer specs right, why should I trust their financial advice?

Apple has some clear differentiators that make MacBooks stand out for the crowd. I use both MacBooks and PC notebooks on a daily basis and can understand why some users are overjoyed when they get their first MacBook. But instead of providing accurate facts, Goldman just makes stuff up. I’m not entirely sure what his motivation were in making claims that MacBooks have faster processors, 4x better battery life and come with Photoshop, but his errors are so egregious that I feel embarrassed for him.

I don’t mean to pick on Goldman, but someone with his experience and the resources of CNBC at his disposal should be able to steer clear of such missteps. The average consumer can be heavily influenced by such arguments and generally don’t have any reason to question the accuracy of experts that appear on such prominent TV shows.

There’s really no excuse for an esteemed network like CNBC to spread misinformation about Apple, Dell, HP and other notebooks. It’s fine to argue for your preferred operating system, but you might want to do some basic fact checking before going to go on national TV and state the following “facts” (my comments added):

“Photoshop. You get that with Apple, you don’t get that with a PC. A hundred and forty bucks there.” (Apple doesn’t load Photoshop on its MacBooks. I’m not sure which fantasy land Goldman shops in, but a Photoshop license costs $699 . Adobe’s various CS4 suites cost far more than that.)

“If your PC breaks down, Macs tend not to.” (Macs have their fair share of problems. The MacBook Pro I’m typing on right now is a replacement for my previous MacBook Pro, which had three major issues within the first four months of use. Search Apple’s discussion forums or visit MacRumors if you want to wade through countless forum posts about MacBook problems.)

“If your PC breaks down, you’re gonna want to call the Geek Squad” ( PCs come with at least a one year warranty, some come with three-year warranties. He says it’ll cost $129 to diagnose your PC problem as if there’s no alternative)

“The typical Apple laptop is more than a pound lighter than anything you’re going to get on the PC side.” (Sony, HP, Fujistu, Acer, ASUS, MSI, and Dell all make notebooks that are lighter than any MacBook.)

“Mac Battery Life: 4x better.” (Apple is simply not a leader in the battery-life department. Apple rates the MacBook at 5 hours, and the MacBook Pro between 5 and 8 hours. A lot of PCs get have less battery performce, a lot offer comprable battery performance and a lot trounce Apple’s battery claims. There are a host of PCs that can run for between 8 and 14 hours on a single charge.)

“Faster chip” (Apple doesn’t make chips. Companies like Intel do, and they sell their fastest chips in non-Apple computers.)

Tags: Apple Notebooks, CNBC, Mac, Mac vs. PC, Microsoft, pc

Comments

Dodot

Apple is reputed to have excellent post-sales services, but I have a feeling that in reality the quality will vary from place to place. In the Philippines my dad had a pretty unsavory experience with the local Apple partner when it came to servicing his MacBook which at the time was still under warranty. Long story short, he had to exercise all the tools in his Lawyer bag just to have it fixed without being fleeced.

(On the other hand, the kind of service that we have experienced with the local HP support has been nothing short of fantastic.)

The point is Apple is good at marketing its products, and it seems that a lot of people have been willingly blinded by the smoke and mirrors. This isn't Apple's fault of course - they are in the business of selling after all. Consumers should be more critical and less fanboy-ish. Of course it may be unfair to assume that Goldman is representative of Mac Fanboys as a whole - but he is pretty representative of the noisy lot that annoyingly grandstand, Just-Get-A-Mac, style on tech communities, as if all non-Apple computers are created equal.

Mike

Wow these people are ideots. The only possible legit concern is viruses, but that's only because Windows has 85% of the market share. There have been more occasions of Mac viruses that devistate the community as their market share increases. There is nothing latent in MacOS that makes it less susceptible to viruses, it is simply that virus makers don't care about affecting 8% of the computer market.

The other concerns that weren't addressed were that I wonder what he means by "multimedia", "music" and "video" software. Windows has plenty of "multimedia" software and typically most OEMs provide their own multimedia software. What does Mac have that's better? iTunes? Secondly, what is "Music" software? If he means editing software, you have to pay quite a pretty penny on iLife (garage band) or Logic to do anything of the sort. Video software? How about movie maker? Sure its not the best software, but Macs don't come with anything thats any better, you have to buy the software extra.

Also, I work for Geek Squad as a lead technician. Diagnostics cost $69 but if its under MFG warranty, it's typically covered. Apple warranties are the same as OEM PCs out of box (1 year, manufacturer defects). The hardware is the same, and will die eventually (I've seen plenty of Macs come in with dying hard drives). It is only an in-home diagnostic that is $129 and in that case you better expect to pay more anyway.

Finally, faster processor? Take a look at the apple store online. The best processor you can get in a 13.3 inch Macbook is 2.4ghz intel and they don't tell you what the model of processor it is, so I'm guessing its not 45nm. Go to HP's website or Dell's, or an ASUS reseller etc. You can easily get a 13.3 inch computer with 2.66ghz or with some oems, even up to 2.93 ghz 45nm intel processors. You have to pay $2500-$4000 to get a comparable Macbook Pro with that kind of power, and then you are restricted to 15.4 or 17 inch.

There is also the matter of the other hardware. With windows PCs, you can easily get bigger hard drives (up to 500gb or even 2 hard drives vs mac's 320gb limit), better graphics (Macs best option is an nVidia 9600, pcs can even have 2 graphics cards often for cheaper than a macbook pro), Windows pc screens are actually just as good looking and high resolution as macs now, and finally, what about productivity ports? Macs do not have SD/MMC/etc card slots, they don't have HDMI, they only have a proprietary Mac monitor port that you have to spend 30 bucks to get an adapter so it will work on a monitor and you have to spend 100 bucks if you want to connect it to Apple's 30inch monstrousities. How about BlueRay? Sorry, too bad. Not to mention compatibility...

To be fair, Macs are great for a certain audience and the OS is pretty solid. I think macs are great, but I think the average user will be just as well suited with a windows pc. To try to say that Macs are a better value is just plain stupid. People who get Macs know they are paying for a name and an expectation, and that's how it should be. Besides, the more Apple increases their market share, the more anti-virus protection will be necessary.

Mike

Correction, iLife does come free with a macbook but doesn't offer really offer all that more than what comes on a windows computer for free (Windows Media Player, Windows Media Center, Movie Maker (although it kinda sucks)) or what you can get for free online, like Picasa, or the fact that you can get iTunes for free on mac or pc, and the fact that Windows Live offers the same services for free that MobleMe charges $100/year for. Not to mention, the underground Windows software community is much larger than that of MacOS, meaning if you have a need for it, most likely you can find free software for a windows pc that will cost you $30-$300 if you buy it from Apple.

Avram

There's a lot of posturing by "fanboys" on both sides of this issue, but as you say, what is truly disturbing is that computer semi-literate people like my mom, who has used computers every day for 20 years but still needs help doing anything that involves set up or configuration - like installing software, will watch this and believe what they hear because as the "Silicon Valley Bureau Chief" at a national TV network, Goldman is in a position of authority so what he's saying must be true.

Jahmad

Wow, I'm surprised that crap would actually go on the air.
If you slandered that much where I live you'd get barred from broadcasting and charged.

Hopefully he'll get in A LOT of trouble for this so an example is set... and if anyone hasn't noticed, Goldberg plagiarized the BS from a businessweek article.