CNET’s Laptop Prizefight: MacBook Pro vs. Acer TravelMate - News Commentary
CNET's Michelle Thatcher has posted a comprehensive bake-off between an Apple MacBook Pro 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo and an Acer TravelMate 8200 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo.
She reports:
For years, the Mac vs. PC debate has been fueled mostly by subjective ranting; the platforms and the components were so different that it was impossible to compare fundamental characteristics such as performance. But now that Macs are migrating to Intel processors, analyzing Mac hardware versus PC hardware is a bit more like comparing (ahem) apples to apples. To that end, we're pitting the MacBook Pro against a number of PC competitors, stocking the laptops with Core Duo processors and a number of other high-end components and comparing them not only on performance and battery life but on characteristics such as design, features, and price. All to answer one fundamental question: if you configure a PC and a Mac with identical components, which laptop reigns supreme?
The battle is staged in eight rounds, which include:
Round 1: Design
Round 2: Display
Round 3: Features
Round 4: Performance
Round 5: Battery life
Round 6: Software
Round 7: Warranty and support
Round 8: Price
The winner, although not by a knockout, was the Acer TravelMate 8200. Some Apple fans in the feedback commentary have accused CNET of bias. I think not. Based on the criteria of the test, I think I would have accorded the Acer a clearer victory than they did. For instance, they didn't penalize the MacBook Pro for its lack of a modem, which I would have. The Acer won fair and square, and Acer makes some mighty seductive laptops. If the Mac OS would run on them, I would be tempted myself.
However, while the MacBook Pro will now run Windows, the Acer TravelMate can't run OS X, and for me that trumps all of the other criteria and knocks the Acer out of contention before the opening bell as far as I'm concerned.
CNET's article does acknowledge that "The MacBook Pro's strengths clearly lie in aesthetics, from its lightweight, eye-pleasing design to its graphics-friendly display to its elegant operating system," which for me, especially the OS, is the central point.
CM
For the full report visit here:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10442_7-6511774-1.html
Charles W. Moore
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