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iMac vs. VAIO Showdown

Posted by pudge on from the but-i-can-lick-my-imac dept.

paradesign writes "Citing both Apple and Sony's intentions to become the hub of the digital lifestyle, Popular Science has pitted an $1,800 800MHz flat-panel iMac up against a $3,400 1.7GHz Sony Vaio PCV-MXS10 to see which really comes out on top. The bottom line is that the Sony PC -- almost twice as expensive as the iMac -- just narrowly edged out the iMac, with an overall score of 42 to 40."

15 of 86 comments (clear)

  1. PCs will be unsaleable in 10 years by T.Hobbes · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why would anyone buy a PC when you can get a mac, with better std equipment, for half the price?! I know all the arguments about TCO being better on pcs than macs, but still.. you're paying twice as much for a flashy OS and trendy case-design. For shame!

  2. Not only... by ivan256 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Not only does the PC cost twice as much in this case, but the iMac will be worth twice as much as the PC when the owners go to resell them for an upgrade.

    1. Re:Not only... by PoiBoy · · Score: 4, Insightful
      What's even more interesting is that they are comparing a top of the line Sony with (arguably) an entry-level iMac.

      They should have compared that overpriced Sony with a PowerMac costing about the same amount of money.

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  3. It depends on the reveiwer by faust2097 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The reviewer in this case put a lot of emphasis on the bundled software than what I'm used to. It's nice that the Sony includes Photoshop Elements, there's no OS X equivalent for that out right now [yes, I know about Graphic Converter].

    And if you're really into expandability, the base-model G4 is cheaper than the iMac. The iMac has never been and probably never will be for people who upgrade anything besides maybe the RAM. Keep in mind that over 90% of all PCs never have a single hardware upgrade in their lifetime.

    1. Re:It depends on the reveiwer by daviddennis · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I have to agree with this; strike out the bundled software and the Mac probably would have won.

      The VAIO has no less than three video editing programs: Microsoft MovieMaker, Sony MovieShaker and Premiere (I think LE). I've never liked Premiere, and MovieMaker is dismal. MovieShaker struck me as the best of the lot, but that only after about ten minutes playing with it in the store.

      None of it was nearly as well done as iMovie, so I think the Mac wins video editing. I would have been interested in their evaluation of that category, which for some reason they didn't print.

      D

  4. Re:Which one can you upgrade? by Wee · · Score: 3, Funny
    How about a G4 then? It outperforms the iMac, and still costs less than the Sony. My colleague just got the new 17" LCD Panel and it is simply awesome.

    What I'd really love is a Cinema Display on a G4. But I don't have the money. I could get the money, but I'd probably have to give up my wife to get it. So I'm going to be be home-building commodity PC hardware for a while I think...

    -B

    --

    Ash and Hickory, straight-grained and true, make excellent bludgeons, dandy for the cudgeling of vegetarians.

  5. Notes... by singularity · · Score: 5, Informative

    One of the Smalldog newsletters had some commentary on the comparison. The latest newsletter has not hit the archives yet, but it did bring up some good points:

    1) He mentions that on the iMac "but sound quality and volume are limited." Of course, the Sony includes seperate speakers. For the price difference you could easily pick up a pair of aftermarket speakers.

    2) He mentions how easy the iMac is to set up (and then complains about the set-up screens), then goes on to comment on the Sony "I think we're going to have some fun with this rig - a thought that helps get me through a 45-minute setup."

    3) The author mentions "Windows XP is much more reliable, and somewhat easier to use, than its predecessors." Well, perhaps. How is it in comparison to Mac OS X, though? I have had my new Mac for over three weeks now and have not had a single crash or kernel panic.

    4) He often comments about the poor included software on the Sony.

    All in all, it is a good review, although I wish he would mention more than a couple of times the drastic price difference and the fact that most short-comings on the iMac could be more than made up by the price difference (i.e. He comments that the included photo manipulation software on the Sony is better than iPhoto for adjusting/cropping/etc. For the price difference, though, you could almost pick up Photoshop for Mac OS X).

    Also, I know that GraphicConverter is included on new G4 machines. It is included on the new iMac?

    [Boycotting the Boycott.]

    --
    - (c) 2018 Hank Zimmerman
    1. Re:Notes... by foobar104 · · Score: 5, Informative

      I have had my new Mac for over three weeks now and have not had a single crash or kernel panic.

      Just to weigh in with my (not entirely on-topic) experience. I've been running OS X on my iMac (G3 400 MHz, 640 MB RAM) since it first went on sale. Don't remember how long ago that was, but it's been a while. The only reason I ever rebooted into OS 9 was to burn CDs and play a couple of games. When 10.1 came out, that ended. I haven't booted OS 9 in forever. I also haven't suffered a single OS crash in forever.

      I did make it kernel panic once. I think I was running 10.0.3 or 10.0.4; can't recall. I unplugged my FireWire CDRW while I had a CDROM in it. The Mac panicked. But that problem was apparently fixed months and months ago.

      Pretty dang stable.

  6. incorrect assumption about privacy by azosx · · Score: 5, Informative
    A Zen-like simplicity to be sure, until I get to the initial software setup routine, and then Big Brother shows up. Turns out that if I don't enter all my personal information into Apple's online registration forms, I'm not going anywhere. Yes, there's a privacy statement, but I don't think I should have to pony up personal info to use a product I've paid for.


    Fortunately this is not entirely true. True, when turning on your new Apple Computer for the first time you will be presented with a registration screen, but luckly by pressing Command + q, you can simply skip the registration process and finish the initial setup without entering any personal information.

    1. Re:incorrect assumption about privacy by daeley · · Score: 5, Funny

      Ah, yes -- the intuitive Apple interface. Command + q is so obvious! Now, where is the "Command" key -- I see "Control" and "Option", but I don't see any "Command"... Ahhh, so intuitive I could just shit.

      When you go to do that, be sure to look for a handle on the toilet. The handle is most likely a metallic or plastic piece about 3-4 inches in length that juts out from the rest of the toilet. It makes a rattling sound when you jiggle it. Once you've located the handle, use the handle.

      You'll hear a 'flushing water' sound -- don't be alarmed, this is normal.

      Once the water sound has stopped, you should probably pull up your pants and, if you have a wife or girlfriend, make sure to put the toilet seat down.

      --
      I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
  7. Re:Which one can you upgrade? by Dephex+Twin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You might be fooling yourself into believing that upgrades = better deal.

    Why not buy a new computer when you want to upgrade?

    First of all, the price difference alone is $1600. So right there you have $1600 going towards a new computer. Couple that with the fact that you could sell the iMac for almost the same price as new (very common with Macs).

    Sounds like an even better deal to me.

    mark

    --

    If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. -- Carl Sagan
  8. With the mac, I can afford accessories! by mobydobius · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Of course, what the article fails to consider is that I can order an iPod, an additional 256MB RAM, and a top of the line Palm for my new iMac, and still stay $400 under the Sony. For someone actually looking to use one of these machines alongside digital toys, that makes a difference.

    --

    "I like to wear big boy pants."
  9. doesn't affect me by tps12 · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is of no use to me, as I never consider buying a computer unless it is at least 45 points.

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    Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
    1. Re:doesn't affect me by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 3, Funny
      I never consider buying a computer unless it is at least 45 points.

      45 points is a ripoff. I could build my own with off the shelf parts for 38 points tops.

  10. $3400? by Space+Coyote · · Score: 3, Insightful

    For the amount of money they spent on the Vaio, they could have bought themselves quite a nice piece of G4 Tower goodness. The Vaio wouldn't stand a chance in that showdown :)

    --
    ___
    Cogito cogito, ergo cogito sum.