home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
- Path: sparky!uunet!usc!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!ames!nsisrv!smoon@strfleet.gsfc.nasa.gov
- From: smoon@strfleet.gsfc.nasa.gov (Sang J. Moon)
- Subject: Re: Macs cost too much (NOT!)
- Message-ID: <1992Aug13.150734.18531@nsisrv.gsfc.nasa.gov>
- Sender: usenet@nsisrv.gsfc.nasa.gov (Usenet)
- Nntp-Posting-Host: dschonvachler.gsfc.nasa.gov
- Organization: NASA GSFC Code 534.3
- References: <BsKtBA.A@news.cso.uiuc.edu> <14973@claris.com> <STRANGE.92Aug11100636@hang.dec.com> <1992Aug11.234015.2689@CS.ORST.EDU> <14996@claris.com>
- Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 15:07:34 GMT
- Lines: 56
-
- In article <14996@claris.com>, mike_steiner@qm.claris.com (Mike Steiner) writes:
- >
- > In article <1992Aug11.234015.2689@CS.ORST.EDU>, pricec@prism.CS.ORST.EDU (price carl wayne) writes:
- > >
- > >
- > > > > Now, it's very clear that PC type computers outsell Macs (about
- > > > > 3 to 1 if you believe the industry statistics). If technical
- > > > > superiority isn't the issue (which means we don't even have
- > > > > to argue over whether the Mac IS technologically superior or not),
- > > > > then I contend that price is the driving force. The vast
- > > > > majority of consumers seem to vote for the PC. So my conclusion
- > > > > is that, overall, the PC must be cheaper.
- > >
- > > > Initially, some PCs are cheaper. Most people don't look beyond
- > > > the initial price and fail to take into account the long-term
- > > > costs of operation.
- > >
- > > Out of curiosity, what exactlly are these long-term costs that are so much
- > > higher on a PC than the Mac? I use both and can't think of any.
- >
- > Training and support. Financial reports from major corporations show that
- > within two or three years, the extra costs in training and supporting people
- > for DOS machines costs far more than the savings realized in the initial
- > purchase.
-
- At least with the state and federal agencies I've worked with, maintenance
- is handled with companies so that a fee is paid ahead of time. This fee
- covers all labor and hardware required for any product. The fee differs
- between different companies, but there seems to be no distiction in cost
- between servicing Mac or PC products. Training is usually handled
- in-house by someone whose job is to do training either for the mac or the
- PC. From my experience, training and support costs are not significantly
- different between the PC or the Mac. I've had to service PCs and Macs
- and train people on both machines, and I have encountered more than my
- share of problems on either machine. The reason I like the Mac better is
- because it had a nicer user interface, but it's not perfect and I can
- live with the CLI that Unix and PC machine have. Windows was inferior to
- the Mac OS when it came out, but using Windows 3.1 on a 386-40 may impress
- many mac users if they gave it a chance. Windows NT isn't far behind, and
- if it lives up to its hype, Macs may lose more of their market if prices
- don't go down dramatically. Many people have pressed the issue that it
- is harder to handle hardware on PCs than on Macs. This is true, but in
- most cases it is not too much a problem. Of course, I have supported PCs
- and Macs most of my life, so I can handle most problems that occur on
- either machine. For the totally new user or someone who has only worked
- with the software aspect of the computer, buying a Macintosh for themselves
- is probably more cost-effective in the short-run. But in the long run,
- a user learns all about their machine and encounters and overcome problems
- which take up significant time on either a Mac or a PC. At least, this is
- true from my 10+ years of computing. The initial investment needed for a
- mac is definitely much higher than a pc, but in the long run, the cost in
- time, software, and hardware for corresponding systems is pretty much the
- same.
-
- Sang J. Moon
-
-