In the past, whenever I'd buy a laptop it seemed that the
machines I looked at were in the $1,500 to $2,000 range. These
machines were fully-featured, very capable notebooks which were
generally within the realm of up-to-date hardware.
The 12" PowerBook that I had been
using cost me $1,900 with an AirPort card, for example. This
machine had everything anyone could have possibly wanted - except
for a DVD burner, something that I'd wished I'd ordered three years
later. The Toshiba Satellite A25 that I've been using as a
"temporary" computer had a list price of $1,599 when it was new, so
it wasn't exactly a low-end model either.
However, the Toshiba wasn't up to the tasks that I needed to be
doing, giving me problems with burning CDs and connecting to
certain networks. This may have been partly due to Windows XP, as
the wireless network management wasn't the best.
Buying a $1,000 Notebook
Regardless, at the end of last week I found myself looking for a
new low-end computer. My budget: $1,000, and it had to be new,
with a full warranty. I had about two hours to purchase it, due to
the fact that I had to catch a plane.
These days, most of the notebook computers on sale tend to push
the low - end model, so consumers see the $499 price tag, are drawn
in, and then decide that they'd rather go for the $1,299 model with
a DVD burner and better graphics.
I walked into Best Buy at about 1:00 p.m. on Sunday to find a
large display of notebook computers including six different brands:
Gateway, HP, Sony, Toshiba, Acer, and Compaq. I ruled out the
Gateway's due to the simple fact that they looked cheap. HP was
ruled out because the low-end models use AMD processors, which
are not among the best for low power consumption in notebooks. Sony
was ruled out because I've had bad experiences with them. Toshiba,
because I wasn't crazy about my previous one, and the basic model
only came with the basic version of Vista.
This left Acer and Compaq. Compaq machines tend to be very cheap
- under $600 in this case - and even though the price was right,
the features weren't.
Acer It Is
Acer, on the other hand seemed to have the best combination of
price and features. They had two models on display, both under
$1,000. Both featured 15" widescreens, dual-core processors, dual
layer DVD burners, and built-in SD memory card slots. The $749
lower-end model came with a 1.6 GHz processor and an 80 GB hard
drive, and the higher-end model, for $100 more, had the Centrino
chipset as well as a 1.73 GHz processor and a 120 GB hard
drive.
I figured that the added upgrades were worth the price, and
walked out with a new
Acer Aspire 5610-4537. If you thought Apple's model numbers in
the 90s were confusing....
Considering that I won't be keeping the computer for too long, I
figured it wasn't worth complaining about graphics cards and
screens. All of the notebooks at Best Buy had glossy screens, and
all but the highest-end models had the Intel GMA 950 shared RAM
graphics processors found in the MacBook, Mac mini, and entry-level iMac.
Unfortunately, my Acer has both. The benefits of the glossy
screen are that I get to see whether anyone's standing behind me as
I work and that it looks nice when it's not in use. For
practicality, however, I still don't like it. It's terrible for
Photoshop, and if you're in direct sunlight, you'll be lucky if you
can see the screen at all.
The graphics "card" isn't as bad as I initially feared.
Integrated graphics have come a long way, and it's actually usable
with Windows Vista's new Aero Glass feature (I won't get into
comparing Vista and OS X in this article) with no
slowdowns.
Why Not a MacBook?
As you can see, I didn't buy a Mac. For the money, I could have
purchased a refurbished MacBook, which would have had a warranty
just like a new machine.
There are a couple reasons why I didn't feel that this would be
my best option. Firstly, I really felt that a 15" screen was going
to be the most useful for me at the moment, and the MacBook only
has a 13" display. Secondly, I had a matter of hours to get the
computer, and I couldn't wait for Apple to ship me a computer.
The 1.83 GHz MacBook retails for $1,099 (or $949 refurbished),
which was just outside of my budget. While slightly faster than the
Acer, it has a smaller screen, and the base model has no DVD burner
- not to mention that it comes with only 512 MB of RAM and a 60 GB
hard drive.
Configuring to "usable" specs moves the MacBook's cost closer to
$1,500. This is getting close to twice the price of the Acer.
'Cheap' Notebooks
How can Acer make them so cheaply? Firstly, they're not a
completely mainstream brand (though they are gaining in
popularity). Secondly, they share parts through their line of
consumer notebooks. For instance, the same case is used for all of
the models. You can see that there is a Bluetooth switch on the
front, which does nothing, and vents on the side that are blocked
(the vents in the back are the ones is uses).
This machine isn't the absolute latest in terms of technology.
While it does have a large hard drive and a fair bit of RAM, the
processor is the Intel Core Duo, not the newer, cooler running,
more energy efficient Core 2 Duo. But for $900, this doesn't really
matter.
Can Apple learn from this?
Yes, they say they don't like to make "cheap" computers, but
it's unquestionable that it's these "cheap" models that are drawing
consumers in to look at a computer from a particular manufacturer.
Who isn't interested in hearing about a $479 notebook, regardless
of the manufacturer?
Apple did have an entry-level $999
iBook G4 at one point, which worked perfectly with many
people's $1,000 budget. These days, however, the expectation of
features in a given price range is high, and $1,000 can buy a
perfectly decent laptop computer running Windows.
A 'Cheaper' MacBook
While a low-end 15" screen notebook doesn't really make sense
for Apple, since too many people would confuse it with their
higher-end offerings, a low-end 12" notebook might be logical. For
$899, a base model with a 1.73 GHz Core Duo processor, a Combo
drive, and an 80 GB hard drive might make sense.
While the specs aren't quite up to those of the Acer, it keeps
the Mac a premium product while still giving it an accessible
price. And it would have a unique selling point - it's
ultra-portability (one of the great things about the 12" iBook for
students). Subnotebooks typically exist in a much higher price
range and are therefore out of reach for consumers looking for a
low cost notebook. Apple could easily fill this niche and introduce
a machine with a price to entice consumers to its other
computers.
In the meantime, I'm impressed with this Acer, especially for
the price.
