Mac laptops rated tops again!

[10/12] Consumer Reports November Issue Rates Macs--Notebooks Tops Again!

The November 2006 issue of Consumer Reports (CR) just hit our mail box.
It's the annual electronics issues and computers are rated - again.
Never mind that computers were also in the March, June and September
issues. The way desktops are rated changed with this month's issue to
conform with the way notebooks were rated in the September issue so the
ratings don't compare with the earlier issues.

No matter the changes, Apple's Macs still shine. Here are some
highlights.

Brent...

Actually if you read the article your statement only applies to Mac
laptops. You conviently forgot to mention that the desktops were near
the bottom of their classes. From the article you quoted;

Jim Polaski...

The subject line was about Mac Laptops, no?

Mark Thompson...

you might want to review the Subject Line of this thread.

Hattori Hanzo...

Yeah, CR dinged them for not being great 3D gaming rigs (legit
complaint if that's your bag) and for having poor built in speakers
(lame since the iMac and mini have combo analog/optical audio outputs
and all come with firewire).

Steven de Mena...

Can you plug ina 5.1 or 7.1 speaker system into those andlog/optical
outs? I was under the impression Apple did not support 5.1 or 7.1 in

Hattori Hanzo...

Good question. I'm pretty sure the optical audio output supports 5.1
but you probably need an adapter of some sort. Something like this,
I'm thinkin' :

games. Thats a highly desired feature in gaming rigs.

Mitch...

I think it is that simple, yes.
But of course, people that much into games usually want the wide
selection, so it's moot as a sales point.
I've never found the Mac games selection to be particularly thin.

But you conviniently forgot to mention that Apple was a clear winner in
tech support ratings and for having fewer repair incidents on their
desktop computers. I thought PC makers had closed the quality gap?
Apparently not.

MuahMan...

Can you tell me what hardware parts on the Mac are superior? Are they using
special high end hard drives? Special super Apple RAM? Super Dooper mac

Hattori Hanzo...

Can you tell me what part of "Owners of Apple desktops reported fewer
repair incidents than their PC counterparts in CR's survey" you don't
understand? Can you tell me why Cadillacs are rated higher in initialy
quality surveys over Pontiacs even though they use the exact same
engines and driveline components in some cases?

screens? Please cite references. Thanks.

"Apple desktops didn't fare so well, according to CR. But, we think the
deck was stacked. The Mac mini was included with PC budget models that
have a 160GB hard drive, a DVD burner and stereo speakers. CR footnoted
that the Mac mini had a 60GB hard drive, integrated speakers and a
CD-RW/DVD combo drive and then downgraded its features, speakers, 3D
gaming and expansion. If it didn't meet the basic specs of the
competition, why include it? Likewise, the 17" iMac was compared with
"workhorse" PCs that all have speakers with subwoofers. CR noted that
the iMac had integrated speakers - and then downrated its speaker
performance. It also rated the 17" iMac 3D gaming performance "Good"
while three PCs were rated "Very good." But, we wonder were they were
running the same games? Not likely. CR doesn't say."

These guys didn't mention that CR stated they placed the Mac boxes
against similarly priced offering from other venders. That is why the
mini was in the "budget" and the iMac was in the "workhorse". Bet this
comparision doesn't make it to Snit's webpage.

Snit...

I have not been following this thread... if there is a comparison that meets
the criteria, please let me know. The criteria are:

АаThe comparison has to look at comparable machines (as defined
by the author)
АаThe comparison cannot be CSMA initiated
АаThe author of the comparison has to come to a solid conclusion regarding
prices

If you have such a comparison I will *happily* add it and thank you for your
assistance... no matter what the conclusion the author comes to.

Mitch...

So, in other words, in spite of having different features, different
advantages, and different specs, and being tested with different
programs, the Apples were included just because the price was similar?

That's not enough; especially since the price varies among all of the
entries anyway.
What they should have compared was boxes with similar features and
stuck with that. The price variation is necessarily present, so they
should have ignored it.

It's especially important to ignore price with features like external
speakers; many buyers already have speakers and monitors and favorite
input options, so including a low-quality one isn't a benefit.

Clik for more, you know the drill.