CNBC on 'Apple tax'

Television network CNBC has joined the debate on Microsoft's controversial Apple tax strategy. The network's Silicon Valley bureau chief, Jim Goldman, observes in a recent segment of On the Money that while a PC may often be cheaper than a Mac, Apple tends to include features with its systems that most PC builders leave off, namely apps in the iLife suite such as iTunes, iMovie and iPhoto. Goldman does however make inaccurate statements about the cost of PCs, and the advantages of a Mac.

In terms of "true cost," says Goldman, PC buyers must pay $50 a year for anti-virus software, at least $129 for maintenance -- assuming dependence on Best Buy's Geek Squad -- and between $80 to $104 on "multimedia" software that makes use of a system. The bureau chief also suggests that PC owners must buy separate music and video editing programs at a cost of $100 each, though, in spite of the inclusion of Windows Media Player, Windows Movie Maker and Windows DVD Maker in Windows Vista. PC users can likewise take advantage of freeware such as Winamp.

Goldman also proposes that PC owners must pay $140 for Photoshop, while Mac owners receive the software for free. No version of Photoshop is bundled with any Apple computer, and a new copy of Photoshop Elements 7 is no more than $100 before tax. Many people do not need Photoshop, and in some circumstances, Elements may indeed be free with a PC purchase.

MacBooks are meanwhile said to have "intangible" superiorities over PC notebooks, such as lower weight and as much as four times the battery life. Goldman likewise suggests that MacBooks have faster processors and higher-resolution screens than their PC equivalents, despite the existence of systems like the Dell XPS M1530, which competes with the base-level MacBook yet has a higher-resolution screen, more RAM and a dedicated graphics processor.

by MacNN Staff