From: borders@ms.uky.edu (Johnny Borders)
Subject: Re: NeXt vs Apple -- a couple comments (rtf)
Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 05:20:51 GMT
Organization: University Of Kentucky, Dept. of Math Sciences

reynolds@rightbrain.com (Jack Reynolds) writes:

>OK, here is the price comparison for a Quadra and a NeXT Dimension.   
>I had to use quite a bit of third party stuff on the Macintosh side.   
>The Quadra configuration also includes the software to make the  
>machine networkable with both other macs and with fax and data modems  
>(something we take for granted on the NeXT).

>Macintosh Quadra 950
>Apple list price

>Part Number	Item					Price

>M6720LL/A	Quadra 950 8/230				 
>$8,499.00
>	Includes 1.4 floppy, internal 230 meg Hard Drive, 8MB Ram,  
>1meg V-Ram

>M5952ll/A (2) 	Macintosh Memory expansion			 
>$598.00
>	4 1 MB Ram Simms  $299.00 per set (2 sets = 8 MB)

Like anyone would really be so stupid as to pay this much for memory.
Let's modify this to the market going rate of $35 per megabyte, giving
a CREDIT on the Mac side of ~$360.
>M5812LL/A	Macintosh 21" color Display			 
>$4,599.00
>	8 Bit color with 1 meg V-Ram on Quadra, 16 bit color with 2  
>meg V-Ram

There are much better monitors (by SuperMac, for instance) that go for about
$2000 less then the Apple 21" display. Total credit is now $2360.

>		SuperMac Thunder board (24 bit)			 
>$3,499.00

This is a top of the line board that will fly past a NeXTdimension. For
equal performance, you can get as good for $2000, or have a card with
similar performance and video in/out (and other goodies) capabilities. Some
integrated boards have good audio, too. Take $500 of that price and drop
the NuVista board. Total credit: $6,460.

>M0312	Apple Extended Keyboard II				 
>$229.00

>		Apple Share 3.0				$995.00

You're talking graphics workstation, not network server (if so, then you're
going to have to beef up the RAM and disk on your NeXT configuration.. need
more disk on the Quadra too). Total credit: $7,455.

>		Friendly Net Cable adapter			 
>$195.00

Are you kidding? APPLE doesn't charge this much for their Ethernet 
transcievers! I got an Asante FriendlyNet transceiever for a (non-educational)
price of $70. Total credit: $7,580.

>		Shiva NetModem 96				 
>$1,699.00

>		Cypress Pro Net Fax				 
>$1,199.00

Where have you been? Supra 14.4kbps send/receive fax modem: $385 with Mac
hardware handshaking cable and Microphone software. Total credit: $10,480.

>		QuickMail					 
>$395.00

>		Dictionary					 
>$125.00

Get Word 5 with dictionary and thesaurus and have a free MS Mail 3.0 client.
Price is similar, and you get a nice word processor with it. :)

>Macintosh Quadra 950,  16/230 , 21" Color Display, Keyboard & Mouse 
>	$25,631.00

Minus Credit of ~$10,480: $15,151.

>Apple LaserWriter  IIG, 300 dpi Printer				 
>$4,599.00
>Tektronics 300 dpi Wax Thermal Transfer Color Printer		 
>	$9,999.00
(it's a phase-change printer, not the traditional 'thermal wax transfer'
type)
>							________
>				
>							$40,229.00
						Credit: $10,480.00

							$29,749.00

>NeXTdimension Cube Turbo 
>NeXT List Price

>Part Number	Item					Price

>N1000A-4760	NeXT Cube Turbo  16MB, 400HD			 
>$9,775.00
>	Includes  2.44 floppy, internal 400MB Hard Drive, 16MB Ram 

>N7014-2833	NeXTdimention Board with i860 and 16MB		 
>$4,995.00

>N4005		MegaPixel 21" Color Display			 
>$3,495.00

>N4004		NeXT Sound Box				$125.00

>N8504-4806	NeXT Starting Point Kit			$225.00
>	Includes NeXT Keyboard and Mouse

>		Zytell Modem (14.4 fax, 14.4 modem)		 
>$399.00

>		NxFax (switching software)			 
>$125.00

>NeXTdimention Cube Turbo, 16/400,  21" Color Display, Keyboard &  
>Mouse	$19,139.00
>NeXT 400 dpi Laser printer					 
>$1,795.00
>NeXT 360 dpi Color Printer					 
>$3,495.00							 
>	________

>							$24,429.00

>In this example, the NeXTdimension Cube Turbo is over 39% less than  
>the Macintosh.  
12.1% with my rough adjustments. Mind you, that it depends on why you
selected what you did on the Mac side. NetModem and some gold-plated
fax-modem are not necessary items for a workstation.

>With the money you save ($15,800!), you could almost buy 2 more NeXT  
>Color Turbo's with 17" monitors to put on your network.

With the money you save ($5,320) you can buy a good set of software apps on
either platform. You're likely to encounter better (more aggressive) pricing
on the Mac side, and with better offers (free stuff, for instance). 

>It looks like Apple's customers are paying too much.

But THIS Apple customer, by purchasing a number of third-party products,
gets the advantage of being in a highly competitive market, where prices
are frequently slashed by one-third to half in no time after a product
starts shipping, where major updates are frequent and worthwhile (usually),
and where new technology is VERY quick to show its face in a constructive
fashion on the open market. The Macintosh world moves VERY quickly, and the
users are the ones who benefit the most, both application and technology/
solution-wise, but price-wise as well (in the end).
Apple now has a very innovative trend with new Mac models and such, and a
fantastic ability to cut prices and give you more for your money at least
every six months. NeXts last big financial move was to raise the price of
their hardware (particularly with regard to the educational market). What
a shame.. Oh, you forgot to mention that you get a faster machine too.
If nothing else, the I/O is several times faster.
Again, though, I'm sure you had specific reasons for choosing what you did
on the Mac side, and I'd love to hear it.
-- 
*******************************************************************************
* The University of Kentucky is not responsible * AIX: Marketing or lunacy?   *
* for me, by reason of "Bureaucrats Syndrome,"  * "I never used anything by   *
* a crippling form of insanity.                 *  IBM that I liked."         *
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.advocacy