By 
As the time is coming around for students across the country to head back to college, many are still deciding on which laptop they should purchase. Last year we compared the Dell XPS M1530 and Apple Macbook Pro 15, which sparked an intense debate. This year, two popular 13-inch models are Apple’s new MacBook Pro 13 and Dell’s new Studio XPS 13. There’s a lot of similarities in terms of hardware between the two, however a different set of features and the included operating system sets them apart. To help you folks decide which machine is right for you, here are two charts provided below. The first compares the Apple and Dell in terms of features with a total score. For the second chart, we picked the base model of the Apple MacBook Pro 13 and then configured the Dell Studio XPS 13 to match the same specs to see how much the price would differ. Take a look and let us know what you think!
Feature Comparison:
Price Comparison:
For the prices, the totals were the cost shown after configuring the machine straight off Apple.com and Dell.com before taxes were calculated in. Both companies are offering free shipping which is a plus. Dell is offering the next generation Operating System, Windows 7, for free. Apple will charge just $9.95 for those who purchased a qualifying computer after June 8th, 2009 to upgrade Snow Leopard. Even with those details set aside, the Studio XPS 13 totals in $273 less than the same configuration for the MacBook Pro 13. Plus if you are willing to shell out more cash, there’s a lot more features Dell seems to offer with their model than Apple does. What are your thoughts on this?
Links: Apple MacBook Pro | Dell Studio XPS
Note: This article was co-written by Sahas Katta and Sharath Shroff
Update: Since publication, we have updated a few elements of the chart and article. These changes include: Apple OS X Snow Leopard Price is $10, not $29 for purchases of MacBook Pros since June 8th, 2009. The screen resolution is WXGA for 16:10 aspect ratio, meaning a 1280×800 resolution, not 1366×768. The Studio XPS also has a multi-touch trackpad, similar to the MacBook Pro.
@john: actually, the dell studio xps has the Intel Core i7 720QM @ 1.60GHz (turbo @ 2.8 GHz) which has a passmark benchmark score of 3241
now apple’s macbook pro has the Intel Core i7 620M…passmark benchmark score of 2741..that’s a dual core compared to dell’s QUAD core. the difference in performance is massive in video/music/photo applications
so basically dell’s laptop CPU is miles better than the apple macbook
just to clarify things
I 100% prefer MBP than others, because i’ve been fed up with windows os !
With that Price difference, i think the MacBook Pro is a much better deal , first for its battery which is very important because this is a LAPTOP, you supposed to be away from home and there is no place to charge the battery.
2nd Point is the security, when using windows you have to pay extra $$ for buying a good Antivirus, that keep charging u through your Use, and even with the AntiVirus you are Not secure 100%. not like the Mac with is the one of the Best OS in Security along with Linux.
3rd point , The Mac itself is much more stable than windows , really for me there is a big difference, i’m a type of user who opens more than 40 pages and Applications together at the same time :D lol, when i try to open 5 programs together on windows it crashes and i lose my data.
4th point The Touch Pad of the Mac is Awesome, really Awesome , helps alot, makes the use of the Mac much more enjoyable and smooth.
i’m not saying that windows is bad, windows is also very nice but for me (personally) i love the mac much more than the windows.
Mina, most of your argument is a straw-man fallacy. Quintessentially this means you are comparing your opponents position and equating it with a similar, but weaker position. In such a case you are not accurately conveying the argument.
(1) Battery life while important does not degrade the SXPS simply because it is shorter. Rather it simply demonstrates the MacBook is superior in this area. Still, by comparison the SXPS was aiming at power over battery-life in a smaller form-factor. Thus, this view is somewhat erroneous to fault it for something it was not even fully attempting.
(2) Part of your straw-man fallacy as well as a mistake on your part. Neither Mac nor PC are secure and I have known *MAC* to get viruses. Secondly, you don’t necessarily have to pay for Anti-Virus as there are plenty of free and fully functional Anti-Virus software out there. You don’t even necessarily need Anti-Virus.
(3) Mac is again not necessarily better or worse then Windows. Both adhere to different standards/strictures. Windows allows for more customization and user-freedom. Mac’s are a more closed system, although, I guarantee if you start “messing” around with your Mac like a Windows it can very easily become unstable.
(4) While I would concur a Mac’s Touchpad is of excellent accord I would point out it is still second in comparison to a fully functional mouse, which can easily be equipped pretty much to any laptop computer.
(5) Excellent point! It *IS* a matter of opinion in the end and what best suits you.
Actually, I beg to differ.
Dell actually has great customer service. When I lost my laptop, and someone attempted to wipe all data, Dell had great customer service. Also note that Dell has great security. The person could not wipe the data, for there was the BIOS password, and the HDD password. And Dell also had the tracker, so if someone did steal it (and they did), they could track where your computer was at. They all did this in less than an hour. Dell is actually very great, and the Studio XPS is great quality.
I believe that some apple users are devoted to MAC just because it well, is Apple. but when the stats are infront of you, and what’s popular and brand aside, it is undeniable that Dell comes out as a better laptop that offers more for less with customer service than the MacBook Pro.
Erm… just so the reviewer knows… the macbook you’re talking about costs 1200$… not 1500$…