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Date Configured: 2/14/06
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| SPECIAL NOTE: Given the "paradigm-changing" nature of the new Intel Core Duo chip--as well as Apple's switch to these processors--I have decided, for laptops, to only match up Apple's Duo Core models against other systems using the same processor family (or equivalent processors from AMD). However, it is also equally important to match up similar-sized models for an effective comparison (ie, 12-13" vs. other 12-13" models; 14-15" vs.other 14-15" models, and 17" models vs. other 17" models). Unfortunately, so far, there have been very few non-Apple 15" Intel Core Duo laptops announced. Dell has only announced a 17" model so far, which will be matched up against Apple's 17" MacBook pro whenever it is announced. Of the few 15" non-Apple models announced so far, the Acer TravelMate 8200 appears to be the most-appropriate model to compare Apple's 15" MacBook Pro with. However, as the TravelMate 8200 is not yet available for order, there are a few unknown factors regarding exactly what features are included at the $2,000 price point. As such, the following is only a TENTATIVE comparison, and will be modified in the next few weeks as more details on both models are locked down. Please bear this in mind when considering this comparison.
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Best of Field
(in my opinion)
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Apple 15" MacBook Pro
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Acer TravelMate 8200
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Dimensions:
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135 cubic in. 1.0" x 14.1" x 9.6"
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153 cubic in. 1.0" x 14.3" x 10.7"
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Weight: (all bays filled)
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5.6 lbs
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6.6 lbs.
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Battery Life:
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unknown (60-watt-hour li-polymer battery)
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"up to" 3.5 hrs (9 cell li-ion battery)
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Keyboard/Trackpad:
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Scrolling trackpad; Backlit keyboard
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Scroll-button touchpad
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Preventative Safety:
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Sudden Motion Sensor; MagSafe power adapter |
Disk Anti-Shock Protection+
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1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo
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2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo
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L2 Cache:
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2.0 MB
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2.0 MB
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RAM Type:
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DDR2 -SDRAM PC2-5300 (667 MHz)
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DDR2 -SDRAM PC2-5300 (667 MHz)
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Front Side Bus:
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667 MHz
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667 MHz
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RAM Included:
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512 MB (1 DIMM)
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2.0 GB (???) (2 DIMM)
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Max. RAM:
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2.0 GB (2 slots)
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2.0 GB (2 slots)
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Hard Drive Capacity:
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80 GB
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120 GB
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Hard Drive Type:
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Serial ATA/100
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Serial ATA/100
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Hard Drive Speed:
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5400 RPM
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5400 RPM
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CD:
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24x10x24x CD-RW
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24x4x24x CD-RW
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DVD:
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4x4x8x DVD±RW (dual-layer read only)
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8x4x8x DVD±RW (dual-layer read/write)
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Floppy/Other Drive:
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--
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5-in-1 card reader
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PCMCIA Slot?
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1 ExpressCard/34 slot
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1 PCMCIA slot / 1 ExpressCard/34 slot (???)
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Bay Type:
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Fixed
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Modular
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USB Ports:
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2 USB 2.0 ports
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4 USB 2.0 ports
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FireWire Ports:
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1 FireWire port @ 400 Mbps
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1 FireWire port @ 400 Mbps
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Legacy Ports:
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--
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--
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Infrared:
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Yes
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Yes
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Video Card:
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ATI Mobility Radeon X1600
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ATI Mobility Radeon X1600
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Video RAM:
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128 MB GDDR3 dedicated
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256 MB GDDR3 dedicated
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Dual-Disp. Supp:
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Mirroring & Spanning
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Mirroring & Spanning
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VGA Out:
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Yes
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Yes
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DVI Out:
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Yes
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Yes
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S-Video Out:
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via optional adapter
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Yes
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RCA Out:
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via optional adapter
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--
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Display:
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15.4" TFT WXGA (widescreen)
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15.4" TFT WSXGA (widescreen)
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Native Res:
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1440x900 (1.3 Mpx)
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1680 x 1050 (1.8 Mpx)
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Max. External Res:
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2560x1600 (4.1 Mpx)
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1600 x 1200 (1.9 Mpx)
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Audio In:
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Built-in mic; Analog In; Optical Digital Audio In
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Built-in mic; Line-in; USB mic support
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Audio Out:
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Headphone; Analog Out; Optical Digital Audio Out
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Speaker/HP jack/line-out; USB speaker support
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Stereo Speakers:
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Yes (+ integrated subwoofer)
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Yes + integrated subwoofer
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Video Camera:
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integrated iSight full-motion video camera
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integrated OrbiCam full-motion video camera
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Ethernet:
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10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet
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10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet
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56k Modem:
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optional USB modem available
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56k v.92 fax/modem
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Wi-Fi Card:
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Integrated 802.11a/b/g (54 Mbps) card
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Integrated 802.11a/b/g (54 Mbps) card
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Bluetooth Wireless?
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Integrated Bluetooth 2.0 card + EDR (3 Mbps)
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Included Bluetooth 2.0 card + EDR (3 Mbps)
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Hardware Extras
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Apple Remote Control
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--
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Included OS:
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Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger;
BSD Unix; X11 Window System
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Windows XP Professional
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Windows Support:
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optional 3rd-party solution??
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DOS/95/98/ME/2000/NT/XP (Native)
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Mac Support:
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OS X (Native)
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Mac OS 8 only (via emulation)
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Unix/Linux Support:
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Various flavors (Native)
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Realtime Metadata Search/Organization:
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Spotlight (system-wide)
(includes Smart Folders, Content Search, etc)
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(Google desktop search available)
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Modular Desktop Utilities:
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Dashboard (system-wide)
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(Yahoo! Widgits available as free download)
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Task Scripting:
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Automator/AppleScript (system-wide)
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Windows Script Host
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Save-as PDF:
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Native (any file)
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(requires 3rd-party app.)
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Zero-Config Networking:
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Bonjour (system-wide)
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(Bonjour available as free dl)
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Handwriting Recognition
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Inkwell (system-wide)
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--
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Voice/Speech Recog.:
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Voiceover (system-wide)
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(limited to certain non-core apps)
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Web Serving:
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Apache w/Perl, Python & PHP included
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IIS w/.asp included (XP Pro only)
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Data Backup Utility:
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(iBackup, PsyncX, etc. available as free download)
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Included
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Developer Tools:
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Xcode, Script Editor, etc.
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(free download of compiler/linker/diff tools)
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File Compression:
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System-wide Zip compression
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System-wide Zip compression
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File Encryption:
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FileVault encryption
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Per-file encryption (XP Pro only)
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Word Processor
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TextEdit (Word compatible)
or OpenOffice (free download; Word comp.)
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NotePad
or OpenOffice (free download; Word comp.)
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Spreadsheet:
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OpenOffice (free download; Excel comp.)
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OpenOffice (free download; Excel comp.)
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Presentation:
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OpenOffice (free download; PwrPt. comp.)
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OpenOffice (free download; PwrPt. comp.)
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Database:
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--
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--
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Drawing/Painting:
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--
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--
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Page Layout/Publishing:
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Comic Life
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--
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Website Authoring:
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iWeb 1.0
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Font Management:
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FontBook 2.0
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no on-the-fly font enabling/disabling
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Projects/Planning:
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OmniOutliner
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--
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Web Browser:
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Safari RSS 2.0
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Internet Explorer 6.5
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Image/PDF Viewer:
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Preview 3.0
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Image Viewer/Acrobat Reader 6.0
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E-Mail/Address Book:
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OS X Mail / Address Book
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Outlook Express
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Calendar Program:
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iCal 2.0
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--
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Data Synchronization:
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iSync 2.0
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--
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System Data Transfer:
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System Migration Assistant
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Settings Transfer Wizard
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Chat/AV Conferencing:
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iChat AV 3.0
(ICQ, MSN, Yahoo avail. as free downloads)
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Acer Video Conference; Windows Messenger
(ICQ, AOL, Yahoo avail. as free downloads)
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Media Players:
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Front Row; Quicktime 7.0; DVD Player 4.5
(WMP & RealPlayer avail as free dl)
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WMP 10; Cyberlink DVD Player
(QuickTime & RealPlayer available as free dl)
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Financial:
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QuickBooks Pro New Users Edition
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--
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Reference:
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Dictionary/Thesaurus; Sherlock 3.0
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--
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Digital Photography:
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iPhoto 6.0; PhotoBooth; ImageCapture
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Google Picassa free download
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Digital Video Editing:
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iMovie HD 6.0
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MSFT MovieMaker 2
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CD Burning/Music:
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iTunes 6.0; Disc Burner
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XP Disk Burning; OEM NTI CD-Maker
iTunes 6.0 free download
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Audio Engineering:
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GarageBand 3.0
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--
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DVD Burning/Authoring:
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iDVD 6.0; Disk Burner
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XP Disk Burning
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Games Included:
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Chess
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Mine Sweeper, Asstd. classic games
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Total Software Titles Available:
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"Less" (no specific numbers; thousands available)
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"More" (no specific numbers; thousands available)
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Additional Software:
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Asstd. system software
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Free Services:
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1 month .Mac trial
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--
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Viruses/Trojans/Worms:
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None known which affect Mac OS X.
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Firewall:
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Built-in
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Warranty:
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1 yr. ltd./mail-in; 90 days phone
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1 yr. ltd./mail-in; 90 days phone
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Customer Service:
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Subtotal:
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Base system price: $1,999
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Base system price $1,999
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- Rebates if any:
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--
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--
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+ Ground Shipping:
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n/c
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UNKNOWN (varies w/reseller; assuming free)
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Total Price as configured:
(tax not included)
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Note: if actual retail price is more than $1,999, DISREGARD this Shootout completely! |
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