Laptop Comparison
Dell vs Apple
There are some major differences in the support that we can provide, and it is important for students to know these differences before they make their decision.
|
Comparing Dells and Macs in the Scranton Laptop program |
||
|
Features |
Dells |
Macs |
|
Warranty length |
3 or 4 yr Warranty plus 3 or 4 yr Complete Care |
1 yr standard, 3 yrs opt |
|
Spare parts on-site |
yes |
no |
|
Special Scranton pricing |
yes |
no (educ discount only) |
|
Loaners |
yes |
no |
|
Accidental damage (drops, spills) |
yes, completely covered |
no, not available |
|
Hardware troubleshooting |
yes |
yes |
|
Software troubleshooting |
yes |
yes |
|
Warranty service performed on-site |
yes |
yes |
Differences?
- No special pricing for Macs - only the standard educational discount
- No spare parts on-site for Macs – Dell parts in stock for quick repairs
Warranty coverage – an important difference
Macs come with a 1 year parts and labor warranty that covers parts that fail. We recommend that it be extended to 3 years through AppleCare. This does not cover accidental damage like drops or spills.
Dells recommended in the laptop program come with a 3 or 4 year Accidental Damage/Complete Care warranty. This covers everything that might happen to your computer other than theft, including damage done by drops and spills.
Why is warranty coverage important?
If you drop your Macbook, or spill a soda/coffee/beverage on it, it is not covered by any warranty. We will need to order replacement parts from Apple or we may need to send your laptop to Apple for repairs. You will be liable for damages and repair charges such as:
- screen/display - $450-600
- hard drive - $70
- logic board - $700
- keyboard - $100
- superdrive - $200
If you drop your Dell Scranton Laptop, or spill a soda on it, it is covered by warranty. We have replacement parts on-site and we can swap them out for no charge and provide a loaner for you while we do it.
Recommendations
- External hard drive - We strongly recommend that Mac and PC users buy an external hard drive and back up all of your important data, including music, documents, and photos on a weekly basis.
