Analyst: New iMacs offer more value than competition

Yes, you read the headline correctly. AppleInsider has reported that analyst firm Oppenheimer & Co. stated that Apple's newly refreshed iMac product line offers more value for money than its competitors. How exactly does it reason this? Read on.

Analyst from the firm Yair Reiner has complimented Apple on its recent update, as well as its continued efforts to make its products more environmentally friendly. "While the much anticipated update did not break new ground in terms of form factor (as we had hoped), the extent of the hardware improvements is a positive surprise," said Reiner, but he hopes that the refresh will bring new life to Apple's business and consumer product line sales. This is all well and good, but just how exactly do the new iMacs bring more value? Have a look at these charts below.

The above image shows Apple's low end iMac compared to Dell's XPS One 20 and HP's TouchSmart IQ500t.

The above image shows Apple's mid-range iMac compared to Dell's XPS One 24 and HP's TouchSmart IQ800t.

These images show some interesting comparisons in the mid-range line of products. However, there is one issue I have to address. Firstly, let me state that I use both Apple and Microsoft products on a daily basis, as well as Dell computers and an HP laptop, so I am in no way biased, but there's something bugging me about the images. I find it extremely unfair that the analyst firm chooses to include 'iLife' as a relative advantage, when it is not available on the Windows platform. It may be a handy piece of software, but I believe that it still shouldn't be included when comparing computers. I'm not sure others will agree with me, so please don't attack me for it, but it's my opinion. According to AppleInsider's article, "Reiner gave kudos to Apple for its iLife digital lifestyle suite, which comes with every new Mac and lacks a strong rival."

So, after hearing what Reiner has to say, and having inspected the charts, what do you think? Do you think the iMac packs more value for your dollars than competitors? Please let us know sensibly in the comments.

Images courtesy of AppleInsider and Yair Reiner of Oppenheimer & Co.