The Dell monitor pricing he quotes - $1200 for LCD - is pretty gougey too. Dell hardware is generally bad value unless it's on special offer, a bare-bones system (in which case it'll lack extensibility), or part of a corporate purchase.
My 24'' monitor from Dell is great, it was not very expensive, and it has served me well for years now. I think you generalize too much (also, never buy from the consumer section). My X1 from Dell is also great, I love it much more than my generic MacBook.
True, at Dell you have to catch the right moment. But I suppose there is a system behind it, maybe if it is important one could figure it out (also, always CALL Dell - usually they can give you better prices).
Maybe if you need a monitor right now, it is a problem. But I had another one, and when I heard about the good price, I just upgraded at that moment. Could have been any other moment, too.
It's an accounting trick. Dell needs to sell a certain amount of goods every quarter. Well they price things to move and load any debt onto next quarters books. Eventually you reach a point like today. Dell has so much debt that it eats into future earnings. This reflects in the stock price. Apple's market cap is 160billion dollars, with 35 billion in reserve. Dells cap is 30 billion dollars. Realistically, Apple could buy Dell in cash.
While the deals are great for endusers, they are cutting their own throats to move product. One thing you can't ignore about Apple, they make profit on everything they sell (no loss leaders there). To an investor, that is a good buy.
A little bit? If you spec out a decent system, I mean not bare-bones, and it's not a corporate purchase, you can easily find yourself paying over 100% extra. As I mentioned in my other comment, I bought my Dell monitor at a 40% discount. I wouldn't be surprised to see a $1200 Dell monitor on sale at random intervals for $799.
