Apple products are priced too high?

[webeagle12]

Is that a trick question?  "Apple products priced too high?"

[devHead]

Apple products are built very well, there is no doubt about it.  My biggest issue with their pricing model is things like RAM.  You get a Mac Pro with 12 GB of RAM, but another 12 GB costs $200 more.  Where in the universe would you ever pay that for 12 GB of memory?  It shouldn't even cost half that.  Or a 'SuperDrive' - basically a DVD/CD Burner for $150 extra.  There's a piece of hardware you should be able to get for, what, $35?  That's what's ridiculous to me.  Apple knows that a large cross-section of their customers have zero knowledge about the actual cost of hardware (these people don't shop on Newegg or Amazon for such things), and many of them have a lot of money and like the status it gives them to have an Apple product.

[nosense]

there are many factors that go into hardware reliability the the obvious one being how the user looks after them.

Ya, but the common problem with mac is not how users looked after them. It was a flaws in the engineering and design.

[xWhiplash]

Apple products are built very well, there is no doubt about it.  My biggest issue with their pricing model is things like RAM.  You get a Mac Pro with 12 GB of RAM, but another 12 GB costs $200 more.  Where in the universe would you ever pay that for 12 GB of memory?  It shouldn't even cost half that.  Or a 'SuperDrive' - basically a DVD/CD Burner for $150 extra.  There's a piece of hardware you should be able to get for, what, $35?  That's what's ridiculous to me.  Apple knows that a large cross-section of their customers have zero knowledge about the actual cost of hardware (these people don't shop on Newegg or Amazon for such things), and many of them have a lot of money and like the status it gives them to have an Apple product.

 

Why do people keep getting on Apple about this?  I had similar pricing with Dell, HP, Lenovo, ...  It isn't just Apple that charges that amount for RAM.  You have to keep in mind that they usually do not have hundreds of variations in stock, so when you get RAM upgrades, and other upgrades, sometimes they need to change it.

[kozukumi]

I don't know about the MacBooks, but I do know the PowerBook and iMac line was plagued with bad batteries (first battery in mine was recalled, got a replacement and that was recalled as well), extreme overheating (mine would get so hot it would burn my hand), and other problems. Almost every iPhone has also had 'gate' issues. Every one I know that has an iPhone has had the screen crack while no one with a Galaxy has. So I'm not too sure about the "build quality", however, the builds are certainly sleek and aesthetically pleasing.

 

Yeah I am not saying Apple are perfect. They have had their fair share of build problems too. Personally I have found Apple products more reliable than equivalent Dell, Lenovo, etc. products. Even Dell business laptops like the Precision series have a lot of problems with GPU failures, bad batteries, over heating (especially with the quad-core models of late but that is an Intel thing which is true for pretty much every laptop with a quad i7 I have found). You also hear much more about an Apple problem than say a Dell Latitude E6450 problem although I have had many problems with said Latitude.

 

Ya, but the common problem with mac is not how users looked after them. It was a flaws in the engineering and design.

 

I think most users treat their laptops the same. Which is pretty badly. Then they complain something is broken when they dropped it on the floor! One thing I really don't like with newer laptops is how everything is soldered or epoxied into the machine. This sucks so much as a dodgy RAM module means a return of the whole unit and a week or two wait for it to be fixed. Really sucks. One thing I love about Dell/HP/Lenovo business machines over a MacBook Pro is that I can change the RAM, battery, screen, CPU, keyboard, etc. so easily and for pretty cheap. Doing that on a MBP is impossible. Batteries are a real pain in the ass as they can be ruined so quickly. People working from their desk for 8 hours a day yet leaving it plugged in at 100% all the time. Even with newer batteries with charge limits and the ability to run bypassing the battery on main if the battery is charged can still be worn down to 50% within a year then you can stuck with a built in battery. Awful.

Why do people keep getting on Apple about this?  I had similar pricing with Dell, HP, Lenovo, ...  It isn't just Apple that charges that amount for RAM.  You have to keep in mind that they usually do not have hundreds of variations in stock, so when you get RAM upgrades, and other upgrades, sometimes they need to change it.

 

Yeah pretty much all companies do this. They easily charge 100%+ on RAM but they can get away with it because these days you have to buy how much RAM you will ever need on day one as upgrading is impossible.

[123456789A]

I recently tried a new MBP Retina, and found that it didnt match the quality I was used to from Apple...It ran hot, slow, and killed battery fast.  I will say the Retina's do seem to have some sort of performance issue which is why Im looking at a Surface 4 or something this year. 

 

The first MacBook (at the time they were called PowerBooks) that I owned in 2004 was awesome. I knew going in that the G4 processor wouldn't match the performance of a comparable Windows laptop with Intel processor, but the build quality especially for the time was great. It was a silent machine compared to the Dells I had been using with noisy fans that would start every time I launched a browser. Unfortunately, I think Apple's computer quality control took a hit after Apple became the iPhone company they are today.

 

The last MacBook Pro I purchased, a $3000 top of the line 2011 model, also gave me the same feeling as you. It was too hot and ran very slow. Apple told me the temps were normal and would not replace or service the laptop. It eventually died shortly after it was out of warranty. At least I didn't have the battery problems. After that experience, I stopped buying Apple (although I still invest in them because I like to make money). Fortunately, some PC manufacturers have caught on to the concept of elegant design and high res displays so if you pay a bit more, you should get a really nice quality device. But if all you want to spend is $300, prepare to get garbage.

[benthebear]

+1

 

I'm vested in the Apple ecosystem myself and it has served me well for the most part.  The only reason I would use Windows is for Office because Apple versions remains crippled (even with the improved upcoming version).  With that said, Apple did increase the prices outside of the US due to strong dollar which kind of sucks but can't really fault Apple for that.

 

With certain products though, you do need to step back and see if the apple sticker is worth the price.  For example, I don't have an issue buying the airport extreme, but I probably wouldn't buy the Time Capsule.

 

In terms of longevity, it really depends on the kind of user you are and what you need out of your system.  Other than the iPhones that I upgrade every 2 years, rest of the hardware can easily go 3~4 years without replacement (fairly long time in the tech world).

 

Right, you see great value in what they have to offer, so you spend the money and not really think about it. Since I'm moved away from a job that required Access, the Mac version of Office suits my needs. Heck, I prefer to fire up the online version when I'm working between my Windows 8.1 machine and my Surface 2 because the applications I really get any use out of is Word, and OneNote (if you want to count that.)    

 

Hardware wise, you should really get close to 10 years. That's if you take care of it, and you don't run into any faulty hardware. My mother-in-law is using a computer I built in early 2008, that's running Windows 8.1, and soon Windows 10 without issues. My brother-in-law is using an iMac that I bought in early 2009 and running Mavericks I think without issues. I started buying parts for an i5 system that I built for myself in December of 2011, and the thought of upgrading it has not crossed my mind at all. It runs everything as smoothly as it did the day I bought it. It handles any Illustrator or After Effects project I throw at it. My only complaint is that it could render things faster, but the cost per performance isn't really worth it right now.  

 

Apple products are built very well, there is no doubt about it.  My biggest issue with their pricing model is things like RAM.  You get a Mac Pro with 12 GB of RAM, but another 12 GB costs $200 more.  Where in the universe would you ever pay that for 12 GB of memory?  It shouldn't even cost half that.  Or a 'SuperDrive' - basically a DVD/CD Burner for $150 extra.  There's a piece of hardware you should be able to get for, what, $35?  That's what's ridiculous to me.  Apple knows that a large cross-section of their customers have zero knowledge about the actual cost of hardware (these people don't shop on Newegg or Amazon for such things), and many of them have a lot of money and like the status it gives them to have an Apple product.

 

As it's been pointed out to you before, what Apple is charging for RAM is not much different than what the other companies are charging. Also, Apple doesn't offer the Mac Pro in a 24GB of RAM configuration, so they're not charging you $200 for 12GB of additional RAM.  But, for 1866MHz DDR3 ECC RAM, Apple is charging roughly $100 for 4GB. You can compare that to HP, who charges $80 for a 4GB bump with 1600MHz DDR3 RAM, and Dell who also offers 1600MHz DDR3 RAM, but for $100 per 4GB. (Edit: Looked at it wrong. It's $50 per 4GB for 1600)

 

If you're a DIY type person, you can get 1866MHz DDR3 ECC RAM from Newegg and Amazon for around $40 per 4GB, but not everyone knows how to swap out the RAM, what type they need, or where to buy it, so it's just easier to pay the company a, "convienece tax," to take care of all of that for you.  

[nosense]

$400 bucks to upgrade 16 gigs 1833 of ram on a mac pro....

 

Dell 100 bucks for 8 gigs 1600.

vs

Apple 100 bucks for 4 gigs 1866.

[Yogurth]

$400 bucks to upgrade 16 gigs 1833 of ram on a mac pro....

 

Dell 100 bucks for 8 gigs 1600.

vs

Apple 100 bucks for 4 gigs 1866.

 

But hey, You get the Apple customer service...they can stick those modules much better than Dell's service people

[BretBoi]

Apple products are competitively priced if you really dig into the options and featureset and try to match it. A $500-$800 mac mini I think is the best performance to footprint device out there still, and when I was looking at high end laptops the MBP was ahead of the game on battery life, weight, screen resolution, and a touch faster clock speeds with about a +$200 price difference to an equal windows based machine. I can't just take my windows machine to the windows store to fix in a day like I can with my apple device, so it all factors in. I won't even get into the QA issues I had with laptops by companies like HP, Acer, Toshiba, Samsung, etc. and the hassle of shipping laptops off for repair.

[ctebah]

I find most Apple products to be pricey only if you look at the price. Currently the only Apple product I own is the iPhone since I'm perfectly fine with an old Lenovo netbook. I've used my friends MacBooks and iMacs and they're phenomenal but not something I have a use for. Years ago I worked in retail and dealing with most manufacturers when it came to warranties was a nightmare. Apple customer service and warranty is exceptional, definitely one of the best.

[Rigby]

An item is worth whatever people are willing to pay, and people certainly buy Apple products so that is what they're worth.

[Anibal P]

How about this? I you are asking the question at all the answer is then yes, as is plain to see here, the "true believers" don't care and will spend whatever Apple tells them to pay without a thought 

[Chicane-UK Veteran]

I feel 50/50 about it I suppose.

 

I've owned Apple products over the years (iPods, iPhones) but a couple of years ago I took the plunge on a Macbook Air - a maxed out 11" (i7, 8GB, 512GB SSD). Most expensive computer I've ever bought.

 

It was a perfect example of why it's so difficult to decide how I feel. Unquestionably the prices are too high.. there's no other way that Apple could be so wealthy, if they simply were not charging excessively for their products. But whilst it's the most expensive computer I ever bought, it's also the best. I love my Air. The performance is superb, it's exceptionally reliable both as a day to day proposition (like it resumes from sleep perfectly every time in a second, and always 'just works') and as an overall proposition (no weird issues, nothing has broken, always does what I expect it to). 

 

I would, without question, love another Apple notebook to replace it as and when it gives up the ghost.. but I'll really be griping and bitching about the price as I go through the ordering process. 

 

All that said - I do worry they're going to start losing their way. The pricing on the Apple Watch is insane. The Sport edition I can stomach.. the others I think are just ludicrous cash grabs. 

[Brian M. Veteran]

Yes, they're pricier, spec-for-spec, than most other computer models, but not as far as you may think.

 

But, the reason everything (gadget-wise) I own is made by Apple is because of how it all works together, with practically zero configuration. The ecosystem is worth its weight in gold, and for me, makes the purchase decision easy. 

 

Plus, there's the much smaller design considerations, that often get overlooked by other manufacturers. Like the magsafe adapter, the asymmetrical fan on the MacBook Pro which reduces noise levels, and the fact that the lid forms part of the LCD, meaning the display's thinner, and there's no reflective glass layer over the LCD. And the trackpad - I've never ever found a laptop which even comes close to Apple's trackpad.

 

Finally, there's support. I can't walk into a Samsung store if my samsung phone breaks and get it repaired/replaced right there and then, nor can I take my Dell laptop to a Dell store and have them repair it onsite. I can do that with Apple.

 

Edit: This is what I mean by attention to detail.

 

This is the side of the Dell XPS 15 (current gen):

 

 

And this is the side of the current MBP (some are on the other side):

 

 

Everything on the Dell is misaligned. The power connector is centred. The HDMI, MiniDP and USB are top aligned, and the headphone jack is centred again. The power adapter label has no margin, and is aligned just above half way. The HDMI label has a small margin, and are bottom (almost aligned. The USB labels are bang in the middle, and the headphone jack icon looks way brighter than the rest.

 

Then there's the MBP. Everything aligned properly - all centred. The icons are all the same colour, all centred, and all the same distance from their respective port. The ports are all rounded off the same too, so the USBs have the same rounded corners as the thunderbolt, and the magsafe ports. It's all well thought out.

[Chicane-UK Veteran]

I've never ever found a laptop which even comes close to Apple's trackpad.

 

You make many good points, but it's especially hard to argue with this one. The trackpad on my Air is a revelation. Any other track pad I use just feels like going back to dialup from broadband! 

[+InsaneNutter MVC]

With student discount when I purchased my 13" Macbook Air in 2012 it was a fair bit cheaper than any Windows ultrabook equivalent, but yes in general I agree Apple products are usually over priced, especially the little things such as ram upgrades.

 

I don't feel I have to be totally invested in Microsoft, Apple, Google or anyone else though. I buy what I perceive to be the best product at the time in the price range i'm going to pay.

[Nogib]

Apple knows that a large cross-section of their customers have zero knowledge about the actual cost of hardware (these people don't shop on Newegg or Amazon for such things), and many of them have a lot of money and like the status it gives them to have an Apple product.

 

That's what irks me most about Apple.  They prey upon the ignorance of their customers to such a disgusting extent.

[adrynalyne]

Take one apart and you will see a level of engineering and quality that is 100% missing in all PC manufacturers.

Hardware isnt the problem - its the software that caters to the braindead populous that keeps me away.

That level of detail doesn't make it work any different from something lacking the detail. 

 

That is what a lot of people forget. how many people open their machines to admire how pretty the internals look?

 

Most people do not know this anyway. They just take Apple's word for it.

Yes, they're pricier, spec-for-spec, than most other computer models, but not as far as you may think.

 

But, the reason everything (gadget-wise) I own is made by Apple is because of how it all works together, with practically zero configuration. The ecosystem is worth its weight in gold, and for me, makes the purchase decision easy. 

 

Plus, there's the much smaller design considerations, that often get overlooked by other manufacturers. Like the magsafe adapter, the asymmetrical fan on the MacBook Pro which reduces noise levels, and the fact that the lid forms part of the LCD, meaning the display's thinner, and there's no reflective glass layer over the LCD. And the trackpad - I've never ever found a laptop which even comes close to Apple's trackpad.

 

Finally, there's support. I can't walk into a Samsung store if my samsung phone breaks and get it repaired/replaced right there and then, nor can I take my Dell laptop to a Dell store and have them repair it onsite. I can do that with Apple.

 

Edit: This is what I mean by attention to detail.

 

This is the side of the Dell XPS 15 (current gen):

 

 

And this is the side of the current MBP (some are on the other side):

 

 

Everything on the Dell is misaligned. The power connector is centred. The HDMI, MiniDP and USB are top aligned, and the headphone jack is centred again. The power adapter label has no margin, and is aligned just above half way. The HDMI label has a small margin, and are bottom (almost aligned. The USB labels are bang in the middle, and the headphone jack icon looks way brighter than the rest.

 

Then there's the MBP. Everything aligned properly - all centred. The icons are all the same colour, all centred, and all the same distance from their respective port. The ports are all rounded off the same too, so the USBs have the same rounded corners as the thunderbolt, and the magsafe ports. It's all well thought out.

You are comparing a wedge design to a flat one. Of course there will be different alignments.

I find most Apple products to be pricey only if you look at the price. Currently the only Apple product I own is the iPhone since I'm perfectly fine with an old Lenovo netbook. I've used my friends MacBooks and iMacs and they're phenomenal but not something I have a use for. Years ago I worked in retail and dealing with most manufacturers when it came to warranties was a nightmare. Apple customer service and warranty is exceptional, definitely one of the best.

Agreed, ignoring the price makes nothing look pricey

[shastasheen]

You make many good points, but it's especially hard to argue with this one. The trackpad on my Air is a revelation. Any other track pad I use just feels like going back to dialup from broadband! 

I can argue with this one. I don't care how good a trackpad is, they're all awful.

 

As for the Mac ports - I see an entirely different set of ports on one chassis vs. the other so any comparison would be invalid.

[JustGeorge]

Laptops:  My macbook air is the first laptop to last me over 1 year, its 2 years old now and is serving me well. 

What are you doing to your laptops? I'd be ###### if I only got a year out of one and even more ###### if I only made it 2 years with a Macbook.

 

I've had an iPhone for a few months now and I like it, but I've already grown tired two particularly stupid, artificial limitations built in by Apple because they think it'll force me to spend more money on iTunes.

 

*30 Sec Ringtones and can't be in mp3 format

*iTunes mandatory. No direct access to anything but photos

 

The first one is trivial, but annoying. I have a big problem with #2 though. You shouldn't have to install iTunes on every PC that interacts with your phone. No other OS on the market makes the user jump through hoops like that. I should be able to plug the thing in and the phone get picked up as mass storage, like WP and Android. In Apple's defense, I knew this going in. I thought I could live with, but it pisses me off every time I think about it. Honestly, I'm surprised Apple tolerates mp3's on their devices.

 

My phone has also become somewhat buggy in the short time I've owned it. My Jay Bird Bluetooth earbuds will randomly cut out during use. I've triggered it by using the phone while listening to music. Moving back/forth through menus and such sometimes make the audio cut out on bluetooth. It also happens while running and I'm not even touching the phone. Animations will also stop working during txt messaging sometimes. Finally, for some reason, if I'm playing a song and rotate my phone to see the album, its stuck on whatever the album art id for the song that played first. People recommend restore phone as new through iTunes, but given that its only a few months old, I find that a ridiculous fix. It's 2015 and we should be long past this by now.

 

This will probably be my first/last iPhone. It's an a great phone but as much as I enjoy it, the limitations above and the asking price of a new iPhone, especially 64Gb every couple of years is more than I want to deal with. Hopefully, Microsoft has established a solid WP user base by then and more importantly, have decent phones available.

[kozukumi]

That's what irks me most about Apple.  They prey upon the ignorance of their customers to such a disgusting extent.

 

That is just good business though. Nothing wrong with helping people who can't or don't want to learn the ins and outs of their phone or computer. They want it to "just work" and that is exactly what Apple delivers. I bought my toaster for convenience, same with my TV and my car and my microwave. I don't care how they work just that they do. Many people look at computers exactly the same way. They want something they turn on and post some photos of the kids on Facebook or Dropbox for their parents to see. If it does what they want what is wrong with that?

*30 Sec Ringtones and can't be in mp3 format

*iTunes mandatory. No direct access to anything but photos

 

If you let your phone ring longer than 30 seconds something is wrong with you

 

And iTunes is just a part of life just like how a Microsoft Account is for Windows Store Apps. Can't get away from these things anymore.

[adrynalyne]

That is just good business though. Nothing wrong with helping people who can't or don't want to learn the ins and outs of their phone or computer. They want it to "just work" and that is exactly what Apple delivers. I bought my toaster for convenience, same with my TV and my car and my microwave. I don't care how they work just that they do. Many people look at computers exactly the same way. They want something they turn on and post some photos of the kids on Facebook or Dropbox for their parents to see. If it does what they want what is wrong with that?

 

If you let your phone ring longer than 30 seconds something is wrong with you

 

And iTunes is just a part of life just like how a Microsoft Account is for Windows Store Apps. Can't get away from these things anymore.

Yes. Admire them from a business standpoint, you must.

 

Regarding iTunes, thats not quite the same. I can download an mp3 outside of Windows Store on a Windows Phone. Try that with an iPhone or iPad that isn't jailbroken.

[kozukumi]

Yes. Admire them from a business standpoint, you must.

 

Regarding iTunes, thats not quite the same. I can download an mp3 outside of Windows Store on a Windows Phone. Try that with an iPhone or iPad that isn't jailbroken.

 

Oh you mean importing an MP3 to your phone? Yeah sucks you gotta use iTunes for that although it isn't totally awful anymore. It is better than WMP which hasn't had any real attention in the past 5 years and lacks so many features I have lost count.

[JustGeorge]

If you let your phone ring longer than 30 seconds something is wrong with you

 

 

The length limitation causes me to have to put more thought into creating the ringtone. I use tracks ripped from games. 30 seconds isn't a lot to work with. No reason you shouldn't be able to select any mp3 or AAC file and set it as a ring tone other than Apple wanting to make it a PITA just so the brain dead will hop on iTunes and buy a 30 second clip of a song they already own the full version of.