Mac's - are they overpriced?

[-Hiroshi-]

Whoops, go me for double posting. Yay for crapalicious mouse touchpad. -.-

[acido00]

please MAC hear our plegaries!

low prices, low prices!

please, God help us.

[Scirwode]

I guess it just doesn't feel right. You can flame me for that if your want but it's like doing graphic design or photographic work in Windows. The same goes for using Windows on a Mac. That doesn't feel right either. Hard to explain I guess.

I'm not pleased with your statement here as I find it very rude and insulting to the countless people who design on Windows, and I'm one of them. You can't compare Macs and Windows by how they use their computers, what you're basically saying is that those who do grunt work use a PC while those who design or conceptualise, which I do on a daily basis, use Macs, just like those PC vs. Mac ads which are also insulting.

I use my notebook for design work and I find myself very productive. I have a Mac Pro at work as well which I use for video editing and so on but the majority of my work is done on my notebook. And so far I don't see any drop in performance just because I use a generic product instead of a premium one. Because that is what Apple is, a premium product. No, I don't find the Macs overpriced because they cater to a different target group, but I don't think the high price is justified as not much is changed. Someone here compared a BMW to Apple, but with the BMW there is a difference because not only do you have a better design, but also an engine that was engineered to perfection, better handling than the rest of the market and a host of features that may not use but others may find useful, such as the iDrive.

With a Mac, though you may have a different body, the innards are still the same as the rest of the competition. And because of that reason, I feel the price of a Mac is not justified, it's as simple as that. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem if others wish to buy Apple, be my guest, as you're using your hard earned money. But my hard earned money cannot be spent on something that is outrageously expensive when I can get something at almost half the price. Sure, I may sacrifice the supposedly "Apple Experience" and what not, but if it does the job for me, then my money is well spent.

IMO, you're not just buying a computer - you're buying the whole Apple experience. And IMO they're not *that* expensive for what you get - I just came from an Apple store with this:

Macbook- ?816 (student discount)

iPod Nano- Free after rebate

Printer- Free after rebate

And let's face it, you'll struggle to get a Dell with similar specs and build quality (i.e. DDR3, plus other stuff like the multitouch trackpad which others don't actually use), an 8GB MP3/4 player, and a printer for just over ?800

And as for Apple's service - I just brought my Macbook home and it has a very faint manufacturing mark on the lid (about 3 cm in size, looks like a scratch without being a scratch). I phoned them up, and within 2 minutes they told me to return it to the store and they'll swap it out - I'd like to see another company that would do that for a cosmetic issue.b>

Not here in Malaysia it isn't, I had one heck of a time getting my Mac Mini repaired even when it is under warranty. On the other hand, when my HP had a very serious overheating problem, they replaced my notebook with another one, even when I have already used it for a year. And that to me is good service.

Scirwode

[BoJo]

The only thing I've really seen defend the price on this thread is OS and the software. I'd make the argument that free programs such as Paint.NET fills in the gaps for programs.

But an extra $1000 for an OS? Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a Mac. I do like OSX and I do like the look and feel, but do I like it enough to pay $1000+ over Windows laptop? No.

Where the hell did you get that figure?! :rofl:

Macs are not overpriced as much as they are overvalued.

Apple Marketing does a great job of convincing people that they need a bunch of features they will probably never use.

Who is seriously ever going to need to use use 4 figure gestures? Who trips over their power cord enough to justify the extra expense of the "mag safe" power cord. What happens if you trip over the ethernet cord instead. :p

Who really need to have their screen flush with the bezel? Who drops their laptop enough to need a body constructed from a solid block of aluminum and some extra accelerometers?

They pass this off as either "style" or "innovation" or "the apple experience".

Apple computers are a luxury item. It's really not any difference than any other luxury market sector.

Look at cars. Cars devalue as soon as you drive them off the lot. Computers devalue as soon as you buy them.

Cars continue to devalue the longer you have them. Computers devalue the longer you have them, and probably even faster.

Is there really any point in spending twice as much for a European import as there is for paying for a comparable asian import? Is there really any point in paying the "mac tax" when you could by a comparable computer for much less?

My guess it that no matter who you are, the answer to both of those questions are going to be the same.

It's a matter of mentality.

Uh... me, me and me. I've tripped over my MBs power cable so many times it's unreal :)

Edited October 15, 2008 by Apoptosis

[Brian M. Veteran]

Well until you Mac owners can, stop using it as an answer to everything. "the apple experience" and "it just works" arent worth $1000 more.

It isn't $1000 more :s.

For a student like myself The new Macbook is ?816 with the iPod Nano (?109)/printer(?60), the Dell XPS M1310 is ?699 (compared at default spec both with 13" LED display.

They both have their strong points and weaknesses - one has more memory and a larger hard drive, one has a multitouch touchpad etc, however, if you subtract the value of the Apple freebies, ?816 - 109 - 60 = ?637, therefore, from a student's point of view, the Dell XPS is theoretically more expensive than the Macbook.

If you don't get the student discount, I'll agree, they can be expensive, but at the end of the day, it's all down to personal preference. If you want a Mac and can afford it, buy a Mac, if you want a different PC and can afford it, buy it.

[Richard Hammond]

Where the hell did you get that figure?! :rofl:

Go do a bit of research, Dell Studio 15 with same specs but higher res screen and Blu-Ray drive is $1000 less than the similar specced Macbook Pro.

[BoJo]

Go do a bit of research, Dell Studio 15 with same specs but higher res screen and Blu-Ray drive is $1000 less than the similar specced Macbook Pro.

Just spec'd it up. If it has the blu-ray and the 1920 screen then it works out at ~$2000. This also comes with DDR2-800 memory (the MBP has DDR3-1066) and a 256Mb ATI 3450 (the MBP has a 9600M with 512Mb). The MBP also has an 85WHr battery. So the specs aren't the same and the price difference isn't as much as you said it was. Hmmm...

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[LTD]

Well until you Mac owners can, stop using it as an answer to everything. "the apple experience" and "it just works" arent worth $1000 more.

Yes, they are. They certainly are to most Mac users.

By the way, we don't measure worth exclusively by Richard Hammond's yardstick.

When I'm sitting in front of a computer day in, day out, doing all manner of things on it, it had better be an enjoyable and comfortable experience. One that makes me want to continue to do work on it. And if I have the misfortune of having to use Windows at work, I want to come home to something that restores my faith in machines and software.

If you don't understand this, you'll never understand the real meaning of "The Apple Experience." Which, when taken all in all after nearly 3 years of using OS X, is nearly priceless.

[Richard Hammond]

FYI i use a Mac i dont see what all the fuss is about, i use both equally and i dont have any of these problems you Mac owners conveniently have with XP or Vista. Im certainly not deluded by Apple Marketing/PR/Design Departments into thinking im better than everyone else because i "get" what the "apple experience" is.

[FoSsiL]

yeah macs are great and their os looks solid. but for me, i cannot justify myself to spend that much money on a computer. and especially computers these days have a life average of about 2 years before other new computer makes your current machine looks like a paper weight.

[BoJo]

FYI i use a Mac i dont see what all the fuss is about, i use both equally and i dont have any of these problems you Mac owners conveniently have with XP or Vista. Im certainly not deluded by Apple Marketing/PR/Design Departments into thinking im better than everyone else because i "get" what the "apple experience" is.

So when I present a reasoned argument about the discrepancies in your pricing you launch into a different argument? Fair enough... :/

[+John. Subscriber¹]

It isn't $1000 more :s.

For a student like myself The new Macbook is ?816 with the iPod Nano (?109)/printer(?60), the Dell XPS M1310 is ?699 (compared at default spec both with 13" LED display.

They both have their strong points and weaknesses - one has more memory and a larger hard drive, one has a multitouch touchpad etc, however, if you subtract the value of the Apple freebies, ?816 - 109 - 60 = ?637, therefore, from a student's point of view, the Dell XPS is theoretically more expensive than the Macbook.

If you don't get the student discount, I'll agree, they can be expensive, but at the end of the day, it's all down to personal preference. If you want a Mac and can afford it, buy a Mac, if you want a different PC and can afford it, buy it.

That was the tipping point for me.

[Scirwode]

If you don't get the student discount, I'll agree, they can be expensive, but at the end of the day, it's all down to personal preference. If you want a Mac and can afford it, buy a Mac, if you want a different PC and can afford it, buy it.

Damn you and your student discounts :p . I was a student before and I had no such discounts and now it won't work as I'm working. Any chance you could just ship one to me, student price of course :laugh: !

Scirwode

[acido00]

if you are student maybe they can do a discount

[Hell-In-A-Handbasket]

i was a windows user since DOS/3.1 - 2 months before Vista Releace

when i switched to Mac couple years ago, it has been so much better, dont have to worry about outdated drivers crashing the system ,bla,bla,bla, yes im limited to software choices, but just like on the Windows side, iv been more a fan of OpenSource ( NeoOffice/OpenOffice, FireFox,Thunderbird, ect,ect,ect ), and enjoy the Daily Hasselfree of OSX.

Currently ( notice i said currently ) the target rate of Windows for Viri/Spy is something im glad i dont have to really worry about for now as due to architecture, just wont run. because Apple is getting higher in the Market, i expect it to change, but for now, standard Security practices are enough

Apple actually does pay more for the hardware, there are multiple levels of hardware quality, which dictates failure rate.

the falure / problem rate of standard PC's to a Mac PC is unquestionable in regards to Software ( in part to apple's locked approach ) and hardware ( in part to Apple's Hardware Quality selection level ), yes you are paying more for Apple Hardware, but the quality / reliability of the Apple Hardware is immeasurable

[se7en.hu]

definitely worth it.

[TruckWEB]

Well, here in $CAN, the white plastic 2.4Ghz Macbook costed $1349. Now the new 2.4Ghz Macbook cost $1749. It's $400 more.

You get a LED LCD, DDR3 memory, bigger HDD, slick new casing, backlit keyboard, new trackpad, nVidia GPU.

BUT : Take the Macbook Air, it also got the new DDR3, GPU and bigger HDD for the same price.

So, what happened with the new Macbook? Even with all the update/upgrade, I feel like it's a huge price hike.

Everybody else is fighting to sell low cost laptop, Apple goes out and push a Macbook that cost more.... :wacko:

[ThehAWKs]

yes Its True Mac's are Overpriced and most people will say because of the OS, But when you are able to run the same OS on a Non-Apple branded Computer were does the High Price Tag argument is Justified Come From.

From hardware which apple is a hardware company that why apple will Add things that separate them from the Rest but is that enough to justify the big Price tag ?

[kyro]

i seriously dont think there can be arguement about "only software differences" and same hardware can be bought for less. lets stop making hardware comparision here.

the talk is of "Apple Experience" and "is it Overpriced" . so far i see , for some its worth it and for many its just over par. apple should bring it down so that this vast majority who want apple experience but see it overpriced can jump the ship as they see pricing is okay.

the price should NOT totally match win tel platform/pc/laptop and should not be this absurdly high. i hope others can atleast agree to this and stop this flamefest.

[TruckWEB]

i seriously dont think there can be arguement about "only software differences" and same hardware can be bought for less. lets stop making hardware comparision here.

the talk is of "Apple Experience" and "is it Overpriced" . so far i see , for some its worth it and for many its just over par. apple should bring it down so that this vast majority who want apple experience but see it overpriced can jump the ship as they see pricing is okay.

the price should NOT totally match win tel platform/pc/laptop and should not be this absurdly high. i hope others can atleast agree to this and stop this flamefest.

+1

But what's the "cost" of the "Apple Experience"? Was there a "price" for the WinXP experience?

We can all argue that Vista is a failure, but I think WinXP was a success, still, most PC sold kept on having lower price. Nobody came out with something that costed more just because it had WinXP installed... Oh yes, I remember, it's called the Microsoft Tax... People where/are fighting to get PC without Windows at even lower price.

Anyway.... YES, Apple cost more. For whatever reason, hardware or "the experience".

[sn00pie]

Yes and no. I paid under $1200 CAD for my brand new Macbook, with 3-year AppleCare, including all taxes. The next laptop I was considering was about $899, but with purchasing that, and adding in all the software and taxes I needed, I was looking at $1200-1400.

So in my case it was actually cheaper if not the same to purchase a Macbook. But yeah, their is no doubt you pay a premium price for Apple products. My Macbook has 1GB of ram, yet 90% of $799 laptops come with 3GB. From a hardware point of view, you can get better specs from almost any sub-$1000 notebook.

But when you purchase a Mac, its like purchasing a BMW over a Honda (yes really poor analogy I know!). From the minute you open the packaging to the time where you log into the OS for the first time, you will have a smile on your face. No other computer has every done that for me.

So yes, my point is it will put a smile on your face. But in all honesty, the reason why Apple can expect customers to pay a premium is because you can't buy a Mac anywhere else. I'm a fresh Mac convert and to be honest, I don't think I will ever purchase a Windows-based computer again. My home computer will be upgraded to a iMac or a Mac Tower (if it ever comes).

"Once you go Mac, you never go back" :yes:

[shakey_snake]

But when you purchase a Mac, its like purchasing a BMW over a Honda (yes really poor analogy I know!). From the minute you open the packaging to the time where you log into the OS for the first time, you will have a smile on your face. No other computer has every done that for me.

It really can't be that bad of an analogy, since you're not the first to make it in this thread. ;)

[Neil]

They do cost more, however education discounts mean they are way less, cheaper than Dell's.

[sn00pie]

Not exactly. The education discount on new Macbooks is now $50 instead of $100 off...

[instant.human]

i have a deal to offer here:

windows-users: why dont you all just be happy that you get along great with your os and you less expensive hardware and let the mac fanboys pay the "apple-tax"? what do you care? =)

apple-users: why dont you all just be happy with what you have and that your OS is supposedly better? let the windows users use their OS, use yours, stop fanboyism, be happy and

...

all of you shut the heck up! :p

this discussion never leads anywhere. never. period.

this topic is not even one day old and already has like 7 pages and i guess while im writing, the next 20 are in the making... and what for?

for windows-guys to say apple is bad and for apple-guys say that windows is bad.

hum...stupid, anyone? :wacko:

afterall its computers.

i have a macbook, btw. just for the record. i work with it. i dont show it off. i like how it works.

but i also like the vista machine at work. neat OS, nice hardware.

fanboys of the world, live your lifes in peace and wisdom. live and let live.

:)