Mac's - are they overpriced?

[deuz]

saw an article in the paper showing in aus that the new models of the macbook went up $400 for the new models and mbp went up $500 for each model( average of course i cant list every model), also on the white one it went up 150 for a dvd burner as opposed to a cd one.... this made me ****ing lol, itd be better to get an old mbp( stores in my area still stock them) as opposed to a new macbook which is what id probably be doing...soon :p

honeslty its dam lucky they are good at what they do...

[ThehAWKs]

In the article/blog, the author's "evidence" is prefaced by the following:

It's what you really get for what you pay.

Actually, it isn't. It's what you get materially , purely in terms of parts and physical features.

Which tells only half the story.

Like many, he just doesn't get it either.

EDIT ---------

Just noticed this:

http://gizmodo.com/5063492/macbook-and-mac...pro-dual-review

All in all a very positive review, from the same site. Oh well, I guess not everyone is into toeing the line around there. ;)

When you have Used a Mac and and a PC and you see how beautiful the Apple OS is. it Blinds you From seeing why you pay so much, it like a Love and Hate Relationship when your Eyes Are Open.

[RAID 0]

And then run Software Update from within Leopard...

If there's no virus', "It just works", Apple experience and all that razzmatazz, why would you need to update the software? Why fix what aint broke? Right?

[punktematrix]

Macs are overpriced and everyone who buys them are sheep.

Now excuse me, I have to rinse Bill Gates' semen out of my mouth.

[LTD]

If there's no virus', "It just works", Apple experience and all that razzmatazz, why would you need to update the software? Why fix what aint broke? Right?

Uh . . . you're joking, right? :blink:

[LTD]

When you have Used a Mac and and a PC and you see how beautiful the Apple OS is. it Blinds you From seeing why you pay so much, it like a Love and Hate Relationship when your Eyes Are Open.

How do you know that what you get out of OS X isn't perceived as REAL value?

It might hold little value to you, but it holds plenty of value for me.

Your problem is that you can't easily quantify the value I'm talking about and which most Mac users recognize. LOL, well that's too bad. If you don't see/understand it, I can't help you.

Besides, "overpriced" is really a matter of perception. The whole argument is moot.

[duritz]

it is a computer that no one is making u buy, who cares, it is just a computer.

[kyro]

for some people , computer is just not a computer , its a tool of trade , very special tool in good paying trade, so they dont mind paying extra for that premium tool :) , i wish they had better support / istore here, i would get it rightaway from big resellers sprinting around in the city.

[Cormier6083]

If there's no virus', "It just works", Apple experience and all that razzmatazz, why would you need to update the software? Why fix what aint broke? Right?

It doesn't say that on the website. Apple admits viruses for OS X.

[PyX]

Yeah, I've heard about 2 viruses for the Mac for about a week or so last year. Then, dead. And the conceptor of one of those viruses wrote in comments of his program files something like "so much trouble for this...." yeah, he admitted his virus didn't do as much damage as he expected.

Anyway, why no software update? You see, it's not because it works that it's perfect, even if every single behaviour in an OS is good. There are ways to optimize, remove redundant code, secure the thing even more, change some tidbits about security, etc. Like, when you add a new wireless signal for example (A/B/G/N...) You have to add the protocols to encrypt the data, etc. This is security, but the purpose of the update is not security itself, it's speed and range.

You could also build an anti-phishing feature, or something that alerts the use it contains phishing code. But it's not added security in itself, it just warns the user, it doesn't block the code, etc. And there are new sites every day on the net, so this needs to be updated as much as possible.

Also, we're humans who code. We might have good knowledge, but we have our flaws. It's also a quality control team made of humans, which has flaws too...

Anyway, hope you get the point that software update is required, no matter how secure or good your system is. I don't see anything wrong in this.

[fix-this!]

yes anything apple is way overpriced.

[CoolBits]

yes anything M$ is overpriced too as i wouldnt pay 2c for their software... you see the connection?

[Mercellus]

In my mind, Apple's products are worth the amount you pay for them. They have tremendous value compared to some of their counterparts (Dell, HP, etc) and you're getting a great support experience with AppleCare.

[JoeyF]

I find the price to be quite steep on them. I would never pay $1300 for a laptop with only a 2.4 GHz processor and 2GB ram.

The only reason I own one is Best Buy's no-lemon deal on their protection plan. Bought me a new Macbook for only $600 :)

[MightyJordan]

Personally, I think Macs are overpriced, which is a shame, as I'm really considering switching from a PC to a Mac.

The problem is that the cheapest iMac here in the UK is ?800; that has a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, only 1GB RAM, a small 250GB hard drive, and a low-end ATI graphics card.

I have a dream iMac setup lined up, but it's ?1,418.00 Here's what's in it:

• 24" iMac
  
• 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
  
• 2GB DDR2 800 RAM
  
• 750GB hard drive
  
• NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS w/512MB GDDR3
  
• Wireless Apple Keyboard
  
• Wireless Mighty Mouse
  
• iWork '08 preinstalled
  

Anyone know where I can get a good deal on an iMac?

Also, I heard that students get discounts on products in the Apple Online Store, but does that apply to college students, as well as university students?

[smooth_criminal1990]

I wouldn't want to go near a mac, only cos of steve jobs tho.

and it has to be said, Compiz on Linux blows anything clean outta the water in terms of shinyness in a window-manager.

[alxz.310]

I love macs, but they're damn overpriced! Especially after the recent price hike in the macbooks (even though they're upgraded).

You could buy a windows computer with better specs for less, and then run osx86 on it :p

[Sam Symons Veteran]

I'm looking forward to Black Friday -- there'll be around about $100 price drops on MacBooks.

[+jamesyfx Subscriber²]

If you think Macs are overpriced, then you're in luck.

You can probably grab a clearance MacBook for about ?450 in the UK now, if you look in the right places. Since they've just refreshed the range. Stores will have loats of old display models they can't sell anymore. get looking!

[Nicholas-c Veteran]

Hmm, Yes, i want one (and am getting one if this damned computer sells) but they can charge it and look where they are, if they decided to make slimline profit on the hardware and sell it cheaper (e.g. as much as every other computer manufacturer in the world did) then they would certainly sell alot more,

I think alot of people see it on tv and dont except it to have a different operating system, Generally, Apple own the market in laptops for your average person with money and collage student. they can charge ?200 more and still sell as much as they do.

[portauthority]

If you overprice something, it makes it look like Macs are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than PCs. Why would Apple price them such way if it wasn't?

Therefore to keep the level of appeal up Macs will always be more expensive, even though they are just PCs with white coloring and black frames.

And the people will keep buying. There is no incentive for Apple to drop prices.

Sacrifice your beer funds if you must ...

[MightyJordan]

If you overprice something, it makes it look like Macs are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than PCs.

No, it makes it look bloody expensive.

I did a quick analysis of the cost of an iMac on my Windows Live Space.

[Ricardo Gil]

I wouldn't want to go near a mac, only cos of steve jobs tho.

and it has to be said, Compiz on Linux blows anything clean outta the water in terms of shinyness in a window-manager.

Yeah, that shininess will really help you get the job done (Y) :rolleyes:

[Brian M. Veteran]

Why would Apple price them such way if it wasn't?

Quite simply, because they can.

People are willing to pay more for a Mac due to the reasons outlined in this thread, so Apple have no need to reduce the price.

If they reduced the price, they'd have to reduce the build quality (how many PC laptops out there have a Unibody aluminum enclosure), lower the standards of service, etc. I'd personally rather pay a bit more, and get a better quality product. Yeah, I, and every other Mac user out there could do exactly the same things on a cheap ?350 laptop, however, theychoose> not to.

And while people are still buying Macs, Apple won't drop the price.

[drshdw]

I wouldn't want to go near a mac, only cos of steve jobs tho.

and it has to be said, Compiz on Linux blows anything clean outta the water in terms of shinyness in a window-manager.

Just because it's shiny doesn't make it better..