Mac's - are they overpriced?


Recommended Posts

So basically from this 24 page thread (or God knows, maybe it'll reach 100 pgs :p) if you have the money and want a mac, go buy one; if not just pass by peacefully. :)

That about sums it up.

If this were an experiment or study of some kind, we would have actually gotten government funding in order to arrive at that conclusion.

Definitely overpriced when compared to other laptops. Since they are using Intel now I assume the hardware is mostly the same as PC and yet the price difference is pretty substantial. My favorite thing I saw about a macbook pro was the power cord. I wish other laptop makers would just license it from apple. I love the idea that if your cord was snagged on something it just drops out and doesn't pull the laptop across the room.

Apple would never sell-out one of their inventions. That's like giving the recipe for a new cookie to a rival cookie bakery.

As for being the same parts, I'm quite sure Apple have deals with (at least) Intel and nVIDIA that allows them to receieve components of top quality with a guarantee of it. Compare that to a PC, read overclocking forums and such, people are actually grateful if their unit is decently manifactured.

@LTD,

I wouldn't extend my selfishness as to agreee on myself being reasonable, although I try! But I can with much confidence tell you that there are about as many people here with equal intellect to various countries all over. That is, people you'd rather see not visit your favourite board :lol:

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.

I nearly spit out my coffee. Thanks for that!

...oh...wait...you were serious?

Apple has gotten a lot better in terms of pricing their products over the years. Hell, I was an early adopter of the iPods (3G), for 20GB it cost ~$600CAD... ridiculous!

As time goes buy, the technology needed to make some of these laptops get cheaper.

I believe the MacBook isn't overpriced... try to find a similar spec'd 13" with such a sleek design for a lower price... you can't.

Also, considering the iMacs come with high-quality displays in them, I'd say they are pretty decently priced, although there is a bit more of a premium.

The MacBook Pro, and the Mac Pro, seem to be the most overpriced for the specs... but when you look at their whole product line, their pricing does seem to make some sort of sense.

I nearly spit out my coffee. Thanks for that!

...oh...wait...you were serious?

Indeed. Compiz is very pretty, and does lots of cool stuff - but it's still far too rough round the edges and is about a 1,000 miles away from having the polish that the OSX compositing / effects engine has. The OSX system is seamless and completely reliable - Compiz does weird stuff, you get tearing, and other such delights.

I think Compiz is a huuuge step forward on the Linux desktop and provides lots of lovely sparkle that was missing for too long but it's just nowhere near ready for primetime yet. I've no doubt its day will come though!

As for being the same parts, I'm quite sure Apple have deals with (at least) Intel and nVIDIA that allows them to receieve components of top quality with a guarantee of it. Compare that to a PC, read overclocking forums and such, people are actually grateful if their unit is decently manifactured.

I always laugh when people post stuff like this, please for the love of god show me where or how you know this. Have you seen the super secret Apple invoice listing the parts as "APPLE ONLY - TOP QUALITY + GUARANTEE"

Do you honestly believe Intel and nVidia are going to tell people, "Sorry all the good **** is going to Apple, here are some components of lesser quality"

Most likely not, DavidM, but as they order large quantities of the same item there are more possibilities of a fine manufacturing. I haven't said that I am right, I might be wrong, but I strongly believe this to be the case since I can re-call reading it a few times as well.

If you are a PC user, and an experienced one, you must know that there are differences from cpu to cpu et cetera.

"For the love of God" made me chuckle - thank you. :)

That about sums it up.

If this were an experiment or study of some kind, we would have actually gotten government funding in order to arrive at that conclusion.

And no doubt a committee would have been formed (1.3 brains, 6 or more legs) :D

Couldn't agree more. Can't afford one, don't want one? Don't buy one! Also don't trash talk what you can afford.

I've always found them to be very overpriced for the hardware that you are recieving.

Thanks for copying my avatar :angry:

I read something a few days ago (will try and find link again) with someone explaining the level of detail they went into designing the new aluminum Macbooks. Take for instance the thumbscoop. As they didn't want to have a clip to open the lid, they tried out hundereds of variants of the thumbscoop to get the exact right size to get the correct pressure, even looking at it under an electron microscope.

I was guinely quite suprised they'd go to those lengths, and the macbook is full of loads of little details like that. I used to think Mac products were totally overpriced, but now I see they at least go the extra mile for it.

Yeah too bad their hardware always have terrible quality control with the melting plastics, faulty GPUs (part deux) and whatnot. You'd think with all the recent nVidia troubles they'd thoroughly test the GPUs in the new Macbooks.

Yeah too bad their hardware always have terrible quality control with the melting plastics, faulty GPUs (part deux) and whatnot. You'd think with all the recent nVidia troubles they'd thoroughly test the GPUs in the new Macbooks.

as ive been saying, apple products "look nice" but are overpriced for what you get.

i just bought a lenovo w500 with the following for the same price as a macbook (1300)

Intel Core 2 duo 2.53 ghz 1066 mhz 6mbL2 chache

Vista bis w/ xp cd

3 gb ram ddr2

fireGL V5700 512 mb vram ddr3

2 GB intel turbo hard drive cache

160 GB hd 7200 rpm

Dvd R/rw

The mac doesnt even come close to these specs. I was going to get one until i saw what i could get for 1300.

oh btw i got this with 15% off the sale list, which ends in just over an hour. (they have counter on website)

i just bought a lenovo w500 with the following for the same price as a macbook (1300)

Intel Core 2 duo 2.53 ghz 1066 mhz 6mbL2 chache

Vista bis w/ xp cd

3 gb ram ddr2

fireGL V5700 512 mb vram ddr3

2 GB intel turbo hard drive cache

160 GB hd 7200 rpm

Dvd R/rw

The mac doesnt even come close to these specs. I was going to get one until i saw what i could get for 1300.

not a bad laptop but still too much for my tastes, if i were you id install 4gb of ram and up the hdd to at least a 320. but yeah try to get a macbook with specs like that for that price, oh wait you can't !!!! :laugh:

Since they are using Intel now I assume the hardware is mostly the same as PC

No, the Intel CPUs in Apple computers are different as their off-the-shelf/Newegg equivalents.

Instead of using electricity, Apple Intel CPUs are powered by a combination of the user's smugness and hot air.

So basically, my interpretation of it is that if you are a stylish person and have a lot of cash ready to be spent on a good laptop then get a macbook or an imac. I'm yet to see a laptop that looks as good as a Macbook to be quite honest. I'd love one as I like good looking things, I just can't afford it, meaning I won't get one.

Apple really are targetting the stylish/rich area of potential customers with their products, it's clear to see. In the end people like that won't bat an eyelid at how much it costs or what they're getting for their money. Hell, if I had the spare cash I'd buy one (Y)

On the other hand many people don't care about how ''sexy'' their hardware is, which means that the Macs don't appeal to them. That's okay, what's not okay is how people like that start flaming the Mac hardware.

So basically, my interpretation of it is that if you are a stylish person and have a lot of cash ready to be spent on a good laptop then get a macbook or an imac. I'm yet to see a laptop that looks as good as a Macbook to be quite honest. I'd love one as I like good looking things, I just can't afford it, meaning I won't get one.

Apple really are targetting the stylish/rich area of potential customers with their products, it's clear to see. In the end people like that won't bat an eyelid at how much it costs or what they're getting for their money. Hell, if I had the spare cash I'd buy one (Y)

On the other hand many people don't care about how ''sexy'' their hardware is, which means that the Macs don't appeal to them. That's okay, what's not okay is how people like that start flaming the Mac hardware.

This whole thread has descended into a semi-flamewar that is based on generalities and vague assumptions.

I bought a Mac because I simply couldn't stand working in a Windows environment anymore. And OS X at the time seemed to be a great fit for me. It's in line with my philosophy about how computing should take place, and what it should mean to a person. It's in keeping with what I find most important in hardware and an OS. It has nothing to do with money, or even style. It's about tastes and beliefs. For me, if function isn't wrapped in effective form/design, then I won't be interested in using those functions. It's about the WHOLE package. I want a family of hardware/devices that work seamlessly together, and that require very little work on my part to maintain.

Has nothing to do with me being "stylish" or "rich." I just took longer to save up for an Apple product. If you want something and it costs more, you'll need to be a little more patient and put aside a little more money. It may not take long, or it may take quite a while. It's all relative.

This whole thread has descended into a semi-flamewar that is based on generalities and vague assumptions.

Has nothing to do with me being "stylish" or "rich." I just took longer to save up for an Apple product. If you want something and it costs more, you'll need to be a little more patient and put aside a little more money. It may not take long, or it may take quite a while. It's all relative.

That's the other reason I missed out, however most people I know in real life with Macs are in fact rich and/or stylish. Many people will be looking to use OSX which is why they switch to using a Mac.

Keep in mind I'm on about the general public who use it for themselves, not media business such as magazine editors.

That's the other reason I missed out, however most people I know in real life with Macs are in fact rich and/or stylish. Many people will be looking to use OSX which is why they switch to using a Mac.

Keep in mind I'm on about the general public who use it for themselves, not media business such as magazine editors.

Well, it does tend to attract that particular demographic, I'll give you that.

I find that whenever I walk into my local Apple Store (it's usually pretty busy), I see a lot of women - younger professional types, and good looking, too. That's interesting.

Well, it does tend to attract that particular demographic, I'll give you that.

I find that whenever I walk into my local Apple Store (it's usually pretty busy), I see a lot of women - younger professional types, and good looking, too. That's interesting.

Not really interesting, women buy things as a fashion statement just like how they buy designer clothes, its trendy to have a Mac so like the sheep they are they go and buy a Mac because only cool people use them.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Passkeys: Think of them like a broken heart necklace. Imagine one of those heart necklaces that breaks into two matching pieces. One person keeps one half, and the other person keeps the other half. With passkeys, the website has one half, and you have the other half. If the website gets hacked and someone steals its half, that stolen piece is useless by itself. It cannot unlock your account without your matching half. This particular heart necklace is one of a kind, there is only one in existence. Your half of the necklace has to be stored somewhere. It might be stored on your phone, tablet, computer, security key, or a password manager that can sync it between all your devices. A security key is a small physical device that you keep with you, kind of like a house key, car key, or flash drive. I would not usually recommend a security key as the first option for the average person. For most people, it is easier to use their phone, computer, or a password manager that can sync passkeys between their devices. A security key is more like a spare key you keep in a safe place, just in case you lose access to your other devices or your password manager. Some security keys plug into your computer. Some plug into your phone or tablet. Some do not plug in at all and instead get tapped against your device. The idea is simple: a security key can hold another passkey for the same website. Think of it like creating a second one-of-a-kind heart necklace for the same account. One necklace could be paired with your password manager, while another necklace could be paired with your security key. That means the website has more than one matching half on file. One half matches the passkey in your password manager. Another half matches the passkey stored on your security key. So, if you lose access to your phone, computer, or password manager, you would still be able to log in using the passkey stored on your security key. Think of it like keeping an extra special necklace piece on a tiny keychain, stored somewhere safe. The website still has the matching half for that security key, but your half is safely stored inside the little key. A passkey does not automatically exist on every device you own. It lives wherever you save it. If your half is stored on one device, then that device is the one that has the matching piece. For example, if you create the passkey on your Windows computer and it is only saved to that computer, your iPhone does not automatically have that same half. If you create it on your iPhone and it only stays on that iPhone, your Android phone does not automatically have it either. That is where password managers come in. A password manager can act like a protected jewelry box for your passkeys. Instead of your half of the necklace being locked to only one device, the password manager can securely sync that half to your other approved devices. For example, Apple Passwords and iCloud Keychain can sync passkeys between your Apple devices. Google Password Manager can sync passkeys with your Google account. But password managers such as 1Password and Bitwarden can sync passkeys between everything, your phones, tablets and computers. Now, you might ask: “What happens if I lose access to the device that has my passkey?” That depends on where your passkey was saved and what recovery options the website gives you. If your passkey was synced through a password manager, you may be able to sign in from another device that has access to that same password manager. For example, if your passkey is saved in iCloud Keychain, Google Password Manager, 1Password, or Bitwarden, another approved device may still have access to it. If your passkey was saved only on one phone, computer, or security key, and you lose that device, then you may not have your half of the necklace anymore. In that case, you would usually need to use the website’s backup login or account recovery options. A lot of websites that support passkeys still let you fall back to your regular password. So if you lose access to your passkey, the site may still let you log in with your password, a code sent to your email, a text message, a recovery code, or some other account recovery process. That is convenient, but it is also important to understand: if the website still allows password login, then your password still matters. Passkeys are safer than passwords, but if your account still has a password as a backup, you should still use a strong, unique password and turn on two-factor authentication if the website offers it. This is why it is a good idea to have more than one safe way back into important accounts. For example, you might keep your passkey in a syncing password manager, add a second trusted device, save recovery codes somewhere safe, or set up a backup security key. A passkey is very secure, but just like a real key, you need a backup plan in case you lose access to it. Now, you might ask: “What stops a hacker from copying my half of the necklace?” That’s the important part: your half is protected. It is not something you type in, and it is not something the website gets to keep. Think of your half as being locked inside a tiny safe on your phone, computer, security key, or password manager. That safe only opens when you approve it with your fingerprint, face, PIN, or device password. When you log in, the website does not need to see your half. It only needs proof that your half matches its half. Your actual half is not handed over to the website. This is different from a password. With a password, you type the secret into the website. If you type it into a fake website, the hacker now has it. With a passkey, you are not typing your secret into the website. Your device is proving you have the matching half without giving the half away. That also helps protect you from fake websites. If someone makes a fake login page that looks like the real site, your device can tell it is not the real match. It will not use your passkey there. Now, could someone use your passkey if they stole your device, got into your password manager, or somehow unlocked the safe that holds your half? Yes, that is why your device password, PIN, fingerprint, face unlock, and password manager security still matter. But a hacker cannot just steal your passkey from the website or trick you into typing it into a fake page like they can with a password. That is why passkeys are safer than passwords. The two matching pieces have to come together, like two lovebirds who were once separated and are finally reunited.
    • Newegg offers insane combo deal on Amazon Prime Day 2026 that beats Steam Machine by Sayan Sen Building a PC is undoubtedly difficult nowadays but with this epic combo deal, Newegg is trying to make it as easy for you as it is possible. If you are making a new one or even upgrading an old system to a new Windows 11 device, this combo bundle is truly unmissable as you get AMD's Ryzen 9800X3D, a compatible X870 motherboard, a 240mm AIO liquid cooler and finally a Samsung 990 PRO SSD all for under $1000 (purchase link under the specs table down below). This should beat out the newly launched Steam Machine from Valve in terms of performance and performance per dollar especially if you are willing to set Linux up on it. Essentially with this combo you will get the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 8-core 3D V cache CPU, Samsung's 990 PRO 2TB NVMe SSD, the MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX Motherboard, and finally the Cooler Master Elite Liquid 240. Thanks to that massive vertically stacked L3 cache, the X3D desktop processors, including the 9800X3D, also come with the benefit of not needing fast memory. Even DDR5-5600 should be plenty for it. The technical specifications of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D are given in the table below: Specification Value Architecture Zen 5 Cores / Threads 8 / 16 Base Clock 4.7 GHz Max Boost Clock Up to 5.2 GHz L1 Cache 640 KB L2 Cache 8 MB L3 Cache 96 MB Total Cache 104 MB CPU Core Process TSMC 4nm FinFET I/O Die Process TSMC 6nm FinFET Socket AM5 Default TDP 120W Max Temperature (Tjmax) 95°C Thermal Solution Not included Memory Type DDR5 Max Capacity 256 GB Memory Speeds 2x1R: DDR5-5600 2x2R: DDR5-5600 4x1R: DDR5-3600 4x2R: DDR5-3600 PCIe Version PCIe 5.0 PCIe Lanes (Total/Usable) 28 / 24 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) 4 USB 2.0 1 Graphics Cores 2 CU RDNA 2 Frequency 2200 MHz DisplayPort over USB-C Yes Overclocking Unlocked Up next we have the tech specs for the MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI Motherboard: Specification Value Chipset AMD X870 CPU Support AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 Series Desktop Processors Socket AM5 Memory Slots 4 × DDR5 UDIMM Maximum Memory Capacity 256GB Memory Support DDR5 8400–5600 MT/s (OC), DDR5 5600–4800 MT/s (JEDEC) Integrated Graphics Outputs 1 × HDMI 2.1 FRL (up to 8K 60Hz) 2 × USB4 Type-C with DisplayPort 1.4 HBR3 (up to 4K 60Hz) Expansion Slots PCI_E1: PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU) PCI_E2: PCIe 3.0 x1 (Chipset) PCI_E3: PCIe 4.0 x4 (Chipset) Audio Realtek ALC4080 Codec 7.1-Channel USB High Performance Audio Supports up to 32-bit/384kHz playback on front panel S/PDIF output M.2 Slots 4 × M.2 M2_1: PCIe 5.0 x4 (CPU, 22110/2280) M2_2: PCIe 5.0 x4 (CPU, 2280/2260) M2_3: PCIe 4.0 x2 (Chipset, 2280/2260) M2_4: PCIe 4.0 x4 (Chipset, 2280/2260) SATA Ports 4 × SATA 6Gb/s RAID Support RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 for M.2 NVMe storage devices Rear USB Ports 4 × USB 2.0 3 × USB 5Gbps Type-A 2 × USB 10Gbps Type-A 1 × USB 10Gbps Type-C 2 × USB4 40Gbps Type-C Front USB Headers 4 × USB 2.0 4 × USB 5Gbps Type-A 1 × USB 20Gbps Type-C LAN Realtek 8126-CG 5G LAN Wireless Wi-Fi 7 (M.2 Key-E module pre-installed) Supports 2.4GHz / 5GHz / 6GHz bands Up to 5.8Gbps Supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.4, MLO, 4KQAM Internal Power Connectors 1 × 24-pin ATX Power 2 × CPU Power Connectors 1 × PCIe 8-pin Power Connector Fan Headers 1 × CPU Fan 1 × Combo Fan (Pump/System) 6 × System Fan RGB Headers 3 × Addressable V2 RGB (JARGB_V2) 1 × RGB LED (JRGB) Other Internal Headers 1 × EZ Conn-header 2 × Front Panel Headers 1 × Chassis Intrusion 1 × Front Audio 1 × TPM 2.0 Header Debug Features 4 × EZ Debug LEDs 1 × EZ Digit Debug LED Rear I/O Ports Clear CMOS Button Flash BIOS Button HDMI 2 × USB 40Gbps Type-C 1 × USB 10Gbps Type-C 4 × USB 10Gbps Type-A 3 × USB 5Gbps Type-A 4 × USB 2.0 5G LAN Port Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Antenna Connectors Audio Connectors Form Factor ATX The Samsung 990 PRO is a PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD and still one of the fastest drives available today for under $500. Speaking of fast, sequential reads and writes are rated at 7450 MB/s and 6900 MB/s, respectively. The random throughputs for reads and writes are 1400K IOPS and 1550K IOPS, respectively. The 990 PRO is based on Samsung's 7th Gen V-NAND flash, and it too is TLC. It packs 2 gigs of LPDDR4 DRAM cache, which helps the random performance. The endurance rating for this is 1200 TBW (terabytes written), which should be sufficient for most users. The Samsung 990 PRO is compatible with the PlayStation 5, but if you are going to use the 990 PRO on a PC, check out the Samsung Magician app that lets you track your drive's health, update its firmware, customize various settings, and more. The tech specs are given below: Specification Value Interface PCIe Gen 4.0 x4, NVMe 2.0 Form Factor M.2 2280 Controller Samsung In-house Controller NAND Flash 3D TLC DRAM Cache 2GB LPDDR4 Sequential Read (Max) 7,450 MB/s Sequential Write (Max) 6,900 MB/s Random Read (4K) Up to 1,400,000 IOPS Random Write (4K) Up to 1,550,000 IOPS TBW (Endurance) 1,200 TBW MTBF 1,500,000 hours Operating Temperature 0°C to 70°C Storage Temperature -40°C to 85°C Shock Resistance 1,500G / 0.5ms Heatsink No Get the combo deal at this link: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Samsung 990 PRO 2TB, MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI motherboard, Cooler Master Elite Liquid 240: $784.99 + $25 off with promo code FTTF77: $759.99 (Sold and Shipped by Newegg US) Good to know This Newegg deal is U.S. specific, and not available in other regions unless specified. We only use first-party seller links (at the time of article publishing); ensure that you purchase from a first-party seller link only. Check out Today's Deals on Amazon | or our recent tech deals. Become a Prime member (for Students or SNAP) via Neowin Get Prime Access - Prime for half price (for qualifying Medicaid, EBT, SNAP) Subscribe to Prime Video, Audible Plus, Music Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited via Neowin As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • I heard from a lot of people that driver support for the latest games when RDNA first came out (Radeon 5000 series) was pretty bad, but if you didn't buy the card on day one, or were not trying to play the latest titles, then you were isolated from that issue. Other than that, it's been good and only getting better.
    • Meta launches new AI glasses in 26 styles and Muse Spark multimodal capabilties by Pradeep Viswanathan Meta today announced a new line of Meta Glasses in partnership with EssilorLuxottica. The new AI glasses build on the company’s existing smart glasses portfolio, which is sold under the Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta brands. The new Meta Glasses start at just $299, are compatible with prescription lenses, and will be available in 26 styles across different colors, lenses, and frames. At launch, Meta Glasses will be available in three frame styles. The Meta Adventurer features a clean rectangular design and comes in Standard and Large sizes. The Meta Fury is a bolder frame for users who want a stronger look. Meta Glasses by Kylie is a slim oval frame designed in collaboration with Kylie Jenner. Similar to existing Meta AI Glasses, the new Meta Glasses include a dedicated action button that can be used to quickly access Meta AI or launch a favorite feature. They also feature open-ear speakers for calls, music, and more. Meta has also included a multi-mic array with wind noise reduction for calls and messaging. Users can capture photos and videos hands-free using voice commands. Meta claims more than eight hours of battery life, while the portable charging case can provide up to 40 additional hours. As expected, Meta Glasses come pre-loaded with Meta AI powered by Muse Spark from day one. Muse Spark is the first model from Meta Superintelligence Labs with improved multimodal capabilities. The same Meta AI upgrade is also now available on existing Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta Glasses in the US and Canada via an update. With the Muse Spark-powered AI assistant, Meta AI in the new glasses can provide smarter answers, understand what the user is seeing, and help with daily tasks such as calendar management and navigation. Meta also announced an upcoming feature called the dynamic photo feature, which captures multiple frames and recommends the best one. Pedestrian navigation is also coming soon to these glasses. Meta is also adding support for 14 new live translation languages, including Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, and Korean. The new Meta Glasses are available starting today through Meta.com, Best Buy, Amazon, LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, and select retailers.
    • is that a personal preference? whether it is or isn't, i get where you're coming from. i try to get and use fully open sourced applications whenever i can but there are instances where i find a superior product that is closed sourced. in these cases i do my best to learn about the company, who operates it, their background, parent and sub structure etc. to some extent, depending on "the smell test". i really believe that Syncback is really and truly something great. even if you don't use it, it's always worth a recommendation to someone else, especially if that someone else is not very computer literate. for someone of your calibre you, you'll manage just fine with Syncthing, no doubt about it.
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      timbobit earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Month Later
      nates earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Almohandis earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Rookie
      dorf went up a rank
      Rookie
    • First Post
      mike_rumble earned a badge
      First Post
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      468
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      166
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      104
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      87
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      70
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!