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The high price of Apple computers

~pcwiz

By ~pcwiz,
in Apple Opinions and Discussion

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apowerr
apowerr
Posted
Posted
That build you made isn't even fully functional as pointed out before. Are you sure you can build a computer?

 

I can read quite fine. I skimmed over the thread and noticed your build came up again. You haven't proved much though. Any home built machine is going to be less then a Apple, Dell, Compaq etc..

 

Not fully functional and not proving much are different.. I didn't want to draw so much attention to myself, but my oringinal posts was such an epic fail I did :unsure:

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Alessandro17
Alessandro17
Posted
Posted
But people who continually suggest that because by grabbing the cheapest priced components they can from multiple sources and suppliers and then that sum total suggests that every Mac is "way more over priced" or "2x more expensive" is just dumb.

 

Not at all. I can prove to you (as I have already done many times) that just by buying components at the standard price you would pay from any shop, you can build PCs which are way better value than most Macs. And it is reasonable to assume that Apple pays a lot less than Joe User when buying components.

 

I have also proven that PC laptops of any manufacturer are way better value than any Macbook/Macbook Pro, especially here in Europe.

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apowerr
apowerr
Posted
Posted
Not at all. I can prove to you (as I have already done many times) that just by buying components at the standard price you would pay from any shop, you can build PCs which are way better value than most Macs.

You sure can. Imagine the Apple-markup on your rig with a Bad Axe 2, Q6600 and 4 GB RAM! Also, a question for you: are there any 'Bad Axe 2' motherboards that support 1066/1333 Mhz for the FSB? The ones I looked at on Newegg were 800/1066 Mhz.

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Headrush69
Headrush69
Posted
Posted
Not at all. I can prove to you (as I have already done many times) that just by buying components at the standard price you would pay from any shop, you can build PCs which are way better value than most Macs. And it is reasonable to assume that Apple pays a lot less than Joe User when buying components.

The argument was NEVER you couldn't built a cheaper system or a better system for the same money.

 

The point was comparing custom boxes to prebuilt systems. (ala Dell, HP, etc)

(And we're not talking about a few dollars, we are talking about the 2x/way more argument.)

 

P.S. I mentioned I wasn't talking about laptops.

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consolation
consolation
Posted
Posted
I have also proven that PC laptops of any manufacturer are way better value than any Macbook/Macbook Pro, especially here in Europe.

 

No, you have not. You have merely expressed your opinion on the matter. All that it proved is that you value design less than other people. You'd need to prove that Macs are worse value to the kind of customers that Apple markets them to, not you. Believe me, they are not, Apple plays to a more affluent audience which does not look for the best bargain dell. Their ideal customer has enough disposable income to buy a laptop, a desktop and an ipod. That's why they discount heavily to tertiary students, they want to capture the future earners. A more educated consumer that's happy to pay a premium for good design.

 

 

I have a co-worker that was a pc-user and now bought a macbook pro, and all i hear is cursing from his side of the desk (completed by a call to our IT ppl for help)

 

I can list a number of ppl, that would never go back to windows after using osX - so what? My previous job was progging for a lab that was all iMac, by the end of their masters every student was on a mac laptop. They had absolutely no need to use os X themselves as our computers were for running subjects, yet they all switched. What does it prove? Absolutely nothing, personal anecdotes are no form of evidence. What is indisputable is that Apple's market share keeps growing and so does their stock price. The customers they gain are unlikely to come from the budget/3rd world end of the market.

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Alessandro17
Alessandro17
Posted
Posted
No, you have not. You have merely expressed your opinion on the matter. All that it proved is that you value design less than other people. You'd need to prove that Macs are worse value to the kind of customers that Apple markets them to, not you. Believe me, they are not, Apple plays to a more affluent audience which does not look for the best bargain dell. Their ideal customer has enough disposable income to buy a laptop, a desktop and an ipod. That's why they discount heavily to tertiary students, they want to capture the future earners. A more educated consumer that's happy to pay a premium for good design.

 

Many professionals (meaning people with one or more degrees, is that educated enough for you?) earn in this country €1000/1200 a month.

Paying between €1,899 and 2,699 for a MacBook Pro or between €1,049 and € 1,449 for an underspecced MacBook is totally out of order for them, I can assure you.

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~pcwiz
~pcwiz
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MacBooks are ugly. Why are you talking about design? Some PC laptops that are cheaper and have better specs look way better than the MacBook. Apples desktop line is drooling pretty but the notebooks aren't great looking.

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Headrush69
Headrush69
Posted
Posted
MacBooks are ugly. Why are you talking about design? Some PC laptops that are cheaper and have better specs look way better than the MacBook. Apples desktop line is drooling pretty but the notebooks aren't great looking.

Wrong. Appearance is always a subjective thing so there isn't a correct answer. :)

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consolation
consolation
Posted
Posted
MacBooks are ugly. Why are you talking about design? Some PC laptops that are cheaper and have better specs look way better than the MacBook. Apples desktop line is drooling pretty but the notebooks aren't great looking.

 

Sleek and minimalist is ugly!? As compared to what? PC laptops still tend to go for a "Tokyo by night" look that was "cool" in the 1970s.... I guess it must appeal to the crowd that thinks MTV's pimp-my-ride actually makes cars look good.

 

Why are you talking about design?

 

I asked way... at the beginning of the thread to see an example of a PC laptop with no vent holes on the bottom; so that I can use it on my lap, duvet, backpack, or wherever I need to use a portable device. I still haven't seen anyone post a link to such. This is just one of the features you pay extra for....

 

Many professionals (meaning people with one or more degrees, is that educated enough for you?) earn in this country €1000/1200 a month.

Paying between €1,899 and 2,699 for a MacBook Pro or between €1,049 and € 1,449 for an underspecced MacBook is totally out of order for them, I can assure you.

 

First of all 1000 euro/ month is very little to earn for a professional, I think you'll find that they earn many times that figure. Given the dodgy nature of your statistics, you will excuse me if I take your assurances with a pinch of salt. I would hazard a guess; the main reason Apple doesn't sell more in your country is that the company thinks that the required investment in media campaigns and infrastructure is not cost effective.

 

Are Macs more expensive than windoze boxes, yes; are they overpriced, no. I think that's the crucial distinction.

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JSn1™
JSn1™
Posted
Posted

This happened to me.

 

I was at Best Buy and saw a wonderful Tablet PC, it was the latest one. I was impressed.

I bought it, it costed me $1499 and I was happy.

3 months later went to an Apple Store and saw the black MacBook at $1499 - $100 student discount.

Well, there was nothing to do. But believe me, dealing with Windows is a real pain. Viruses, slow downs,

everything hits Windows performance, even if you got some Apple Stickers on it. Just kidding...

 

Now I will buy the MacBook for hardware and software.

I prefer to have a MacBook with windows, than a PC with Mac.

 

If you're thinking about a new laptop, go for the Macs.

The people think it will be harder to use, when it is a lot easier, no viruses, no need to worry.

 

Edit: Ohhh, I forgot to say that the Apple that turns on is beyond the performance, hehehe.

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~pcwiz
~pcwiz
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Couple things:

  • Windows doesn't get viruses if you protect it properly (haven't had anything in about 2 years)
  • It doesn't slow down unless you install resource hogging ram loving unneccessary apps

I'm not saying Windows is good, I like OS X better but Windows isn't as bad as people think. If you're on a budget or if you don't care about design then getting a PC laptop is a viable option. And some people are forgetting that now you can install OS X on PC laptops.

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Headrush69
Headrush69
Posted
Posted
Couple things:
  • Windows doesn't get viruses if you protect it properly (haven't had anything in about 2 years)
  • It doesn't slow down unless you install resource hogging ram loving unneccessary apps

I always hate these kinds of arguments because they aren't absolutes and don't prove anything.

The same thing can be said for many pro Mac arguments just the same. (It isn't just an I hate windows disagreement. :) )

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Alessandro17
Alessandro17
Posted
Posted
First of all 1000 euro/ month is very little to earn for a professional, I think you'll find that they earn many times that figure. Given the dodgy nature of your statistics, you will excuse me if I take your assurances with a pinch of salt.

 

Aren't you a bit arrogant? How can you think that you know better than me?

 

I would hazard a guess; the main reason Apple doesn't sell more in your country is that the company thinks that the required investment in media campaigns and infrastructure is not cost effective.

 

They know they wouldn't sell them anyway.

We Italians are known as car lovers, but the truth is that the vast majority of our cars are small and old.

We earn too little and we have far too many expenses.

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consolation
consolation
Posted
Posted
Aren't you a bit arrogant? How can you think that you know better than me?
I have a number of friends that went to work in Europe after graduation, their starting salaries tended to be around 50~70000 euro. That equals about 4k a month at the low end, and those were salaries for recent graduates.
Couple things:
  • Windows doesn't get viruses if you protect it properly (haven't had anything in about 2 years)
  • It doesn't slow down unless you install resource hogging ram loving unneccessary apps

LOL, that's like saying you have a house with a leaky roof, but it's OK, because you can always put more buckets on the floor to stop the house flooding. Point is, you shouldn't have to worry about that {censored}. That's why some people pay extra for Apple's products...
I'm not saying Windows is good, I like OS X better but Windows isn't as bad as people think. If you're on a budget or if you don't care about design then getting a PC laptop is a viable option. And some people are forgetting that now you can install OS X on PC laptops.
Well, you can't legally install OSX on non-apple hardware, so it's not a real option for most. Additionally, it tends to require a fair amount of computer skill to set up and maintain... Don't get me wrong, XP has it's uses - it's great for playing games, I use it for them all the time. Just don't try to connect to the internet :D Now, WTF do you do w/ Vista?
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Alessandro17
Alessandro17
Posted
Posted
I have a number of friends that went to work in Europe after graduation, their starting salaries tended to be around 50~70000 euro. That equals about 4k a month at the low end, and those were salaries for recent graduates.

 

In Italy things are different. Degrees aren't worth much, because too many people have one, plus we have a long history of exploitation. Besides since the "legge Biaggi" (legge 30) things have got a lot worse. A young person with a degree and a non-provisional job for €1000 a month will consider himself/herself lucky (and after all €1000 is more than people used to earn with the old currency).

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Synaesthesia
Synaesthesia
Posted
Posted

My beef is also primarily with the desktops. Eg The new Macbook Pro actually represents great value, if you look at the specs...

 

The desktop range is awesome, but just can't compete on price, especially here + in Europe.

 

But they are great machines, for example, the iMacs are perfectly quiet, even if the CPU + GPU are stressed!

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glassJAw
glassJAw
Posted
Posted
I don't know about MacBook Pro but with the MacBook you don't exactly get value for your money (don't BOO me please :))

 

I'll call you out :-p

 

Please find me a similar speced sized notebook, I bet around the same cost/value. What is wrong with the Macbook that you find it not getting value for your money?

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