lolwut? All he really said was that his IT dept has crummy installs of an OS from 2001. Try to comprehend he didnt really "smash" anything or prove why a system should cost ~$1500-1700 (2.4x) more than I paid for mine.
My aluminum Envy 14 for $1095
Core i5-450M (2.4-2.66ghz)
160GB Intel G2 SSD
6 GB RAM
1GB ATI 5650
1600x900 350nit screen
Backlit keyboard
HDMI, eSATA
Apple competitor: $2650 - Discount
MBP 15" 2.4Ghz i5
4GB RAM
256GB SSD
High Res screen
One thing that is indisputable on the Windows side of the equation is that there's more products to choose from, and one can save money by cutting features.
The above is a classic example:
1) while a 15" MBP was the suggested baseline, a corner was cut by selecting the 14" HP Envy, instead of the 15" HP Envy.
2) on the storage capacity, the HP Envy is provisioned with a 128GB SSD, whereas the MBP includes the optional 256GB SSD - - even though Apple does offer a 128GB SSD.
Correcting just this one disparity takes $450 right off the MBP price...and thus, invalidates the fine gentleman's "2.4x more" (sic) claim.
Granted, there may be some extenuating circumstances which make this clearly unequal comparison somehow relevant for the gentleman posting above, but unfortunately, that merely makes this personal experience 100% anecdotal and thus, not at all generalizable. When one tries to ascertain the actual 'Apple Tax' that is present, it is more appropriate to level the playing field by first looking at the given value of a specific Apple model versus an alternative product, and only then consider one's specific and individualistic needs for what features can be deleted from the non-Apple alternative.
To illustrate the process:
Basic MBP, with 1 option (128GB SSD): MSRP $2249, commonly available with affiliation discounts for $2029.
HP Envy 15", with just 3 options (2.4GHz CPU; 128GB SSD {main HD not deleted?}; oversized battery {for 6hr life, vs MBP's 8-9hr rating}): MSRP $1644*.
HP Envy 14", as described above: $1095.
KISS Analysis:
"Apple Tax Allowance" = $2029 - $1644 =
~$400 (approx 20%)
"Windows Marketplace Cut Features Allowance" = $1644 - $1095 =
~$500 (approx 30%).
What the net sum of this comes down to is the question of how "unlucky" Apple may or may not be in offering a product that is well aligned with a buyer's needs. If there's a big disconnect (such as seemingly is present in the above), the potential cost savings from deleting features can outweigh Apple's typically higher initial initial purchase price.
* - Of course, there's a lot more layers that one can invariably get into.
For example, this comparability didn't include software, and as per HP's website, it would cost roughly another $100 or so to add their offered equivalencies to Apple's iLife and Time Machine. This would narrow the Apple Tax, and may or may not widen the difference between the two HPs.
Similarly, another potentially huge factor is that this is only considering initial purchase costs and not lifecycle: if the Mac laptop lasts 20% longer (3 years, 7 months versus 3 years, etc), then the above listed magnitude of 'Apple Tax' literally ceases to exist.
FWIW, I've had (and still have) multiple Windows & Apple laptops, as well as having had managed both products in a business setting. The question of lifecycle IT costs has been a particularly challenging one to objectively quantify, and there's few free good published reports. I have my real-life observations as to which products last better than others, but its inadmissible as being anecdotal, even though it encompasses a reasonably robust sample - - the data simply wasn't collected properly from a scientific standpoint to allow proper peer review & vetting.
-hh
