I am not so convinced of a huge Apple Tax.
I just bought for a client a new 13 inch MacBook Pro - the cheapest (awaiting delivery).
He was going to get a $499 Dell. So this computer is 2x the price. Thats a big Apple Tax.
But, when I looked at his Dell and tried to configure it to the same specs as this MacBook Pro, low and behold I found out them to be within a few dollars of each other.
And that does not include the 10 hour battery (unavailable), OSX vs Windows Home Premium and the iLife software. Not to mention aluminum vs plastic, glass trackpad and the environmentally friendly materials.
So for less than $100 more he is getting a better computer with better specs and one that will last him far longer. In the past he was going through 2 computers to every one that I would buy.
Where are Dell machines made? Are they still being assembled in Ireland or have they moved to China like everyone else? I'm asking because something must be up with import duties, exchange rates etc that makes the difference between Dell and Apple pricing in the US so small. I see this "when you add all the options to a Dell machine it costs the same as a Mac" argument from time to time, but everytime I've checked dell.se vs. apple.se I find it impossible to make any Dell config cost roughly the same as an Apple config.
OK, before I try this... yes, we know about plastic vs. aluminum and cable-free vs. messy interior, but unless anyone can put a correct pricetag on that we can only go by specs. So...
Mac Pro quad 2.66 basic configuration
3 GB RAM (3x1)
1x 640 GB HD
1x GT120 512 MB
1x Superdrive
OS X, wired keyboard, wired mouse
AppleCare 3Y plan
26990 SEK incl VAT (
$3408)
Dell Precision T3500
(that's a certified workstation from their professional series, not the flimsy plastic consumer garbage)
Quad Xeon 2.8 W3530 (they no longer have the 2.66 W3520 used in the Mac so I have to pick the closest)
750 GB HD (no 640 available option)
3 GB RAM (3x1)
1x NVidia Quadro FX580 512 MB
1x 16x DVD+/-RW
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit, wired keyboard, wired mouse
3Y on-site support included
16388 SEK incl. VAT (
$2069)
So that's a $1339 difference even with slightly better specs on processor and hard drive. The Dell has a bit of "pro tax" as well, for certification etc, which makes it much more expensive than the consumer models. Other than differences in enclosure and design, and OS, these really are comparable machines.
And I'll tell you where the bulk of this discrepancy comes from: The W35XX series is very dated. In the beginning, Dell charged much more for it, but the price dropped continuously over time, and now the W3540 2.8 GHz is sort of a "bargain bin option" when you configure a T3500. You can get it with spanking new Intels as well, but they cost much more, even with lower clock speeds. Apple doesn't do that (=adjust the prices to reflect the dropping cost of aging components), therefore Macs become relatively more expensive than comparable products for each passing day after the latest refresh by Apple.
I hope Apple isn't drawing the wrong conclusions from this, like "hey, we're not selling enough Mac Pros, let's discontinue them!" Well duhhhhh. If you make a model for the most specification-aware customer segment you can't really expect them to keep buying such a dated machine at such a high price. Update the Mac Pro *and* its price more frequently, problem solved.
I'm willing to pay the Apple tax myself, because I need both OS X and Windows and I'm not gonna buy two laptops and two desktops for that, but to say that the markup is a myth just isn't true. At least not in Europe, at least not when it comes to desktop models. As for the laptops and iMacs, those are more competitively priced and that's another story.
