Apple overpriced like hell.

[smallcoffee]

It takes maybe 30 seconds to look up an inflation calculator and put in the amounts yourself. I have spent more time than that writing this reply.

The specific one I used is www.usinflationcalculator.com.

I’m glad it didn’t take you long.

Of course it's better in some ways (Retina display, faster hardware), but arguably worse in others (keyboard reliability, port selection). That's beside the point though, as we're not comparing current MBPs vs. 2011 MBPs now, we're comparing the price and value of each at the time when it was current. MacBook Pros are not the cheapest they have ever been by any measure.

But you cannot make the comparison correctly because they are fundamentally different products. Electronics aren’t commodities. In any given time period the 2017 MacBook Pro is the best bang for your buck, even adjusted for inflation.

And obviously the keyboard and ports are way better now than ever.

 

[mmomega]

$1,900 is the most I've spent on a laptop and that was because I believed the one I got gave me what I was wanting for the price. (I just personally do not have a value in a $2000-4000 laptop)
What I can't understand is overpaying for something you don't believe is worth the cost.
Apple isn't going to change and there are many many other options.
I can promise that if I believe any product is priced higher than what I personally believe it is worth, I won't buy it at all.
I am mostly Apple loyal but if a price is too damn high I'll buy something else.

 

[Hater]

I’m glad it didn’t take you long.



But you cannot make the comparison correctly because they are fundamentally different products. Electronics aren’t commodities. In any given time period the 2017 MacBook Pro is the best bang for your buck, even adjusted for inflation.

And obviously the keyboard and ports are way better now than ever.

You're forgetting that with an SSD bump and some RAM, that 2010 MBP is still very usable in 2018.

Will the 2017 model last until 2025? No hope in hell.

 

[smallcoffee]

I think he's trolling.

No I’m not.

 

[Appleaker]

Since Apple will not update the MBP anytime soon according to some rumours, does anyone find it crazy that they charge $3000+ for a 1 year old laptop?

It’s funny you should say that, on Monday you’ll know what I mean.
And by ‘anytime soon’, what do you mean exactly? It won’t be a 18 month+ period like we saw with the 2016 MBPs, but it is likely that they are delayed and set for the fall release, which was always a possibility. It will be worth the wait.

 

[DevNull0]

I think people forget this - the 2010 MBP that I sent to my in-laws is still plugging along, the 2012 MBP that my daughter uses for school is still a workhorse - they are 8 and 6 years old respectively and I don't worry about them at all...that said, I did install SSDs in both of them.

Yep, and my 2011 MBP with 16 gig of ram (the max BTO at the time was 8 gig) and 1TB of SSD is still a fantastic machine. Vastly superior to my 2017 MBP which was much more expensive and I doubt will still be around in 7 years. Between the shoddy keyboard, not replaceable ram and SSD, and a battery replacement that requires replacing half the computer (which means not replaceable once Apple calls it vintage), I wouldn't be surprised if the 2011 model is still chugging along while the 2017 is in a landfill.

Mac products today are a dim shadow of what they were a few years ago. The 2011 is without a doubt the best computer I've ever owned. The 2017 is in serious contention for the worst.

And don't forget my 2012 mac mini is worth more on ebay as a 6 year old computer than Apple actually charges for the current models in 2018 (which are the 2014 models). Way to go Apple.

 

[slooksterPSV]

I find it crazy that people still want to complain about Apple's prices
It's not like they have changed their modus operandi

A 4 year old mini is still $500. 4 year old generation intel with 4GB ram and a 500Gb HDD tell me that’s not expensive? The cost of that would probably be around $200 by current market value.

 

[MacDawg]

A 4 year old mini is still $500. 4 year old generation intel with 4GB ram and a 500Gb HDD tell me that’s not expensive? The cost of that would probably be around $200 by current market value.

Questioning the validity of prices isn't the issue at all
Being surprised that Apple charges them, well, that's what they do and always have done, so anyone surprised by that hasn't been paying attention

 

[UBS28]

So far the responses have been a resounding 'nope'! Yet I feel you may be surprised by this (given that you created this thread)...

I am not suprised because Apple doesn’t feel the need to refresh their $3000+ laptops and keep selling their 1 year old laptops as if they are new.

So there are alot of crazy people falling for this scam by Apple. Apple has got a powerful marketing department.

Also these MBP’s are not high quality laptops as their keyboards are fragile. My 2013 15” Haswell rMBP is almost just as fast as the latest and greatest 2017 rMBP with a keyboard that is great. It is when Apple puts a new 6-core CPU in their $3000+ laptops and fixes the keyboard, that is worth that price again.

 

[bopajuice]

I think people forget this - the 2010 MBP that I sent to my in-laws is still plugging along, the 2012 MBP that my daughter uses for school is still a workhorse - they are 8 and 6 years old respectively and I don't worry about them at all...that said, I did install SSDs in both of them.

I have a 10 year old Lenovo laptop that is about 2 inches thick and sounds like a hairdryer but runs like a champ. I think I paid about $400 for it. Never had an issue. Ever. The point is?

 

[UBS28]

You're forgetting that with an SSD bump and some RAM, that 2010 MBP is still very usable in 2018.

Will the 2017 model last until 2025? No hope in hell.

I also have a 2010 15” MBP that I upgraded to 8 GB RAM and a Samsung 512 GB SSD back in the days. It still works (including the keyboard).

And my 5 year old 2013 15” rMBP actually performs almost as fast as the latest 2017 15” rMBP machines according to benchmarks with a keyboard that is also great.

So these 2 MBP’s that I bought back then, were worth the money. However I am not seeing the value with the current line of Macbook Pro’s as they are lower quality and they are not that much faster than a 5-year old rMBP.

If they put a 6-core CPU in it and fixes the keyboard, then I will upgrade from my 2013 15” Haswell rMBP to a new one. Else I don’t see the need to spend $3000+ for a new rMBP. Especially now that it has 1-year old hardware in it.
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Questioning the validity of prices isn't the issue at all
Being surprised that Apple charges them, well, that's what they do and always have done, so anyone surprised by that hasn't been paying attention

That is not true. Back in the days, the MBP was excellent for the money. I paid $1800 for my 2010 15” MBP and then I upgraded it to 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB SSD for a total cost around $2100 (just research which components Apple uses for their laptops and buy it yourself saves alot of money). This was a machine that was top of the line back then for only $2100.

Good luck buying a TOTL 2017 15” rMBP for only $2100 today

 

[cyclingplatypus]

I have a 10 year old Lenovo laptop that is about 2 inches thick and sounds like a hairdryer but runs like a champ. I think I paid about $400 for it. Never had an issue. Ever. The point is?

And it is running the latest version of windows?

 

[throAU]

I've never paid $3,000 for an Apple laptop. Usually around $1,200.

Good for you. If base spec is sufficient, good for you.

As soon as you hit the options list, the price blows out to ridiculous proportions.

 

[Starship67]

Pretty sure your not being forced to buy any Apple laptop ever at all.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

You're forgetting that with an SSD bump and some RAM, that 2010 MBP is still very usable in 2018.

Will the 2017 model last until 2025? No hope in hell.

What not my 2013 is coming up 5 years old and is still more computer than I need and works perfectly apart from needing a battery replacement sometime in the next year as you would expect. I see no reason to think that it won’t be fine for another 2-3 years for my use case in fact it’s been better value than my 2010 which cost more up front and I spent £400 on upgrading ram and putting an ssd into.

 

[Hater]

What not my 2013 is coming up 5 years old and is still more computer than I need and works perfectly apart from needing a battery replacement sometime in the next year as you would expect. I see no reason to think that it won’t be fine for another 2-3 years for my use case in fact it’s been better value than my 2010 which cost more up front and I spent £400 on upgrading ram and putting an ssd into.

Because the 2010 would still be running a 320GB HDD and 4GB of RAM if it was built like the 2017 models.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

However in 2010 that hard drive was 20 year old tech and 4gb of ram was quite a good amount. The 2017 has cutting edge ssd’s and the fastest low power ram in up to 16gb 4 x the amount way more than the average user will need. If you are on the cutting edge of computing you will need to update your portable computer every 2-3 years for cpu or gpu anyway. Ram and ssd upgrades will mean nothing to you.

If you are a casual user looking to keep your computer for 6-7 years the better reliability and thinner lighter design provided by non upgradeable parts is far more useful to you than upgrade-ability if you buy what you need when you get your computer, especially with such huge ram amounts and the fastest consumer SSD’s in them.

In short people wanting or needing upgradeability are in huge minority in general and in quite a majority on a nerdy tech site like this. While I am a casual nerd myself I like to be voice of reason on these forums against this huge bias on this site.

 

[maflynn]

I've never paid $3,000 for an Apple laptop. Usually around $1,200.

Not for nothing but 15" laptops start off at 2,400 so while the 13" laptop is cheaper its quite easy to get the price near or even over the 3k mark for a 15" MBP

 

[leman]

Expensive, sure, but overpriced? They are priced similar to other laptops with comparable hardware and overall features (e.g. Dell Precision line). There are a lot of things Apple uses that is not available in consumer laptops (for instance, GPU multiplexer in the 15" model, more expensive controller chips, more expensive WiFi chips, more expensive RAM, better quality voltage regulators etc.), all that cost extra. It doesn't mean of course that its better value than a consumer-level Dell or MSI or whatever.

P.S. If they don't release Coffee Lake models soonish though, then yes, it will be overpriced.

 

[bopajuice]

However in 2010 that hard drive was 20 year old tech and 4gb of ram was quite a good amount. The 2017 has cutting edge ssd’s and the fastest low power ram in up to 16gb 4 x the amount way more than the average user will need. If you are on the cutting edge of computing you will need to update your portable computer every 2-3 years for cpu or gpu anyway. Ram and ssd upgrades will mean nothing to you.

If you are a casual user looking to keep your computer for 6-7 years the better reliability and thinner lighter design provided by non upgradeable parts is far more useful to you than upgrade-ability if you buy what you need when you get your computer, especially with such huge ram amounts and the fastest consumer SSD’s in them.

In short people wanting or needing upgradeability are in huge minority in general and in quite a majority on a nerdy tech site like this. While I am a casual nerd myself I like to be voice of reason on these forums against this huge bias on this site.

I think some of the complaining we hear is partly because many people pay what they feel is a fair price or what they can afford at the time but want the ability to improve their specs down the road as the tech becomes more affordable or they have the money. To pay an extra $300 to $400 for more ram or storage seems unreasonable to pay up front. The upgrade prices Apple charges for ram and storage over the base unit price is astronomical.

 

[maflynn]

They are priced similar to other laptops with comparable hardware and overall features (e.g. Dell Precision line)

The Dell XPS line has better components and costs less money then the MBP.

There are a lot of things Apple uses that is not available in consumer laptops (for instance, GPU multiplexer in the 15" model, more expensive controller chips, more expensive WiFi chips, more expensive RAM, better quality voltage regulators etc.), all that cost extra

So do you mind providing some source material that Apple is using better quality voltage regulators, controller chips and wifi chips? Since most companies really don't release much info on what goes on the logic board, this seems more like an assumption on your part. I could be wrong, and I'm sure apple does use better higher priced ram, but for the other components, I'd like proof.

Apple is a consumer company and their MBP is for consumers, and when you compare the consumer based laptops with other consumer based makers - buyers are incurring an apple tax. I like Apple laptops I think they're great (not perfect), but some issues these past few years have shaken my faith so to speak. The laptop is a tool and if I don't have confidence in that tool, I'll find another. If apple chooses to pass on releasing the MBP at WWDC and we have to wait for a september event, then that might be too late for my needs.

P.S. If they don't release Coffee Lake models soonish though, then yes, it will be overpriced.

Many laptop makers have already rolled out Coffee Lake laptops and so Apple is charging nearly 3k for a quad core, slower GPU machine 16GB max laptop vs a hexcore/faster GPU 32GB laptops. I'd say Apple is at risk at missing the college student buying window if we don't see anything from WWDC. In the past we had to wait until the fall if nothing came out of WWDC

 

[MBAir2010]

My MacBook Air paid for itself, not too many products I own did that!

 

[thewap]

I think people forget this - the 2010 MBP that I sent to my in-laws is still plugging along, the 2012 MBP that my daughter uses for school is still a workhorse - they are 8 and 6 years old respectively and I don't worry about them at all...that said, I did install SSDs in both of them.

2010 and 2012 models were still user serviceable / upgradable , newer models are not. So not a good compass to go by concerning present mac longevity vs value.

 

[BornAgainMac]

Microsoft Surface Book is over $3000 too when you configure it that way. It is also approaching a year old. Also not serviceable or upgradable.

 

[OriginalAppleGuy]

I think some of the complaining we hear is partly because many people pay what they feel is a fair price or what they can afford at the time but want the ability to improve their specs down the road as the tech becomes more affordable or they have the money. To pay an extra $300 to $400 for more ram or storage seems unreasonable to pay up front. The upgrade prices Apple charges for ram and storage over the base unit price is astronomical.

Yeah sure. I had a laptop in the mid 90's. I bought it specifically because everything I was concerned about was upgradable. The ram, hard drive, and processor (yes, processor). That was back when upgrades of each component were significant. I didn't upgrade the hard drive (expensive). Don't remember if I upgraded the RAM, may have. Didn't upgrade the processor. Proprietary design was EXPENSIVE, it never decreased in price, and they never offered future processors for updates. Point being is it was the most upgradable laptop ever built and some upgrades just weren't worth it.
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Apple is a consumer company and their MBP is for consumers, and when you compare the consumer based laptops with other consumer based makers - buyers are incurring an apple tax.

That is just not true. You can't compare a MBP to a consumer laptop. MBPs are built to business quality standards. When you consider the software, including virus/malware protection, pricing is quite comparable. In fact, companies choosing to move to Apple computers and OSs realize decreased support costs. IBM saw that and others following have realized it as well.