Apple to Introduce Cheaper Macs?

[dukebound85]

That's strange, you later state it's due to their hardware, not design.

their designs influences their hardware...aka the whole computer

How many times have you had the issue since?

thats besides the point. i had the issue

So then, Apple replaced your MBP? Glad to hear it

no they didnt

the replaced my iphone and had a software fix for the rsd crap. screw the fact that i lost open data because of thier poor design decisions

 

[LagunaSol]

Take the Titanium PowerBooks that were notorious for hinge breakage.

The hinges on my previous Compaq laptop made opening the screen akin to forcing a too-low door open over uneven shag carpeting. Smooth...catch...smooth...catch. Creeeaaakk....

But hey, 3 good tugs is all it took to get it open. That gets a "Satisfactory" mark in the world of PC users!

P.S. I guess HP Compaq doesn't do "real world" testing either?

 

[Anuba]

The hinges on my previous Compaq laptop made opening the screen akin to forcing a too-low door open over uneven shag carpeting. Smooth...catch...smooth...catch. Creeeaaakk....

But hey, 3 good tugs is all it took to get it open. That gets a "Satisfactory" mark in the world of PC users!

P.S. I guess HP Compaq doesn't do "real world" testing either?

Dude, the TiBook hinges didn't creak, they BROKE OFF. Snapped like twigs. I used a borrowed one for a while, one hinge was OK, the other had a piece of the computer hanging from it, the only way to use this machine was to put the screen up to a wall and carefully balance the right side of the screen on a sharp piece of metal.

"The hinges on the Titanium PowerBook display are notorious for breaking under typical use. Usually the hinge (which is shaped like an 'L') will break just to the left of where it attaches to the lower case on the right hinge, and just to the right on the left hinge (where the right hinge is on the right side of the computer when the optical drive is facing you). At least one manufacturer began producing sturdier replacement hinges to address this problem, though actually performing the repair is difficult as the display bezel is glued together".

 

[DMann]

their designs influences their hardware...aka the whole computer

Oh really? Please, enlighten us.

thats besides the point. i had the issue

Bad Apple, they lose a point (-1) in my book.

the replaced my iphone and had a software fix for the rsd crap. screw the fact that i lost open data because of thier poor design decisions

You're referring to this as a poor design decision? Sounds more like an adjustment to fan or graphics card settings than a design decision, if a software fix made the adjustment.

 

[Eidorian]

Dude, the TiBook hinges didn't creak, they BROKE OFF. Snapped like twigs. I had a borrowed one for a while, one hinge was OK, the other had a piece of the computer hanging from it, the only way to use this machine was to put the screen up to a wall and carefully balance the right side of the screen on a sharp piece of metal.

Please, I'd rather not recall or list all of the Apple hardware defects that I have in memory for the past 10 years.

 

[DMann]

Oh, and registering a DLL file in the registry so PowerPoint will display thumbnails of clip art, why, any brain dead user should be able to figure that out!

Sounds symptomatic of "DLL Hell." You are quite right, Windows attitude is, and has always been, "Once we schlep it together and ship it outa here, it's all your's to deal with."

 

[dukebound85]

Oh really? Please, enlighten us.

they design the computer. they make the design small. they cram parts to fit said design. it affects components in terms of wiring, air flow, whatever

Bad Apple, they lose a point (-1) in my book.

yea they should...

You're referring to this as a poor design decision? Sounds more like an adjustment to fan or graphics card settings than a design decision, if a software fix made the adjustment.

yes. if you actually studied the issue. youd know it was a thermal sensor that they decided to just "ignore" with the software switch. the thermal sensor would hit a limit and shut the machine down for safety.

why you cant accept apple does in fact have problems with their machines is beyond me
youd be a great spokesperson

remember, all i said was in my experience, apples quality hasnt been good.

Please, I'd rather not recall or list all of the Apple hardware defects that I have in memory for the past 10 years.

no kidding huh? i state my issues and get told they arent actually problems nor apples fault. its really amusing to see what some people will say to defend apple when there is no defense to be had

 

[LagunaSol]

Dude, the TiBook hinges didn't creak, they BROKE OFF. Snapped like twigs.

Replacement hinges for Dell Latitude laptops are a cottage industry on eBay.

Your point being...Apple makes some stuff that breaks? GET OUT OF TOWN!

 

[Eidorian]

Replacement hinges for Dell Latitude laptops are a cottage industry on eBay.

Your point being...Apple makes some stuff that breaks? GET OUT OF TOWN!

iFixIt and eBay replacement parts for Macs as well.

I do remember a third party replacement hinge made specifically for the Titanium PowerBooks.

 

[xhambonex]

I rather they up the quality and keep the prices then just drop the prices. They will remain "overpriced" in a pure parts to parts cost breakdown to other PCs because the money isn't just for parts in the computer its a package deal with customer service, OS research, design, materials. Whatever they want to call it.

I don't think of my computer as poorly built, but Apple doesn't go after structural build quality. Just press the Apple on the back of your screen, it takes no effort to touch the panel, which means anything on top of the screen or pushing or falling on it is scary to me. Then you go and look at the ugly looking lenovos but hey look at the structural build quality. Even those commercials where they just flat out drop the computers on the ground. My MBP which may look nicer, but the case dents easily the trim is coming up, and the thing is extremely hot. But that's just mine out of the 40 or so MBPs (exact same computer) in my studio at school, almost everyone has a build quality issue. Unfortunate but Applecare is wonderful. But that's no excuse for keeping the build quality down.

Oh and the hardware counts as build quality because theres no real standard configuration to where everything from the ram, HDD, fans, etc. is placed under the shell, its really up to apple to design how it all fits.

 

[Goona]

Plastic or not, there are two main reasons for Apple's quality issues:

1) China. 'Nuff said.

2) They often go for unusual design choices that haven't undergone any real world testing (50 people at Apple carrying around prototypes isn't the real world). Take the Titanium PowerBooks that were notorious for hinge breakage. Well, that's what you get if you use a material that no other manufacturer uses. The chrome back on iPods -- guaranteed to look like garbage after two days of use. The wafer-thin MBA -- guaranteed to have heat issues.

Exactly like Citroën. Bold, innovative and jam packed with unique solutions, yes... and also every car mechanic's dream cash cow.

Apple quality issues, lol.

Every company has quality issues. If Apple has quality issues, then I wonder about the likes of Dell.

 

[DMann]

they design the computer. they make the design small. they cram parts to fit said design. it affects components

If I recall, you stated:

their designs influences their hardware...aka the whole computer

So then, you meant their design affects their hardware.

why you cant accept apple does in fact have problems with their machines is beyond me

youd be a great spokesperson

Oh, I can accept that Apple has problems with their machines. Every since they decided to become (more) competitive with the PC industry by having things manufactured in China, quality has become compromised. Nevertheless, I've had droves more issues with Windows, and with machines branded by gateway, Dell, Compaq, HP... (less with Asus) At the very least, Apple stands by its products without the hassle indicative of other companies.

 

[zap2]

Good...do it.


I was looking at Dell/HP's netbook...for 299/399, I was pretty happy with the specs...10'' screen is large enough for me!

I just need a light weight OS X laptop....my 12'' is get old and is bigger then I'd like!

 

[xhambonex]

Apple quality issues, lol.

Every company has quality issues. If Apple has quality issues, then I wonder about the likes of Dell.

But how much do you pay for that dell? The point is not that they have quality issues, of course they do, all companies do, but people or even apple argue that the reason their prices are high is because they have such quality products.

High price = better quality, OS development, customer support, design, thats what most people argue in favor of the price tag.

Now after the initial purchase, you pay an extra $300 for 3yrs of that customer support (pure profit purchase), $120 or so for the updated OS (which is essentially for the dev. of the OSs) so I pay extra in fact for most of those things on top of the price tag, the thing that sticks and what you pay from ultimately up front is the performance parts and build quality. For the price, yes I'd like to see better effort in this department.

 

[NT1440]

Why are you tacking on the price of the NEW OS? Thats not part of the cost of the computer at the time, and if you are going to do that you must also mention the cost of upgrading the alternative OS.

 

[Eidorian]

Why are you tacking on the price of the NEW OS? Thats not part of the cost of the computer at the time, and if you are going to do that you must also mention the cost of upgrading the alternative OS.

Apparently people pay for iLife every year as well.

 

[BMWFan]

Of course Apple products have issues. It's the fact that Apple fanboys deny that they have issues and the claim that the premium is there because they've less issues is what bothers the non-fanboys.

 

[fokket]

Apple Quality high?

I'm sorry, but SOME of you guys ARE fanboys.

There products tend to have hit and miss lottery.


Luckily both my Macs have been SOLID machines, but when I hear
about others, it's not always the case.


I couldn't believe my eyes when a poster said
'that's why it's good idea to buy an Applecare'
than

'Apple made a ***** product', knowingly ignored the issue etc.


Sorry but recent mess up of Airport Express REALLy set me off.

 

[NT1440]

Of course Apple products have issues. It's the fact that Apple fanboys deny that they have issues and the claim that the premium is there because they've less issues is what bothers the non-fanboys.

:confused

^Edit: what issues are there with the airport express? (I dont have one)

 

[milatchi]

Apple is preparing to introduce cheaper Macs as soon as this spring.

I don't believe it!

 

[BMWFan]

:confused

^Edit: what issues are there with the airport express? (I dont have one)

Apple have issues. It's clear. Numerous have been listed in this thread and in the forums.

Apple fanboys either keep denying that there are issues or insist that the premium is there because Apple products have less issues than other brand.

This bothers the non-fanboys.

 

[xhambonex]

Why are you tacking on the price of the NEW OS? Thats not part of the cost of the computer at the time, and if you are going to do that you must also mention the cost of upgrading the alternative OS.

Well see thats fine but even with paying for that OS (the $15 I can pay for windows as a student vs. the $60 (for leopard)) Even at full price the $1000 I could save on a Windows PC vs. a MBP would would help pay for that windows 7 upgrade and still be way less then the MBP.

Im not trying to compare, I'm just saying that if you include OS dev. as part of the premium price of a mac, then the extra $120 for the disc is just adding to that. I don't pay the same premium for windows. for good reason, but I was getting at the fact that the money spent initially on the computer really pays for quality performance and build since I have to pay more for customer service and again for the newer OS. If that doesn't make any sense, I apologize. That's really not my point.

I would simply prefer Apple to up the build quality instead of just dropping the price. Because really it just shows that their machines aren't worth "that quality premium" Apple mentions about their line.

 

[Anuba]

Apple quality issues, lol.

Every company has quality issues. If Apple has quality issues, then I wonder about the likes of Dell.

Low-end Dells? Sure. But Apple doesn't make anything in that category so it's not really a valid comparison.

High-end Dells? Oh I dunno... the Dell Precision machines I've used never had any issues, and a client of mine has about 50 of them, haven't heard of any issues with those either. The pressure on Dell to make those machines free from build quality issues is very high, since...

...they don't have Apple's margins so there's less room for losses
...they include 3Y warranty and support in the price, so they're obligated to fix all faults at not extra charge. (Apple charges extra for that, what does that tell you about their confidence in the build quality?)
...those machines are aimed at businesses who have high demands on 24/7 reliability
...they sell them in massive volumes, which means recalls or high failure rates could prove devastating

 

[iPhoneNYC]

This is a welcome move. As Apple traditional prices without the consumer in min, this upcoming year cycle i is critical to offer less expensive models. And deeper discounts for educational!

 

[steve333]

Why doesn't Apple just knock down the price of the Mini to $499 and up the RAM to 2 GB?
That actually would make it worthwhile to purchase.