[Canada] $3200 for base MBP 15" model?

[ALRS_S48]

Hi everyone,

I'm actively looking for a laptop and I heard great things about Macs and their build quality/customer support. My minimum requirement for screen size is 15", but upon checking up the pricing of the base 15" MBP model, it comes out at ~$3200 for the base model (with AppleCare & Canadian taxes) that includes:

A meager 256 GB SSD.
No dedicated GPU.

How do you guys rationalize expending that amount of money for a laptop with 256 GB of SSD and no discrete GPU? Serious question.

 

[iPad Retina]

Im also located in Canada, the price is ridiculous! It's because of the Canadian Dollar. I would buy it off Kijiji, there are lots of the same model 256GB Base model

 

[ALRS_S48]

Im also located in Canada, the price is ridiculous! It's because of the Canadian Dollar. I would buy it off Kijiji, there are lots of the same model 256GB Base model

Kijiji is an option, but being a highly risk-averse individual, I always tend to avoid after-market classified sell-and-buy due to fear of online fraud & scam. And to be honest, if I'm to spend >$2000, I want that peace of mind, knowing that if anything goes wrong with the machine I'll be able to exchange or get it fixed with minimal trouble.

I guess it's a bad time to be a Canadian. The ridiculous pricing is too high an entry barrier. Back to PC shopping for me.

 

[LxHunter]

Hi everyone,

I'm actively looking for a laptop and I heard great things about Macs and their build quality/customer support. My minimum requirement for screen size is 15", but upon checking up the pricing of the base 15" MBP model, it comes out at ~$3200 for the base model (with AppleCare & Canadian taxes) that includes:

A meager 256 GB SSD.
No dedicated GPU.

How do you guys rationalize expending that amount of money for a laptop with 256 GB of SSD and no discrete GPU? Serious question.

I am located in Toronto - I purchased a MBP.15.4/2.5GHZ/16GB/512GB August 2014 before Apple adjusted C$ prices up by about 15-20%. Price was C$2,699 less C$162 (6%) business discount.

I rationalize:

1. Total Cost of ownership is lower: I have sold my Apple gadgets after 2-3 years for about 50% of cost. I think of it as a one-time entry fee:
When I buy the next MBP I will be selling my current MPB for about 50% of the cost of a new one.
The person that buys my MBP will be getting a used MBP for about 50% of new cost
And I will be paying, net, 50% for a new MBP.
2. Productivity is higher
3. I like using it.

I work in a small IT company. All (yes 100%) of the Engineer/Developer types use MBP's.
As I have told my family and friends - yes lots of good value in cheap PC's - just not for me.
If I had a choice of any PC for free I would still buy a MBP.

Alternatives:
1. Watch for deals at BestBuy - the same thing but can save few bucks.
2. Apple refurbished.

PS - yep C$ really sucks. Brainiacs in Ottawa think a C/US $0.77 is good

 

[snaky69]

Kijiji is an option, but being a highly risk-averse individual, I always tend to avoid after-market classified sell-and-buy due to fear of online fraud & scam. And to be honest, if I'm to spend >$2000, I want that peace of mind, knowing that if anything goes wrong with the machine I'll be able to exchange or get it fixed with minimal trouble.

I guess it's a bad time to be a Canadian. The ridiculous pricing is too high an entry barrier. Back to PC shopping for me.

Have you looked at the refurbished store? Good as new, a substantial rebate and the same warranty as a new machine and eligible for AppleCare.

 

[iPad Retina]

Have you looked at the refurbished store? Good as new, a substantial rebate and the same warranty as a new machine and eligible for AppleCare.

There are currently none, in US (California) the price is $1609 before taxes for a base model 2014

$1609 + $349 (AppleCare) x 1.08 (Taxes)
= $2114.64

That's $114.64 more for a base and older model.

 

[ALRS_S48]

I am located in Toronto - I purchased a MBP.15.4/2.5GHZ/16GB/512GB August 2014 before Apple adjusted C$ prices up by about 15-20%. Price was C$2,699 less C$162 (6%) business discount.

I rationalize:

1. Total Cost of ownership is lower: I have sold my Apple gadgets after 2-3 years for about 50% of cost. I think of it as a one-time entry fee:
When I buy the next MBP I will be selling my current MPB for about 50% of the cost of a new one.
The person that buys my MBP will be getting a used MBP for about 50% of new cost
And I will be paying, net, 50% for a new MBP.
2. Productivity is higher
3. I like using it.

I work in a small IT company. All (yes 100%) of the Engineer/Developer types use MBP's.
As I have told my family and friends - yes lots of good value in cheap PC's - just not for me.
If I had a choice of any PC for free I would still buy a MBP.

Alternatives:
1. Watch for deals at BestBuy - the same thing but can save few bucks.
2. Apple refurbished.

PS - yep C$ really sucks. Brainiacs in Ottawa think a C/US $0.77 is good

Thank you for the valuable insight.

$2537 for a brand new 15" MBP with 512 GB SSD is a much easier pill to swallow than a $3200 base model with a small 256 GB SSD (I see it being filled within a week given the amount of work that I have to work with). It's far too costly.

The resale value of MBP is a huge plus, which makes it more of an investment than a sunken-cost purchase as is the case with most PCs out there.

I just feel like the prices now are far too high for me to consider purchasing (or rather investing) in one. I'll wait for Skylake & Windows 10 to roll out and get a decent $1200 PC with a good 15" display/backlit keyboard/SSD/quad core processor/dGPU/Thunderbolt 3. Should last for a few years. Hopefully.

 

[LxHunter]

Thank you for the valuable insight.

$2537 for a brand new 15" MBP with 512 GB SSD is a much easier pill to swallow than a $3200 base model with a small 256 GB SSD (I see it being filled within a week given the amount of work that I have to work with). It's far too costly.

The resale value of MBP is a huge plus, which makes it more of an investment than a sunken-cost purchase as is the case with most PCs out there.

I just feel like the prices now are far too high for me to consider purchasing (or rather investing) in one. I'll wait for Skylake & Windows 10 to roll out and get a decent $1200 PC with a good 15" display/backlit keyboard/SSD/quad core processor/dGPU/Thunderbolt 3. Should last for a few years. Hopefully.

P.S.
Forgot to say I didn't start with a new MBP.
First purchase was a used MBP.
Worked my way up from there over 6 years.
Bought AppleCare for big discount on eBay.
Best luck with whatever you buy.

 

[LxHunter]

There are currently none, in US (California) the price is $1609 before taxes for a base model 2014

$1609 + $349 (AppleCare) x 1.08 (Taxes)
= $2114.64

That's $114.64 more for a base and older model.

New (1,999+349)*1.08=2,535.84
Refurb (1609+349)*1.08=2,114.64