Do you think Macbook pros are over priced?

[macagain]

Many years ago (think late 90s), IBM made some really nice Thinkpads, I remember my 600 had a one piece all magnesium top case (i know this cos the paint had a flaking problem...), and an all magnesium screen back cover as well. HP also made some nice machines then as well. Both were premium priced, probably around 15-20% more than the usual Dell, toshiba, etc. crap similarly configured. People who wanted the "good" stuff willingly paid the premium. Were they overpriced?

Now, Lenovo and HP have both lowered their price points to compete with Dell, etc. And they are ***crap***!

Have you picked up a "high end" <insert pc manufacturer here> lately? They are all plastic crap. Worse yet, have you tried working a few hours on one of them? And don't get me started on the trackpads! (Reminds me of the old joke: What did the elephant say to the naked man?)

Give me the premium priced premium product any day!

As an aside, someone should do a study, and keep track of what computer carpal tunnel syndrome sufferers use... they results would be eye opening.

 

[max pl]

Many years ago (think late 90s), IBM made some really nice Thinkpads, I remember my 600 had a one piece all magnesium top case (i know this cos the paint had a flaking problem...), and an all magnesium screen back cover as well. HP also made some nice machines then as well. Both were premium priced, probably around 15-20% more than the usual Dell, toshiba, etc. crap similarly configured. People who wanted the "good" stuff willingly paid the premium. Were they overpriced?

Now, Lenovo and HP have both lowered their price points to compete with Dell, etc. And they are ***crap***!

Have you picked up a "high end" <insert pc manufacturer here> lately? They are all plastic crap. Worse yet, have you tried working a few hours on one of them? And don't get me started on the trackpads! (Reminds me of the old joke: What did the elephant say to the naked man?)

Give me the premium priced premium product any day!

As an aside, someone should do a study, and keep track of what computer carpal tunnel syndrome sufferers use... they results would be eye opening.

youre crazy if you think the quality of thinkpads has declined since the 90s. it hasnt.

still great machines with great customer support.

 

[neteng101]

youre crazy if you think the quality of thinkpads has declined since the 90s. it hasn't

Lenovo has watered down the Thinkpad name - the top line models are still good, but there is the Edge, SL-series, etc Thinkpads now. Although IBM started it too back when with the R-series and such... but in the days of the 600 there wasn't the cheap stuff in the lineup.

HP is all trash if you ask me. Would buy a Dell anyday to a HP.

 

[Consultant]

No.

In contrast, PCs are overpriced in terms of wasting user time and annoying users.

 

[xheathen]

I think that if it was plausible to custom build a laptop like you build a desktop PC, then it would be a much different story.

Bottom line for me is that I've yet to really like any windows based laptop I've used. I've always custom built my windows PC's and they are as rock solid as any mac. Not a blue screen, virus, crash or hardware failure in the 4 years since I first plugged it in, and that's going from XP to Win7 on top of it.

But the flip side to that is those who custom build windows PC's should also understand why Macs really are not overpriced. When you buy quality parts, it's more expensive than a ****** Dell you might buy at Costco. The reason for the price gap between Mac and Windows PC's is completely lost on 90% of the population. I'm personally glad Apple doesn't feel like it has to explain and defend itself to the unwashed masses who just don't get it and don't care to figure it out.

The best explanation I saw was in this thread: Macs are expensive, but not overpriced.

 

[TheBaroness]

Does the educational discount offer vary by product and school? Currently, students at my college can get $100 off the 13" & 15" 2.0GHz MBP, and $200 off the 15" 2.2GHz & 17" MBP. I think they're all expensive as hell, but that's my $0.02. I agree, expensive doesn't always mean overpriced. But it can.

That being said, I've been looking into these for a long time. Yes, they are way out of my budget - I just graduated and I expect to be broke for a while. However, I also expect that whatever I buy, I'll be able to take it on location with me, edit video, manage the production photo libraries easily, etc. with no problems. I was trained on both Mac & PC in my "professional" courses, and work fine on either one. I just find that I prefer working on Macs when I'm doing graphics-intensive projects.

And, of course, if someone wants to just hand over a machine of any flavor fully loaded with Avid, FCP, Premiere, Quark, Photoshop, Illustrator...

 

[Next Tuesday]

You get what you pay for. I think pc's are overpriced plastic piece of junks.

 

[VTMac]

If they lowered a little bit on the macbook pros i think it would be fair i do agree that macs are a bit over priced but i think its way worth the money.

The fact that you think it's "way worth the money" means they've nailed the price exactly right.

 

[iZero]

The extreme bias on either side, is nonsense, really. These types of threads always go one of two ways... The slightly higher number of PC people go off their rocker on a Mac forum trying to rattle Mac owner's cages, through spinning facts to a wildly inaccurate level. Or the slightly higher number of Mac people go off their rocker starting to say that every Windows machine is ****** and do nothing but crash and get virus' and play kiddy games.

Now, people are entitled to their own opinions. Could Macs be cheaper? Yes. Are they overpriced? If they do what you need, and they make you happy doing it, then no. They are not. It's a simple, inarguable fact that value and matters of worth are relative to the people that spend the money. It's like going out for a steak sandwich vs. getting a steak. Just because one costs more than the other even though both use the same basic "meat" inside, doesn't mean it's overpriced. If you don't like it, or prefer the other, then sure, it might seem that way. Nothing wrong with either one, both get the job done. One can't even claim quality over the other. Just because one is made with a different mindset, doesn't make it inferior. But for the person who orders it and is happy with their meal, it's worth it. End of story.

To claim that Macs have no use in a business environment, is absolute, utter nonsense, and just being plain silly. No matter how one tries to spin facts. There's a reason Macs are quickly becoming (and in some cases have become) the industry standard in certain important areas. On the flip side, to claim that Windows machines do nothing but crash and burn, is just being plain silly. There's a reason Windows is industry standard in the areas it dominates. There are tasks that magical Windows machines can't do. Period. And there are tasks that magical Apple "kool-aid" machines can't do. Period. Get what suits you, and be happy.

 

[sbbluewater]

I have been a PC user for over 20 years and finally switched to MAC. So far I am very impressed. Even though the components are the same or similar everything on the Apple platform just seems to work really well. As Apple controls everything on the software side my experience so far has been very positive. Even though the first cost of the Macbook Pro is higher than a Windows based machine the Macbook Pro just seems to work very smoothly. When I factor in the cost of downtime and support issues on my Windows machines the cost differences between my Macbook Pro and my Windows laptops gets very, very small.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

You get what you pay for. I think pc's are overpriced plastic piece of junks.

I think netbooks are pretty tough though. At least the one I have. I have a HP Mini 1116nr. Specs: Intel Atom 1.60ghz 1GB ram and only a 16GB SSD. I loaded W7 on it and mainly use it for email, web and light document editing. I've dropped this sucker a thousand times, took it to the beach plenty of times, and left it on my terrace with the lid open while it was raining overnight by mistake. Still up to this day, it runs smooth without any problems. Has a couple of scratches from dropping it, but no dents or no loose keys.

I got to give it to MS on this one. I doubt the latest OSX would run smoothly on these specs like W7 does, and I've already tried Linux Mint on this when I first got it and W7 still runs better on it.

Also I've had an 17' Acer and a 15' Gateway notebook before that have done me well. But I do agree that nowadays PC notebooks are becoming more flimsy and inferior.

 

[iZero]

I got to give it to MS on this one. I doubt the latest OSX would run smoothly on these specs like W7 does, and I've already tried Linux Mint on this when I first got it and W7 still runs better on it.

For what it's worth, I wanted to add I feel the same on this point. When it came time to get Windows 7 on my Windows machine I was terrified after using XP and Vista. I just didn't care for either at all and was nervous about Windows 7, but wanted to go ahead and upgrade to stay current for the things I use that machine for. Windows 7 is a gorgeous experience. I can't say it compares to OS X for me, but if my Macs somehow died tomorrow, I wouldn't be unhappy using Windows 7 day to day. Not at all.

Edit: Naturally I would be unhappy my Macs died But, Windows 7 is a pleasant experience, very much so.

 

[wct097]

No offense taken, but I never did help desk. I mainly dealt with technical support, storage management, network operations, etc: Also had to do some light troubleshooting with Java and some Databases. Both in Windows & Unix. By no means do I claim I was a high level IT guy.

Compatibility aside(which was one of my points), I fail to see why OSX wouldn't pass real world security audit. And I never made the claim it's cause OSX being mostly virus free.

Lots of people, not you in this case, love to make the case that Macs are more secure than PCs. While this may be true in some broad strokes due to lack of virus threats, it has no bearing on a real world security audit. Most of these such audits specifically deal with restricting user rights at a group level, along with group & security policy settings at a domain level.

While I'm sure you could shoehorn a Mac into the mix using some third party software, this isn't really something that Apple offers out of the box (or even for an additional fee that I know of).

Healthcare, as an example, tends to be very strict about security with any system that has access to patient data. Being able to enforce a password policy, screen timeout, login message, etc is very important.

Oh.. and don't get me started on Bonjour on a corporate network. We're being force fed iPad support as a cost savings measure (vs printing), and the first question we're asked is... "how do we print".

 

[wct097]

To claim that Macs have no use in a business environment, is absolute, utter nonsense, and just being plain silly.

With some minor exceptions, I think it's safe to say that Macs have no real place in corporate environments. Sure, it's silly to claim that someone with a business can't reasonably use an Apple.

But... back to my original objection in this thread. The term 'pro' is pure marketing BS. No different than car manufacturers plastering a 'sport' logo on the side of their vehicles. I've seen that on mini-vans, Jeeps, and Neons. It's marketing and has no bearing on the real world.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Lots of people, not you in this case, love to make the case that Macs are more secure than PCs. While this may be true in some broad strokes due to lack of virus threats, it has no bearing on a real world security audit. Most of these such audits specifically deal with restricting user rights at a group level, along with group & security policy settings at a domain level.

While I'm sure you could shoehorn a Mac into the mix using some third party software, this isn't really something that Apple offers out of the box (or even for an additional fee that I know of).

Healthcare, as an example, tends to be very strict about security with any system that has access to patient data. Being able to enforce a password policy, screen timeout, login message, etc is very important.

Oh.. and don't get me started on Bonjour on a corporate network. We're being force fed iPad support as a cost savings measure (vs printing), and the first question we're asked is... "how do we print".

I don't think this is necessarily true with OSX server. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it should offer the same protocols, permissions, and etc: as Windows. I've don't have any experience with OSX server though.

 

[AFPoster]

I think prices can come down, but I only say that because I love saving. As for it's price compared to PC's a Mac is a high level machine built for reliability and getting things done. I have no issues paying this amount to avoid all issues windows & pc providers (dell, hp, asus) have.

 

[macgeek18]

No, there extremely quality machines with power for productivity and have the best fully functional OS that has everything you need and more build right in. Mac OSX also takes system resources and uses only minimal RAM. I love my MB and it's a 2Ghz. C2D. It's better than my Thinkpad running 7 and the Lenovo has twice the RAM of my MB.

 

[macgeek18]

Lenovo has watered down the Thinkpad name - the top line models are still good, but there is the Edge, SL-series, etc Thinkpads now. Although IBM started it too back when with the R-series and such... but in the days of the 600 there wasn't the cheap stuff in the lineup.

HP is all trash if you ask me. Would buy a Dell anyday to a HP.

I have a T410 Thinkpad and it's a great machine.Very good build quality. But Mac's are still way better.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Anything from walmart is crap . Period.

Even iPhones, iPods and iPads?

 

[CraiginPA215]

It depends on your definition of overpriced.

If the only reason you'd consider getting an OS X notebook or desktop is iOS develoment, then yes, they'd seem overpriced.

If you are accustomed to Windows 7 (etc) and OS X feels uncomfortable to you, then yes, Mac's would seem overpriced.

If you look strictly at tangible functionality (not esthetics or mere style/approach preferences) and prioritized those based on which are widely adopted or becoming so, then yes, they seem overpriced (by up to 2x just prior to the lastest updates).

On the other hand, ...

If there's something you really-really have to get done and it can only be done on Mac's, then it isn't overpriced compared to not getting your work done.

If you are accustomed to OS X and either not accustomed to Win7 or prefer OS X enough to be willing to pay the extra cost to get it (and the extra costs to run Windows apps and add non-Apple functionality on Mac's), then it isn't overpriced.

If you look at the the economics of Apple's business model whereby it chose to be uniquely proprietary, and then compensate for those lower economies of scale by targeting a premium price and image, they aren't overpriced. (FYI, Apple did fix the biggest gap by coming on board the Intel platform where Intel's investments are spread over the entire desktop/notebook industry.)

If you believe in capitalism and free-market forces (e.g., supply & demand balance), then they're not overpriced; rather, they're priced at the level their segment of the market is willing to pay and which gives Apple a healthy profit.

Bottom line:

If a WinTel could've met your functional needs but you bought a MacBookPro, then apparently it was worth it to you, so apparently it wasn't overpriced.

 

[skiltrip]

Expensive, yes. But I think they make it worth your money.

 

[aznguyen316]

Overpriced? Yeah I think a little bit. That or expensive.. but I'd go with OP by a hundred or two. Look at their ram upgrades and HDD upgrades, that's pretty overpriced to me.

 

[Mik3F]

Personally I think all Apple products are overpriced, doesn't stop me buying them though

 

[hindmost]

Never heard that. I can see US educational prices from the UK. It's $50 off a MB, $100 off a MBP. Am I missing something?

==================================
There is always the Apple standard price as shown at the online Apple Store. However, there are somewhat lower prices to specific classes of buyers by Apple. Examples are students, government workers, some professional organizations, etc.

For a MBP a student can get a 100 dollar discount nearly all the time. However, a really significant savings is available in many States during an 'annual state tax holiday'. For example, in North Carolina a low-end MBP 15 costs $1799, plus tax discounted for students to $1699 plus tax. Subtract another 7.75 percent State tax on a State tax holiday (usually in late Summer before school starts) and the final student price ends up around $1567.00

Buying computers, cars, and most any appliance with regard to price depends on where & when coupled with who's buying. Confused? Don't blame you, it's called 'the free market' highly geared to supply & demand as well as the foregoing additional considerations for students and organizations.

 

[deeesea]

As an aside, someone should do a study, and keep track of what computer carpal tunnel syndrome sufferers use... they results would be eye opening.

Carpal tunnel prevalence should be the same for both OSX and windows users, Why would it be different? in fact, I can imagine OSX users would have a higher prevalence of CT. Think about the sharpness of the edge of that laptop, think about using the magic mouse. The amount of stress you put on your wrist while using the magic mouse and typing on the MBP. The edge severely pinches the median nerve which in the long run will definitely cause inflammation and carpal tunnel. Even padded/gel arm wrests for typing has been known to be bad for your wrist in the long run.

The prevention of CT is primarily in how you type, typing with your wrists raised can help reduce the chances of CT simply because there is no pressure applied to the median nerve when your wrists are not touching any surface. (some people complain it's tiring, but having played piano for many years, I'm used to it).

That being said, as for the OP's question, I don't think MBPs are overpriced, perhaps the shock of spending 2 grand on a laptop is a lot for some people (pretty sure you americans can get a decently running car with minimal mechanical fuss for roughly 2 grand). I guess this is probably why 75% of the users on this forum baby it their laptops thinking it'll last longer if it's at home 24/7 and etc etc :S.

yes, 2 grand is a lot, but when you think about it (and this is only on the hardware level), for half the price you could get a windows machine, but it won't last half as long as the OSX counterpart. So to use a laptop for 5 years you'll have to buy that same windows machine twice. which really adds up to about the same price as you'd pay for the mac. Then there's the OS, credit where it's due, Windows 7 is a decent OS. But i prefer OSX for day to day operations it's all in the finer details. The developers have added very nice touches which I enjoy, such as scrolling, it's just much smoother on OSX whereas scrolling on windows (esp their two finger touchpad scrolling) just feels choppy and poorly done.

So whatever "premium" exists becomes negligible in the long run. But my opinion doesn't count for those who lease apple products.