Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

How are Macs overpriced?

MacintoshMaster

MacintoshMaster

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 16, 2010
259
1
Britain
I don't understand.
I understand that you can get a faster windows computer for the same price as a mac but you can't run OS X. DAW and Photography are terrible on windows (As is everything) so how isn't that alone enough to make them not overpriced. Also, each part goes well together perfectly so no incompatible part put together = no hardware problems. Software is easier to get. Macs also have a way higher resale value. You don't get crashes because of incompatible software with your hardware as much as windows. The trackpad on a macbook pro is the best out there. They have metal cases. They look great.

I just don't get it. I would rather have a Powermac G4 than a quad core 3Ghz 16GB ram ssd drive windows computer because I can run good software. All the best software is available for mac like logic - even Sibelius which also runs on windows works way better on mac. How can people even compare Mac to Windows? Windows is like a Ford Fiesta and Mac is like a Ferrari.

I don't understand?
 
Agreed on most points (others I can't comment on), especially the MBP, how PC manufacturers can't deliver a decent trackpad is beyond me.

MacintoshMaster said:
I understand that you can get a faster windows computer for the same price as a mac but you can't run OS X.
Click to expand...
Well, there you go, for some the price of OS X is worth it for others it isn't.
 
AdrianK said:
how PC manufacturers can't deliver a decent trackpad is beyond me.
Click to expand...

Completely agree, especially some of those shiny glide-resistant ones....

MacintoshMaster said:
I just don't get it. I would rather have a Powermac G4 than a quad core 3Ghz 16GB ram ssd drive windows computer because I can run good software. All the best software is available for mac like logic - even Sibelius which also runs on windows works way better on mac. How can people even compare Mac to Windows? Windows is like a Ford Fiesta and Mac is like a Ferrari.

I don't understand?
Click to expand...

Both are good for different needs... e.g. I still prefer Windows over Mac for gaming, but for everyday work... web browsing, itunes, microsoft office mac is my way to go,

I do however think comparing Windows to a Ford Fiesta and a Mac to a Ferrari is a bit over the top.
 
you kind of loose your argument with downright stupid comments about Windows, which just smacks of Fanboyism.

Windows has it's pro's and con's.... just like OSX

Windows has some fantastic software and, in fact, is better at OSX in a lot of areas (OpenGL, CAD, Gaming etc).

To your question about how mac's are over priced..... essentially they ARE pc's, because you don't have the different architectures anymore, they use off the shelf products (to all intents and purposes) and the equivalent products can be had for less.

However when you get 'special' form factors e.g. mini pc's (Mac mini) or Macbook Air, then their value starts to hold against the rivals.

But look at the Mac Pro, the spec's are so out dated for a 'pro' machine, graphics cards are lame compared to the speedier lifecycles of the Dell or HP workstations (which can be had for less).
 
To some people OSX just isn't worth the premium. However as mentioned, my beef with PC's are the trackpads. The macbook pro trackpad is so smooth and i've become spoiled with gestures, which just makes the whole experience. PC's are ok, but much more disposable. I know from personal experience that my friends with pc's don't keep them as long as my mac friends keep theirs. My 08 aluminum macbook runs like new. I've upgraded the hard drive to a 320gb 7200 rpm, upgraded the ram to 4gb the day i got it, and recently changed the battery and did a fresh install of lion (which i love). This thing is good to go for another few years. Most pc users just don't do things like that, when they get a virus many times they just replace the computer. Good thing they're so much cheaper.
 
AdrianK said:
Agreed on most points (others I can't comment on), especially the MBP, how PC manufacturers can't deliver a decent trackpad is beyond me.
Click to expand...

Until there is a decently comparable trackpad, I'm going to be buying Apple products... I used to absolutely loathe trackpads but having had a MBP now for nearly a year I never bring a mouse with me. I do work at a docking station sometimes but the majority of my use is mouse free - NEVER with a non-Apple laptop!
 
garybUK said:
But look at the Mac Pro, the spec's are so out dated for a 'pro' machine, graphics cards are lame compared to the speedier lifecycles of the Dell or HP workstations (which can be had for less).
Click to expand...

Exactly. You're better off piecing together a machine from parts ordered off of Newegg, Superbiiz, Frys, and all those stores.
 
mrsir2009 said:
Apple trackpads are unmatched. There is nothing else anywhere near as good out there.
Click to expand...

True story. And I really do like the keyboards as well, although my wired w/numpad is a bit faster to type on than the one on my MacBook. But honestly, I do think they are a bit overpriced. Windows 7 is fine as long as you remove all that crapware that the manufacturers install. Sure, there are a few apps that Windows doesn't have, but there are a lot more that Mac doesn't, especially games. Windows does lack some features that are annoying, however. Expose - one reason that Lion isn't appealing, but also something that Windows could use (same goes for spaces). Background scrolling is the lacking feature that annoys me most though. It can't be that hard to implement, and is quite convenient.

All that said, I do prefer my Mac, even if they are on the pricey side, but I could do windows without a whole lot of complaint.
 
MacintoshMaster said:
I don't understand.
I understand that you can get a faster windows computer for the same price as a mac but you can't run OS X.
Click to expand...

False. Google "Hackintosh".

DAW and Photography are terrible on windows (As is everything) so how isn't that alone enough to make them not overpriced. Also, each part goes well together perfectly so no incompatible part put together = no hardware problems. Software is easier to get. Macs also have a way higher resale value. You don't get crashes because of incompatible software with your hardware as much as windows. The trackpad on a macbook pro is the best out there. They have metal cases. They look great.
Click to expand...

That whole paragraph is just a sequence of lies and misinformation. It is a well known fact that Adobe products work far better on windows than they do on OSX, simply because Adobe spends more time developing them for Windows. That thing about crashes due to incompatible software actually made me laugh. Are You just trying to see what lies people will let you get away with?

I just don't get it. I would rather have a Powermac G4 than a quad core 3Ghz 16GB ram ssd drive windows computer because I can run good software. All the best software is available for mac like logic - even Sibelius which also runs on windows works way better on mac. How can people even compare Mac to Windows? Windows is like a Ford Fiesta and Mac is like a Ferrari.

I don't understand?
Click to expand...

The bolded text illustrates why your argument is pointless. Your personal preference means nothing. There is good software for both platforms, your inability to find it is your own problem. Also, Windows is an OS, Mac is a computer. Get your term right before comparing things. Hopefully you can find a program for OSX that could give you a good education, it sure seems like you need one.

EDIT: I'm not trying to say Macs are crap, just that they aren't the best value for money.
 
Last edited:
One reason Macs are overpriced is because Apple charges way to much for memory. 24GB on a Mac pro shouldn't be over $1000 to upgrade from 6GB, but then again most people who upgrade their memory don't buy it from Apple anyway :apple: I got 16GB for $300, Apple charges $750 to go from 6GB to 16GB. That's overpriced! :apple:
 
A while ago PC Mag (I think it was them) did a comparison of laptops and found the Mac model was, out of five laptops compared, right in the middle for price on almost identically specced machines.

However, the resale value of any product always drives the initial cost up. And if you install memory yourself on any computer you can save a bundle.

applefan289 said:
It's like saying how is gold overpriced?

You get what you pay for.
Click to expand...
See that's my opinion also, from years of experience using both. Personally, Macs could cost twice as much as Windows machines and I'd still pay the imagined "Mac Tax" premium for the operating system.

Plus, you just can't find Windows laptops made from a solid block of metal. Even on costly, high end Windows laptops I notice seams in the plastic, jittery parts, and torsion.
 
applefan289 said:
You get what you pay for.
Click to expand...

No you don't. That kind of certainty would be desirable but I don't think it ever existed. You get and pay for what the market will bear. Business are divorced by psychopathic design from morals, values, social wellbeing etc. They function only to maximise profits for their shareholders and CEO's et alia. I find this greed/never enough motivation truly objectionable but after a lifetime of political discussion I concede I'm in a minority. If Apple could sell enough 1000 euro usb cables they would. It's a sick game with many aficionados.
 
Henri Gaudier said:
No you don't. That kind of certainty would be desirable but I don't think it ever existed. You get and pay for what the market will bear. Business are divorced by psychopathic design from morals, values, social wellbeing etc. They function only to maximise profits for their shareholders and CEO's et alia. I find this greed/never enough motivation truly objectionable but after a lifetime of political discussion I concede I'm in a minority. If Apple could sell enough 1000 euro usb cables they would. It's a sick game with many aficionados.
Click to expand...

I'm not a fan of companies' greed either, but capitalism is still the best-working economic system.
 
Too tired to give a long response but .. there only seems to have been two tried and I'd say both were/are unsuccessful. The most successful capitalist societies have to be the Scandinavian where a sort of socially responsible capitalism lite is encouraged. Not too much disparity, not to much greed .. some but not a lot.

God ... can't be bothered to finish my own thoughts here. Change of tack, I was once in a bar in Goteborg and I was talking to this girl for a long time .. maybe an hour or more ... the Kung Dunkelen was delicious and after a while I heard her say "Capitalism" in response to my question when I'd been discussing Catholicism! (I know it would be easy to infer that we were drunk but we weren't.) We both agreed it was hilarious and quite revealing how many negative traits you can highlight of one, that's applicable to the other.

Capitalism, through its need of ever more growth, will destroy us all and so we need something else and fast.

Lets not start on what money is and where it comes form.:mad:
 
Windows is like a Ford Fiesta and Mac is like a Ferrari.

I don't understand?
Click to expand...
That sums up your lack of understanding exactly. If I just want to go to the grocery store (facebook), why do I need a ferrari when a fiesta will do just as well. You'll find that once you get into the 17" MBP price range, prices are more competitive.

But when I can get a 14" Dell, with a backlit keyboard, discrete GPU, metal case, 5 hour battery life, 2nd gen Core i5, a perfectly working trackpad, more ports than I could ask for, and a 2-year, on site warranty, for LESS than the price of Apple's cheapest laptop, there's a problem.

It's not that a ferrari is over-priced, it's that the value you get out of going to the grocery store in a ferrari isn't worth the price premium, but there's no way to get a fiesta-esque model from ferrari. So you're left going to the grocery in your ferrari.

Now lets tackle the psychological side of life: If you pay $30,000 for a car, that's acceptible. If you pay $30,000 for a computer, that's not. That's because you value product X at a certain price. But paying that same price for product Y would be insane. Due to the nature of the PC as a comodity business, you value a PC at $600, maybe $1000 for a good one.

Apple turns that upside down, and says we're not going to sell you a laptop for less than $1400, but really you'll have to pay $1800 for a good one (inc. Applecare). Then people try to defend Apple, they have a better OS, a better design, longer battery life, etc. But the problem is the same as driving your ferrari to the grocery store: The average person doesn't need anything more than a fiesta. So you (plural you that is) perceive that your computer needs are worth $800, but Apple tries to charge $1600 for it. And ultimately, it doesn't matter if your ferrari has headed leather seats, a sun roof, and can do 0-60 in 4 seconds. If all you do is take it to the grocery store, it's no better than a fiesta, just much more expensive.

Before anyoen flames me, I'm not arguing that macs are better than PC's, or that PC's are better than macs (I use a PC, used to use a mac, I'll probably go back to a mac one day). I'm simply saying that macs are overpriced if all you're using them for is facebook and the like. If you use professional software - logic, final cut pro, etc - you're in a completely different category, but then you would never even consider a fiesta, your choices would be between a ferrari and a benz, and that's a discussion for another day.
 
There are a lot of non-tangible things which add value to my MBP in my mind as well.

Some of them I'm willing to pay more for. And considering the number of hours I use my computer I am more than happy to do this.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back