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

Is apple hardware really overpriced?

Hardware wise yes.

ASUS G73J-X1
17"
Core i7 1.6Ghz
8GB RAM
500GB HD
ATI HD 5870

vs

MBP 13"
13"
C2D 2.53Ghz
4GB RAM
250GB HD
Nvidia 9400m

Both for $1500

Meanwhile software wise is a personal choice. I'm really indifferent about OS X vs Win7 both have their strengths and weaknesses, but I'd happily use either. I wanted to try a Apple computer, and I'm far from disappointed but I'm not completely sure if I will get one again.
 
At this point in time, yes. Apple has apparently forgotten about the Mac line. Macbook's haven't been updated in damn near 7 months and they are bold enough to still charge full price for them. The recently released iMacs still have C2D CPU's, unless you opted for the lone i7 version at some ridiculously outrageous.

Apple, frankly, as still March 1 to get a decent update out, priced accordingly (even with the Apple premium) before I'm forced to go with a Sony Vaio F series (i7 Quad Core and Blu-Ray player) to replace my Macbook Pro.
 
Dan73 said:
ASUS G73J-X1
17"
Core i7 1.6Ghz
8GB RAM
500GB HD
ATI HD 5870

vs

MBP 13"
13"
C2D 2.53Ghz
4GB RAM
250GB HD
Nvidia 9400m

Both for $1500
Click to expand...
Did you read the post prior to yours, in which I explained how a spec-for-price comparison is incomplete?

Have you considered:
Design? Aluminum unibody vs black plastic with inconveniently located ports
Aesthetics? Ultra Zen vs squashed stealth fighter
Durability? Who knows, but metal vs plastic, I'm just sayin'
Portability? Har
Support? Looked for my local Asus store, couldn't find it
OS X? Easy vs frustrating

That, and you're also comparing prices right before a refresh, and Apple does not discount during a product cycle.
 
i like OSX alot, but we really NEED new hardware... if Apple doesn't get with the program, they will fall behind further than they already are. i think Apple is getting to the point where profit matters way way more than giving what their consumer's want and need (blu-ray, mobile i5,i7, gpus). they're riding the hype right now, but once it dies down, they will probably be hated like how windows is hated (by fanboys) today and people will complain about the viruses (you know it's coming) and the outdated hardware.

i really wish psystar was back in business. OSX with better hardware and lower price!! can't beat that!! oh wait... lawyers... forgot about them
 
Well I just went to dell and put together a computer with all the same components as are in the 3.06GHz 15". Came out to $2,348 compared to Apple's $2,599. Just about 9.6% cheaper.

To be fair yes you can now get PCs with the new intel chips. But I feel this is a poor comparison because a) we are due for a refresh and b) you're not comparing similar machines. It's not quite as simple as saying "Product X is out, so that devalues Product Y by $Z"

And when comparing computers it seems like people often leave out the amenities like built in webcam, microphone, bluetooth, etc. They are in the Macbooks and they do have value.

P.S. I'm probably a lot more than 9.6% happier with my Macbook Pro than I would've been with the Dell
 
I guess if you judge the price on the components then Apple hardware does look overpriced, but the thing that really sells Apple to be is just how durable their portable line it. It's basically a solid lump of metal. I've accidentally dropped my MacBook Air down a flight of stairs, yes one of the corners is a little dented now, but I opened it up and carried on working... If I dropped any other laptop down a flight of stairs I'm pretty sure it would be in several pieces and definitely not still working.

To be honest the work I do on the move I could buy any computer, and it would be good enough for my needs. But with my Air I don't have to be too delicate with it, and unlike some of my friends laptops it doesn't make that plastic creak when you pick it up by the corner!

Surely the point of a portable computer is that you can knock it around a bit and not have to worry about it getting damaged.
 
tkboss88 said:
i like OSX alot, but we really NEED new hardware... if Apple doesn't get with the program, they will fall behind further than they already are. i think Apple is getting to the point where profit matters way way more than giving what their consumer's want and need (blu-ray, mobile i5,i7, gpus). they're riding the hype right now
Click to expand...

Consumers are getting what they want, hence the high profits. Apple don't have to do anything until the hype does die down, why change anything until profits suffer? Hello business 101, you're talking about supply and demand.

As an aside, has anybody considered that PC hardware is too cheap due to excessive cost cutting by all the manufacturers? They have effectively left Apple behind in their race to the bottom. Nobody can say hardware is overpriced is people are happy to pay the price, on some level different to yours, they value what they are paying for.

Pure components wise though, yes Apple is more expensive, but this subjects isn't that binary.
 
SecretAsianMan said:
Did you read the post prior to yours, in which I explained how a spec-for-price comparison is incomplete?

Have you considered:
Design? Aluminum unibody vs black plastic with inconveniently located ports
QUOTE]

To be fair... I wish my macbookpro had a USB port on the Right hand side too -_-

Also Aluminum is not the end all here of metals lol. I'm a big fan of magnesium and carbon fiber. Also while design is probably one of the courses they make optional for people at dell/HP. That's certainly not the case with the premium models over at sony.
Click to expand...
 
thejadedmonkey said:
I can get a decent 13" Dell laptop for $600 USD, with comparable specs to the MacBook.
Click to expand...

sure a plastic Dell. No way a metal one, come back with a better comparison next time.

Smoothie said:
Boy, do I get tired of these comments about poor reliability from manufacturers other than Apple. I've had two Dell laptops and two Thinkpads, and each performed flawlessly until I decided to retire them after several years of heavy use. My office laptop is a third Dell, and it runs all day long and has not so much as hiccuped in two years of use. If you check out forums for Dell and Lenovo, you don't typically see nearly as many posts about motherboard replacements that you see on the Apple forums.

Apple products are prettier (although you'll find Thinkpad users who love the industrial look) and Apple's marketing about things "just working" has convinced many buyers to pay more for the same hardware functionality. On the OS side, it's also a matter of personal preference. I'm happy with my 13" MBP, and I'm also happy with my current Dell 15" laptop and Dell desktop (both running Win 7). Apple can get away with charging higher prices because customers are willing to pay those prices for now.
Click to expand...

I agree I think thinkpads look awesome and their keyboards have a slightly better feel. But Mbps feel more robust and their screens are much better, outside of the new t510 with ips, even with the glass.

nmrrjw66 said:
The Macbooks are nothing more than overpriced fashion accessories. What you get for $2000 is a joke. The iMacs and Mac Pros are a different story.
Click to expand...

not everyone spent 2k. Mine was $1100 with a free iPod touch and at the time was pretty comparable to the t400, studio xps 13, latitude e6400, And Sony sr.
 
Apple laptops and desktops are way overpriced.

A couple of posts back someone compared an Asus G73 with a Macbook Pro, the G73 clearly wins. Then an Apple fanboy had some "good" arguments about design, materials and simplicity.

Well, first of all, most people don't actually care about how their laptop looks.
Second, the G73 is made out of aluminium(Its a HIGH END laptop, you can't put an i7 in a plastic laptop).
Last but not least: The G73 is a gaming laptop for people who want more than Battlefield 2 and Need for Speed: Carbon(the only reasonable games for Apple computers), and know how to work with Windows 7.

I guess you will all tell me you can put Windows on an Apple computer, but then you'll have an oversized netbook(specs of the Macbook are extremely bad). Same for all other Mac's.

Mac's are PC's for well payed people who want the most simple OS to do their everyday jobs IMO. A lot of mac users probably don't even know that the hardware of Mac's is slower and more expensive compared to other systems. Great marketing Apple.
 
mrsir2009 said:
Lol I don't think any Macs are overpriced... For how much easier to use they are than the Winboxes I've used. For one I don't need a password to open my web browser.... lol
Click to expand...

Funny. I don't need a password to open my web browser either. i've never had on Windoze. My mom does, but her laptop is a work employed machine, and they are VERY tight on security. They won't even get Macs, because they cost to much to deploy, and aren't secure enough. Thats what he IT guy said/
 
SecretAsianMan said:
Did you read the post prior to yours, in which I explained how a spec-for-price comparison is incomplete?

Have you considered:
Design? Aluminum unibody vs black plastic with inconveniently located ports
Aesthetics? Ultra Zen vs squashed stealth fighter
Durability? Who knows, but metal vs plastic, I'm just sayin'
Portability? Har
Support? Looked for my local Asus store, couldn't find it
OS X? Easy vs frustrating

That, and you're also comparing prices right before a refresh, and Apple does not discount during a product cycle.
Click to expand...

My latitude D620, and most Latitudes are built like a tank.
I'm not paying $1200 more just for aluminum. Or OSX. I've used Windows 7, and Mac OSX. They both have pros and cons. Windows 7 should clean up Microsoft brand image a bit. Support, I've never needed to call dell Support much. But Apple... I've been through 30 replacements with all the generations of iPhones and iPod touches. yes, Apple does have amazing support. They could MAKE products "JUST WORK" and then they wouldn't need all these people getting new logic boards and repairs. they make things so cheaply, put it in a premium casing, and a sexxy box. Add a Premium price that makes the user think its a premium product.
 
ouimetnick said:
My latitude D620, and most Latitudes are built like a tank.
I'm not paying $1200 more just for aluminum. Or OSX. I've used Windows 7, and Mac OSX. They both have pros and cons. Windows 7 should clean up Microsoft brand image a bit. Support, I've never needed to call dell Support much. But Apple... I've been through 30 replacements with all the generations of iPhones and iPod touches. yes, Apple does have amazing support. They could MAKE products "JUST WORK" and then they wouldn't need all these people getting new logic boards and repairs. they make things so cheaply, put it in a premium casing, and a sexxy box. Add a Premium price that makes the user think its a premium product.
Click to expand...

Apple uses the same intel parts as pcs so I don't understand why your calling apples parts cheap unless your also referring to the whole computer industry as a whole.

As for the iPods and iPhone, I know they use nothing but the best parts. Sorry to hear that you had 30 replacements for you iPods and iPhone but I would just call it bad luck as I've never had any issues from my iPhone and iPods.
 
Yes - If you are very good at navigating the ups and downs of Windows.

No - If you value your time as OS X is easier to use, faster, and is far less prone to glitches and many have never had to re-install OS X. I think the price of Macs has gone down faster than the overall price of computers and the gap of PC vs. Mac is closing every year and the move to Intel has facilitated this even more.

Just think back a few years ago back when iBook was the same price as MBP. People were not complaining that much about Apple being pricey then. Heck, for $999, there are very few PC laptops that can give you a well designed, rugged laptop in the territory of a Macbook. Sony and some Toshibas in the $999 range are the only ones I would consider over a Macbook if gaming and ruggedness was a big enough issue.
 
Lol, Apple's hardware is totally overpriced. If you're talking about the software, I still think its overpriced. I really don't think Mac OSX is worth the $500 extra.
 
bloodyfart said:
Lol, Apple's hardware is totally overpriced. If you're talking about the software, I still think its overpriced. I really don't think Mac OSX is worth the $500 extra.
Click to expand...

The OP already said he didn't want a cheap/inexpensive Acer type of machine. That being said, I don't knock cheap Acers as I could use one for non graphics intensive stuff like spreadsheets and word processing.

But for a regular use machine with moderate gaming capabilities (depending on what you call gaming), the Macbook is pretty decent.
 
Well, if you're going to do gaming, you're not going to be doing it on a 13" screen. It's got to be at LEAST 14".
 
bloodyfart said:
Well, if you're going to do gaming, you're not going to be doing it on a 13" screen. It's got to be at LEAST 14".
Click to expand...

That rules out my old 12" inch PC and iBook laptops from a generation ago. I loved what little gaming I could do with them. I know by today's standards they are paperweights, but I got 4 years and 6 years, respectively from these machines (1998 Compaq Presario, 2 MB dedicated graphics card, 1999 iBook 4 MB Ati dedicated graphics card). Many laptops in that price range back then still had integrated graphics.
 
Luba said:
The other day for the fun of it I configured a Dell laptop and desktop as close as I knew to its Mac counterpart, and the Dell came out 10-20 percent less, but that doesn't tell the whole story.
Click to expand...

lol, you did it wrong then.
 
I hate to say it as I just bought a 15" uMBP thats on my sig recently, but the macbook pros are very overpriced right now.

But I need a notebook and I really love OSX, so what can I do? :( Except to think about under privileged children in third world countries with REAL problems!!! :)

Wait.. Nevermind that was just wrong.. :(
 
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