Now that Macs have Apple silicon, do you think they are fairly priced?

[JohnnyGo]

The so called 'Apple Tax', to me, has always been the price of using a Mac. But, I believe it's a fair trade considering their longevity and flexibility.

And, I generally don't pay the tax anyway. Someone else does that for me. I'm about 16+ years behind the current model at the moment and once the older M series Macs start coming in to my price range (around $250 or less) then that'll close quite a bit. So, I'm dealing with used Macs and the person who bought it new is the one who actually paid the 'Apple tax'. Not me.

But it's the longevity that enabled me to use PowerPC Macs from 2001 to 2020, and then go fully Intel in 2020. The flexibility means that the 2009 MacPro I'm typing this on is running Sonoma (via OCLP).

If the M-series Macs continue with this, then I should have a good run while everyone else is on the next chip.

That's the kind of post I love. Showing a true Mac user. At the same time, showing that a Mac is, like any other computer, a tool. If a tool is working, why change it ?

The constant pursuit of fastest or "more" drives us all to more moments of unsatisfaction and few happy moments (unboxing the new toy). Of course, there are some that need the fastest: they charge by the hour and the more productivity they are, the more money they make. Others need the longest battery life, and a new battery and modern CPUs always help.

I considered myself in the middle of the pack. I have enjoyed using computers since my early teens (too long ago to put in this post) and can afford to change machines every four years. My only rule is that I have to pass it on to someone else. I just gave a 2020 intel MacBook Air (the last model with Intel) to a 12-year old, daughter of a friend. She loved it. It was her first computer.

If you need or want to upgrade, be mindful that others may LOVE your "old" tool. Pass it on. Make someone else smile as well.

 

[eyoungren]

That's the kind of post I love. Showing a true Mac user. At the same time, showing that a Mac is, like any other computer, a tool. If a tool is working, why change it ?

The constant pursuit of fastest or "more" drives us all to more moments of unsatisfaction and few happy moments (unboxing the new toy). Of course, there are some that need the fastest: they charge by the hour and the more productivity they are, the more money they make. Others need the longest battery life, and a new battery and modern CPUs always help.

I considered myself in the middle of the pack. I have enjoyed using computers since my early teens (too long ago to put in this post) and can afford to change machines every four years. My only rule is that I have to pass it on to someone else. I just gave a 2020 intel MacBook Air (the last model with Intel) to a 12-year old, daughter of a friend. She loved it. It was her first computer.

If you need or want to upgrade, be mindful that others may LOVE your "old" tool. Pass it on. Make someone else smile as well.

There are several factors contributing to where I am as far as which Mac I own at any particular time. But the primary factor is price. Before 2000 that wasn't so much of a concern, but since then, there are far more pressing needs.

If I can work an older Mac to do most or even some of what a newer Mac can do then that works for me. I don't use a lot of what Apple offers as 'features' on new models because I'm either not interested, or I adapted using third party tools previously.

I am also in the position of using newer Macs for my job. These aren't mine, but they are in my house because work issued them to me. That tends to inform my decisions on purchases when it's time to buy, and my choices in how I use the new purchase. Additionally, if there really is no other way to do something other than using a current or newer model Mac, I do have the access.

Other factors have been experience and motivation. In the early 00s, I was always trying to be on the bleeding edge of updates on work Macs. That cost me one day when I upgraded a production Mac while on a deadline. It crippled the Mac, but my deadline was still firm. I got the work out on time, but since that time I have no desire to be on the bleeding edge.

I'm also motivated to make the Mac work in the way I want it to. Many times people say 'This Mac can't do that'. Then, when I make it do 'that', it's a satisfying feeling. The process of getting there is also fun, discovering how it is I can make the computer do what I want it to do. Sometimes, maybe it's a kludge, or inelegant, or involves other things. But it works.

 

[MBAir2010]

There are several factors contributing to where I am as far as which Mac I own at any particular time. But the primary factor is price. Before 2000 that wasn't so much of a concern, but since then, there are far more pressing needs.

If I can work an older Mac to do most or even some of what a newer Mac can do then that works for me. I don't use a lot of what Apple offers as 'features' on new models because I'm either not interested, or I adapted using third party tools previously.

I am also in the position of using newer Macs for my job. These aren't mine, but they are in my house because work issued them to me. That tends to inform my decisions on purchases when it's time to buy, and my choices in how I use the new purchase. Additionally, if there really is no other way to do something other than using a current or newer model Mac, I do have the access.

Other factors have been experience and motivation. In the early 00s, I was always trying to be on the bleeding edge of updates on work Macs. That cost me one day when I upgraded a production Mac while on a deadline. It crippled the Mac, but my deadline was still firm. I got the work out on time, but since that time I have no desire to be on the bleeding edge.

I'm also motivated to make the Mac work in the way I want it to. Many times people say 'This Mac can't do that'. Then, when I make it do 'that', it's a satisfying feeling. The process of getting there is also fun, discovering how it is I can make the computer do what I want it to do. Sometimes, maybe it's a kludge, or inelegant, or involves other things. But it works.

This is a perfect post1

 

[TechnoMonk]

...so might a £500 PC laptop or a £300 Chromebook. You'll often end up running the same "personal productivity" software, especially in the age of the cloud and web apps.

If you're going to apply the "good enough for many" test you need to apply it across the board, not just to RAM and SSD specs. If you're going to pay over the odds for a "premium" laptop then why not expect premium specs that give you a bit of headroom?

I think a lot of this value for money perception comes down to whether you see (say) a base MacBook Air as a £999 Mac or a £999 personal computer. The first case feels like the base Mac is an "entry level" system - but it the wider perspective you're already paying a huge premium over something that would "just do the job".

I was talking about Mac’s. If you gonna bring up Chromebooks. Why stop there? A 150 $ cheap tablet may do the job. The problem is experience can vary widely with same specs. One can have a very different experience on a 16GB RAM windows laptop compared to 16 GB mac.
Personally for me value is subjective on what you do, I see more value in 5 k MBP than m2 MBA base model my family shares. Others may see it differently.