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Their 17" MBP refurbs are about the BEST value for your money, upgrade the f out of them and call it a day. Don't buy their 'latest greatest' gimmicks. If you buy it, return it after a good test drive, that is what I have been doing with all their new line ups, all of it. It is so fun. That is what they deserve. I'll do it sever times a month, just get it on credit, their apple finance is great, get it and return it and get more and return them too. I racked up over 12, 680 bucks in refunded balance with them in less than 3 months.

I got two of my nephews their own late 2011 17" MBPs for graduating medicine this year, now we all have maxed out 17" MBPs, we're singing and zipping along, no problems at all, watching all the 15" retina users burn in image history all around us. I see more Airs than 15" anything every where I go. Seventeen inch notebooks are on the rise, no matter Mac or the other guys.

Have fun with your credit cards, don't buy to keep apple toys, buy, play with it real hard and then return it. Show them that your cash is not for them.

Haha you are one crazy person. Kinda admire it though
 
So my 13" cMBP is now obsolete. Hm. You're paying a bit of a premium for the retina display. Still, I can use my iPad 4 as an external monitor with my MBP. I know that's not quite the same, but still. :)
 
That is the only way things will really change. The original macbook air was priced much higher with terrible specs. It didn't do well. The machine was eventually replaced with design adjustments, ssd standard, and a price reduction.

Ten percent -not one percent - of Americans have a lot of money. That's thirty million psychos with money burning a hole in their pocket. Some of them have "shrines " to Apple products in their homes and even upload videos of their shrine to YouTube. They feel compelled to add a Retina MacBook and an iPad Mini to their shrine and upload an updated shrine video.

If Apple manufacturers an iPad Keychain Retina they will buy that too and upload a new video.
 
The 13" rMBP is a ripoff only if you consider it to be one.
... else, it's a fine little machine that just costs more than other similar spec ones.

Usually people not having the extra 500$ start looking for all kind of things to justify to themselves and others that they are better off with something else... There are of course alternatives ( both cheaper and faster one ), no one is forcing you to get the 13" rMBP if you can't or don't want to. Stop whining...
 
WHY would ANYONE even consider this??? The 13" air is thinner, lighter, and $500 cheaper. The only difference is the retina display.

It makes absolutely no sense. $500 on a 13" display???? seriously?? when its gonna be heavier????

its as if apple priced the first gen retina ipads for $300 more. nobody would've bought it because its ridiculous.

Yet now they pulling this on laptops, everyones amazed at how awesome it is??? unbelievable.
 
WHY would ANYONE even consider this??? The 13" air is thinner, lighter, and $500 cheaper. The only difference is the retina display.

It makes absolutely no sense. $500 on a 13" display???? seriously?? when its gonna be heavier????

its as if apple priced the first gen retina ipads for $300 more. nobody would've bought it because its ridiculous.

Yet now they pulling this on laptops, everyones amazed at how awesome it is??? unbelievable.

I had the air before and now i'm really considering the Retina. I need a new computer but I somehow dont want the same thing i had already. Its a personal thing... The price is high and sucks in comparism to the 15". But the money doesnt matter and as long as performance is ok, it will do well for 3 or so years.
 
WHY would ANYONE even consider this??? The 13" air is thinner, lighter, and $500 cheaper. The only difference is the retina display.

It makes absolutely no sense. $500 on a 13" display???? seriously?? when its gonna be heavier????

its as if apple priced the first gen retina ipads for $300 more. nobody would've bought it because its ridiculous.

Yet now they pulling this on laptops, everyones amazed at how awesome it is??? unbelievable.

1) Not everyone likes the MBA... especially the silver bezel and screen.
2) The cMBP 13" is nice, but again, not everyone likes it...
3) rMBP 13" is lighter and thinner than the cMBP 13" and it has better screen... for some, this matters.
4) For some people, 500$ ain't a big deal...

Want more? If you don't like it, don't buy it! It's that simple... Just because you can't justify the purchase and extra costs to yourself, it doesn't mean it can't fit the needs of other people ( myself included ).
 
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Then don't buy it, I managed to do so with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4S, every flavor of Mac desktop and Apple TV. It's not difficult.

This
Some apple products give a lot more bang for the buck than others
Pick wisely and you won't ever have to worry about buyers remorse.
 
Could the high price be because of low yields in screen production, and lots of returns/complaints about image retentions. Apple are predicting many returns because of the IR-plagued screen, and thus gives all users a higher price point? Personally, no matter how much I want a retina, I'm gonna wait for the increased iGPU power of Haswell, and (hopefully) improved screens next year.
 
WHY would ANYONE even consider this??? The 13" air is thinner, lighter, and $500 cheaper. The only difference is the retina display.

It makes absolutely no sense. $500 on a 13" display???? seriously?? when its gonna be heavier????

The air is a wonderful little machine... Still, compared to the retina model it's screen looks like crap. Some people are willing to pay a premium for that.


Anyway, a product is only then overpriced if you can get something similar elsewhere for cheap. As I see it, the closest alternative to the 13 rMBP is the Sony vaio z.
 
This
Some apple products give a lot more bang for the buck than others
Pick wisely and you won't ever have to worry about buyers remorse.

The 15" Retina is actally just very cheap compared to the classic. An equally configured cMBP costs 200 more than the retina, while the 13" is the other way round: it's 200 cheaper. Paying 200 bucks extra for a retina screen is completely ok, its just that the 15" rMBP offers too much bang for te buck in comparism.
 
Now that actually made me laugh. Riiiiight.. Apple has a monopoly on the notebook market.. :rolleyes:

You haven't read my following post, have you?

Actually, I didn't say that Apple has a monopoly on the laptop market. It doesn't.

But I see people build a bridge between Windows and Mac laptops. Windows laptops are actually seen as poor substitutes to Mac laptops by some Apple fanboys/enthusiasts. (In addition, there are several people who bought Mac software and are tied to them or to proprietary file types that can only be opened by such software.) If a Windows laptop is not an alternative, then Apple has the monopoly over the relevant market of "Mac laptops". Of course Windows laptops and Mac laptops are both laptops and they should compete with each other, but people don't always see things this way. If the only alternatives to the 13" rMBP are the 15" rMBP, the 13" cMBP and the 13" MBA, then people are just in the hands of Apple, a monopoly created by the will of the consumers themselves. It's how economics work.

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The 15" Retina is actally just very cheap compared to the classic. An equally configured cMBP costs 200 more than the retina, while the 13" is the other way round: it's 200 cheaper. Paying 200 bucks extra for a retina screen is completely ok, its just that the 15" rMBP offers too much bang for te buck in comparism.

This is relative compared to other Mac models, right?

Because in both absolute terms and in comparison with Windows laptops, the rMBPs are really expensive machines.
 
Profit margins.

Mr. Kuo had the price right at under $1,300.

If Apple does this then everything else in the 13" size has to be slashed or no one buys it.

The 13" "classic" is simply grotesquely overpriced. It is a four year old design. The profit margin must exceed 60 percent by now. These things are stamped out by Chinese slave labor and so are all the internals.

New pricing should have been:

Retina $1,299

Air $999

cMBP $899

Apple is not going to dump the other two products and they refuse to make anything they sell reasonably priced. So all this 13" Retina does is highlight how egregious the Apple tax is.

Lol at this clown. Because the chassis is an old design the price needs to come down?

I'm no Apple apologist but that line of reasoning is absurd. For $1100, that machine is priced pretty well in my opinion.
 
1) Not everyone likes the MBA... especially the silver bezel and screen.
2) The cMBP 13" is nice, but again, not everyone likes it...
3) rMBP 13" is lighter and thinner than the cMBP 13" and it has better screen... for some, this matters.
4) For some people, 500$ ain't a big deal...

Want more? If you don't like it, don't buy it! It's that simple... Just because you can't justify the purchase and extra costs to yourself, it doesn't mean it can't fit the needs of other people ( myself included ).

First of all, im not comparing it with the old 13" MBP.

Secondly, its not about $500 being a big deal or not, its just a bad investment with your money. You're paying $500 more for a retina screen (compared to mba) and you end up with some heavier, similar performance, $500 more expensive, OR when you can pay $500 more for something with much better performance (compared to 15" rmbp)

It just doesn't make sense in terms of a computer purchase. Both in terms of money and performance.

Like i said, what if apple charged you $300 more for the iphone or ipad when they came out with retina screen, would anyone have bought it? NO. Because its a bad investment.
 
FYI, I have purchased the maxed out version... spent ~4000 USD on it and I don't regret my decision the slightest bit. I also can't care less about what you think of me or others who are spending X amount of money on something that WE ( not YOU ) consider is worth it. What you are saying is: "Heck, don't get a Ferrari cause it doesn't make sense... You can get a Skoda for a lot less and it will also take you where you want... it also eats less fuel, it's more efficient, taxes are lower, assurance is cheaper, etc." Of course, you could say: "but yes, with the Ferrari you're paying for PERFORMANCE..." For real?! Do you see everyone owning a Ferrari drive at 250km/h in the city center and on every piece of road? NO, YOU DON'T... just because his car can go really fast, in reality, the same laws apply to him as for the Skoda driver! If the speed limit is 60km/h, then you'll drive with 60km/h if you want to avoid begin given a fine or sitting in jail for a while ( or BOTH + more )! That's right... NEVER GET A FERRARI !!! ... OR Lamborghini or Bentley or RollsRoyce, etc. Get the SKODA because "it makes more sense" ( for YOU )!

To sum it up: If you don't like it, don't have to money for it, or you can't justify the purchase to YOURSELF, then DON'T get one !!! Get yourself something else... Something that makes sense to YOU... but stop running around ( for the sake of others ) and telling people what's a good or bad "investment" based on your personal opinion and financial situation. Let everyone decide what's worth it or not for himself ;)
 
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Lol at this clown. Because the chassis is an old design the price needs to come down?

Yes. After four years, Apple has amortized the costs of development of the unibody chassis. If the prices haven't come down, then Apple is making additional profit. You may ask any accountant if you want to.

I'm no Apple apologist but that line of reasoning is absurd. For $1100, that machine is priced pretty well in my opinion.

The 13" cMBP is well overpriced. It has a low resolution display and a 5,400 RPM HD. Look at this: http://www.amazon.com/Asus-U47A-RS5...=UTF8&qid=1351268981&sr=8-7&keywords=i7-3210m

Not too different from the cMBP in terms of raw specs, huh? Still, it's almost US$ 500 cheaper. The cMBP may have a better build quality overall, but for this price it should be in another league.

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Again, if you don't like it, DON'T BUY IT !!! Get yourself something else... but stop running around and telling people what's a good or bad "investment" based on your personal opinion and financial situation. Let everyone decide that for himself ;)

Then, like I said before, people just became voluntary slaves of Apple. They need the prices of the rMBP to go down because they can't just turn to a Windows computer instead.
 
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please find comparable (same screen, thunderbolt, same battery life, and decent trackpad and case) PC laptops for less?

battery life in the macbooks arent anything special anymore. Its actually quite terrible on the 15 and 17's.

thunderbolt? lol who would want that...HDMI or bust

decent trackpad? The Zenbook has a legit trackpad now.

Same screen? Its only with retina that things have changed, apple screens haven't been anything special before. You'll see other manufacturers running high resolution screens soon.

$1700 for this integrated graphics card, 128gig, 8gig ram POS is WAY overpriced.

Apple is going to lose tons with this. No one is buying their crap.
 
Then, like I said before, people just became voluntary slaves of Apple. They need the prices of the rMBP to go down because they can't just turn to a Windows computer instead.

Please stop with the nonsense... You're being completely silly.
Is Apple holding your hand and typing in your Debit / Credit Card number into the purchase fields?
Is Apple filling in your home address and pressing the "Purchase" button for you?

Grow up and stop blaming others for YOUR OWN decisions in life.

Best of luck! ;)
 
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Ten percent -not one percent - of Americans have a lot of money. That's thirty million psychos with money burning a hole in their pocket. Some of them have "shrines " to Apple products in their homes and even upload videos of their shrine to YouTube. They feel compelled to add a Retina MacBook and an iPad Mini to their shrine and upload an updated shrine video.

If Apple manufacturers an iPad Keychain Retina they will buy that too and upload a new video.

There is nothing you can do to change any of this. There are fan-boi's for everything. Maybe try to not let it bother you how tasteless some people are. Our business culture has worked very hard to give the impression that owning cool things makes you cool. Have you seen marketers? Not cool in the slightest. (Google Bill Hicks Marketing) It's branding, it's capitalism. Vote with your wallet, make informed decisions, and share your ideas when they are asked for. You need to get in line if you just want to wail on people because they are lame.
 
Oh they did? That was a while back, plus my first iPhone was the iPhone 4 so I couldn't confirm or deny that. However, I know that the first iPhone was the first of its kind in the phone field, so it must have been looked at with much scrutiny, hence the possibility that Apple would lower its price. The MBP, on the other hand, has been on the playing field for years now and there's already a fan base for it. Everyone knows what it is and is aware of what it can do. That's why I don't think Apple would lower prices any time soon.

The MacBook Air was the same price as the MBPr when it came out and as time went on and they built more, the prices dropped. The same will happen with this batch of retina Macs.
 
Yes. After four years, Apple has amortized the costs of development of the unibody chassis. If the prices haven't come down, then Apple is making additional profit. You may ask any accountant if you want to.



The 13" cMBP is well overpriced. It has a low resolution display and a 5,400 RPM HD. Look at this: http://www.amazon.com/Asus-U47A-RS5...=UTF8&qid=1351268981&sr=8-7&keywords=i7-3210m

Not too different from the cMBP in terms of raw specs, huh? Still, it's almost US$ 500 cheaper. The cMBP may have a better build quality overall, but for this price it should be in another league.

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Then, like I said before, people just became voluntary slaves of Apple. They need the prices of the rMBP to go down because they can't just turn to a Windows computer instead.

Haha, so noobish.

Please buy that Asus. Junk display, junk trackpad, junk battery life, junk plastic. That Asus is worthless = 0 $. The MacBook Pro is pricey but you get a quality experience that can't be made up by saving a few bucks.
 
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In a year or two the Retina Macbook Pro will become the normal one, with a price cut and the old one will go away. Probably $1299 starting for 13" and $1699 starting for 15". Price cut won't be until 2 years from now.
 
Please stop with the nonsense... You're being completely silly.
Is Apple holding your hand and typing in your Debit / Credit Card number into the purchase fields?
Is Apple filling in your home address and pressing the "Purchase" button for you?

Grow up and stop blaming others for YOUR OWN decisions in life.

Best of luck! ;)

Let me make things clear.

First, I am not a stupid Apple fanboy and in fact I am platform agnostic (I even think I prefer Windows to OS X, mainly due to the fact that MS Office for Windows is a far superior program than MS Office for Mac). I am not talking about myself here. When I buy my next laptop, I will buy the one that has the features that I want and that matches the price I am willing to pay. I am not tied to Apple in any way and, to be frank, the only Mac I would consider would be the rMBP; all the others are seriously overrated, and I would also take a look at the current offerings by Asus, Sony, Lenovo and Samsung. So just to make sure I am not talking about myself here. This is a purely abstract discussion I am having here.

Second: this is a thread to discuss rMBP pricing. If you think that this topic is not worth being discussed, then don't discuss it. You have the choice to post on this topic or not; if you don't like this topic, then go do something else. Let people express their own impressions about the rMBP, including its price, which, after all, is part of the deal.

Third, I am not being silly. I am just telling what I observe people do. From an economic perspective, if people see the Mac as so unique, they will not consider Windows as an alternative. In antitrust talking, the relevant market is the one encompassing products that are interchangeable. If a Mac cannot be replaced by a PC, then these two computers don't belong to the same relevant market. Of course the concept is purely psychological, but all of them are. Can coffee be replaced by tea? Coke for Pepsi? If Apple managed to create the sensation of uniqueness to its products, then it may be able to act as a monopolist and manipulate prices to a certain point. That's economics, an if you think I am silly for saying that, then you should research a little bit more.

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Haha, so noobish.

Please buy that Asus. Junk display, junk trackpad, junk battery life, junk plastic. That Asus is worthless = 0 $. The MacBook Pro is pricey but you get a quality experience that can't be made up by saving a few bucks.

Perhaps it is. In fact I haven't even seen the Asus laptop. But they both have very similar specs, and that's what I am talking about.

And I won't buy neither of them, as both offer much less than what I would be willing to take.

But please don't be a fanboy. Other companies also make good products, you should know that if you are not some 8-year old,
 
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