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

Reason for 13" Retina RIPOFF

@ skaertus : Child... Please refer to the quote from my reply.
I didn't quote that text for nothing you know... Stop generalizing and talking crap.
 
Maczor said:
@ skaertus : Child... Please refer to the quote from my reply.
I didn't quote that text for nothing you know... Stop generalizing and talking crap.
Click to expand...

The text you quoted was out of context and must be read within the meaning of my previous posts.

I am not saying that the rMBP is worth it or not. Yes, it is overpriced compared to the 15" rMBP, but then everybody does as he pleases with his or her money. I myself am not buying anything before Haswell is released, and I may well get the 13" rMBP if I feel it is the best option for me.

But then again, what Apple is doing is quite much monopolistic behavior due to the lack of perceivable competitors. You mentioned Ferrari and that's pretty much what Ferrari does as well. Ferrari prices are so high not because of luxury or quality, but because a Ferrari can't be replaced by another car in the buyer's perspective. Therefore, Ferrari is able to act as a monopolist to a certain degree (until people start turning to Lamborghinis instead) and price its products just as one. And Apple is starting to do something similar. I am not saying it's worth it or not, as this is a purely subjective matter.
 
well, if the base model were priced $200 cheaper wouldn't you think it will hurt the sales of the 13" macbook air?
it's like for peoples who would consider buying a 13" 256gb, i7, 8gb air, they can also choose step up to better clarity screen, smaller sized, faster cpu, same amount of ram, for the same price but a slight penalty in storage capacity.

i'd say it is priced accordingly to avoid sales conflicts with other products.
though, i would still say the 15" is a better value than 13". i just don't like the size.

macbook pro i5 cpu is equally or marginally faster than macbook air i7-ULV.
 
Maczor said:
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 😉
Click to expand...

wow lol. Did you really just compare a car with your stupidly overpriced computer?

that's the worst comparison i've ever seen anyone make. Its not a skoda vs a ferrari, its more like getting a volkswagon instead of a skoda, and paying the price of a ferrari.

$4000 on a dual core laptop. congratulations. you must feel great about yourself. Definitely gives you the same feeling of owning a ferrari or lambo.
 
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.
Click to expand...

The main reason for this would be that Apple effectively locks you into their ecosystem with their proprietary features.

I agree that for most mundane tasks that people do (email, web-surfing, word processing, light gaming), they should be indifferent between a windows or mac laptop (heck, you can even do these on a phone or tablet).

However, find me a windows laptop that lets me use icloud, photostream, imessage, access itunes/app store, install existing mac software for free, comes installed with ilife, boasts airplay-mirroring, has a liberal 14-day return policy and excellent after-sales support (these are just a few which come to mind at the moment).

These services cost Apple money to maintain, which is reflected in their higher hardware prices. If you already own a plethora of mac devices and want them all to play nice with one another, than to me, another apple device is really your only option. 😱
 
Abazigal said:
The main reason for this would be that Apple effectively locks you into their ecosystem with their proprietary features.
Click to expand...

True. If you use the services that Apple provides, you may be locked in its ecosystem.

I agree that for most mundane tasks that people do (email, web-surfing, word processing, light gaming), they should be indifferent between a windows or mac laptop (heck, you can even do these on a phone or tablet).

However, find me a windows laptop that lets me use icloud, photostream, imessage, access itunes/app store, install existing mac software for free, comes installed with ilife, boasts airplay-mirroring, has a liberal 14-day return policy and excellent after-sales support (these are just a few which come to mind at the moment).

These services cost Apple money to maintain, which is reflected in their higher hardware prices. If you already own a plethora of mac devices and want them all to play nice with one another, than to me, another apple device is really your only option. 😱
Click to expand...

They do actually cost some money to maintain. However, I don't think they cost so much money to the point of affecting the price of the hardware in a very substantive manner.

Actually, Apple is adopting a very clever strategy with the pricing of the rMBP. By maintaining the previous MBP at the same price point and introducing the rMBP at a much higher price, it may determine how many users are willing to pay a premium for having a better product. Kind of a test, maybe. The amount of consumers who migrate from the cMBP to the rMBP despite the price being much higher will probably be key for Apple to determine the final price point of the rMBP after the cMBP is discontinued.
 
Apple 's pricing strategy isn't "clever " it's shyster like.

If Apple can continue to sell those four year old "classic " MacBook Pro models at those egregious prices then they won't discontinue them.

Apple did not discontinue the white plastic MacBook because Apple is run by artistic hippies. It wasn't selling enough to justify it's continued manufacture.
 
Apple has the monopoly. Where else will you find well-built computers running OS X (Unless you're one of the few who can actually build and maintain a hackintosh)? Nowhere, so Apple are the price makers. At the end of the day, there really is not much reason for them to price competitively in relation to the PC market. I mean PC's don't really compete with Macs performance-wise (Not saying ones better, just saying they each perform differently), so why should they compete on price. With Macs, you're getting a unique experience not found anywhere else and if you want it, you have to pay extra.
 
That said, the retina pro does strike me as being overpriced. If you look at the 15” Mbp, after upgrading the ram and ssd, it actually ends up being more expensive than the 15” rmbp, so it is actually a comparable trade off, because there is no 15” air to interfere.

However, compare the 13” air to the 13” rmbp; you are basically paying a lot more for a faster processor, ram and retina screen, and a heavier form factor. That's why I feel the 13” pro has to go. You should be comparing the price difference between the next best alternative - the air, and not an equally specc'ed out pro.

However, Phil did mention that the 13” pro is their most popular notebook (probably because it is their safest option), so I see it sticking around for a while.
 
iTootyFrooty said:
Apple has the monopoly. Where else will you find well-built computers running OS X (Unless you're one of the few who can actually build and maintain a hackintosh)? Nowhere, so Apple are the price makers. At the end of the day, there really is not much reason for them to price competitively in relation to the PC market. I mean PC's don't really compete with Macs performance-wise (Not saying ones better, just saying they each perform differently), so why should they compete on price. With Macs, you're getting a unique experience not found anywhere else and if you want it, you have to pay extra.
Click to expand...
You have no idea what a monopoly is.
 
Spetsnazos said:
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
Click to expand...
It has HDMI. HDMI can not be used as an all in one dock port that can also provide PCIe slots and high bandwidth storage IO.

The number of PC laptops out there with 16x10 screens is uh.... minimal.

Apple is going to lose tons with this. No one is buying their crap.
Click to expand...

Lol.

Lets bump this in 6 months, shall we?

----------
DVD9 said:
If Apple can continue to sell those four year old "classic " MacBook Pro models at those egregious prices then they won't discontinue them.
Click to expand...

So Nvidia kepler, HD4000, ivy bridge and thunderbolt are 4 years old now?


The chassis is 4 years old because it is still good.


Look, if you're looking for something new and shiny to buy so that everyone knows you have a new laptop, then go buy a dell or something.

The rest of us who actually don't give a crap if the machine looks new will consider things like chassis durability, trackpad quality, keyboard quality and external peripheral buses when looking for a new machine.
 
throAU said:
It has HDMI. HDMI can not be used as an all in one dock port that can also provide PCIe slots and high bandwidth storage IO.

The number of PC laptops out there with 16x10 screens is uh.... minimal.



Lol.

Lets bump this in 6 months, shall we?

----------



So Nvidia kepler, HD4000, ivy bridge and thunderbolt are 4 years old now?


The chassis is 4 years old because it is still good.


Look, if you're looking for something new and shiny to buy so that everyone knows you have a new laptop, then go buy a dell or something.

The rest of us who actually don't give a crap if the machine looks new will consider things like chassis durability, trackpad quality, keyboard quality and external peripheral buses when looking for a new machine.
Click to expand...

The Apple "shriners" are getting testy.

Just fire up your video camera and go update your YouTube Apple shrine video with your new iPad Mini or if you're one of the really well off psychotics you can drop $1,700 on this new iToy here.

Enjoy your unbox therapy.
 
Testy?

Lol. no, just stating facts.


People are bitching that the MBP is 4 years old. It is not.


I'm by no means an apple "shriner". I hate some of the things they've done, and if they make a bad call I'll be one of the first to call them on it.

But they make a product that suits a particular audience. If those priorities are not for you, buy something else.
 
throAU said:
Testy?

Lol. no, just stating facts.


People are bitching that the MBP is 4 years old. It is not.


.
Click to expand...

It's a four year old design. There has been no major retooling done to manufacture the "classic" models. Given how we all know that Chinese manufactured products see massive discounts when no new design and retooling is necessary we know the profit margins of these models have grown to an obscene level.

You can buy a pair of sata cables on Amazon for $.87 from the Crazy Store in Hong Kong, postage included. It takes six days to arrive.

Somehow the Crazy Store makes money on that transaction. The shipping envelope is good quality too.
 
MoreAwesomeDanU said:
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.
Click to expand...


The classic MacBook Pro seems a better choice because you still have the ability for yourself to upgrade the harddrive to what ever you want and you can do the same with the RAM or if you want to get rid of the opictal drive yourself. As a computer tech I need an optical drive, no portable crap or portabale for Ethernet is going to replace the real thing so dont give me no crap about it telling me other wise I dont need a lecture. A shiny new screen with high resolution doesnt make up for lost of ports. The 13 inch retina seems like an abomination compared to the Classic because you are stuck with what you get! Everyone keeps saying the laptops are thin and really good! Wake up and see what you have gained while performance has been lost! The classic Macbooks are still thin and the style is never going to go out of style.
 
throAU said:
Testy?

Lol. no, just stating facts.


People are bitching that the MBP is 4 years old. It is not.


I'm by no means an apple "shriner". I hate some of the things they've done, and if they make a bad call I'll be one of the first to call them on it.

But they make a product that suits a particular audience. If those priorities are not for you, buy something else.
Click to expand...

The chassis is 4 years old. The development of the unibody design has already been paid, and it's about time Apple moves on.

It's not about being beautiful. It's about a more efficient design. A design that can hold more battery in less space. A design that is lighter so you can easily carry it around all day long. A design that is thinner so it fits in your suitcase more easily.
 
Remember how the first Macbook Air had a starting price of 1799$ (and with the upgrades it got up to 3k or something silly like that). Eventually they dropped the price and it became sort of Apple's "budget" laptop. But it wasn't intended to be that.

Apple is trying to figure out if they can get away with very high profit margins.

If the 13inch doesn't sell as much as they hope, I'm guessing we'll see a price drop.
 
skaertus said:
The chassis is 4 years old. The development of the unibody design has already been paid, and it's about time Apple moves on.

It's not about being beautiful. It's about a more efficient design. A design that can hold more battery in less space. A design that is lighter so you can easily carry it around all day long. A design that is thinner so it fits in your suitcase more easily.
Click to expand...

Its called the macbook air.
 
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