i thought apple was going to be doing some 'aggresive pricing' not introducing a new macbook that's £1000. I was looking forward to a five maybe six hundred pound laptop, and along comes this beast. I guess i have more saving up to do than i'd prevously imagined...
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Whatevr Happened To "Aggresive Pricing'? These macbooks are bleeding expensive.
- Thread starter joesenior91
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
As far as I can tell, the claims of "aggressive" pricing were invented by speculators looking for a sensational headline, and by people getting carried away on the forums. It seems to happen every time leading up to a new product launch, and then a lot of people end up very disappointed.
Apple actually said that their profit margins were expected to decrease from 34.8% to around 30%. That doesn't equate to the unrealistically low prices that were being predicted by some.
Having said that, at least here in the UK, the Macbooks and Macbook Pros do seem to have got more expensive rather than less expensive, although you do seem to get more for that money. However, given the current economic climate, that does seem like an odd move by Apple.
I agree, it's a shame... but at the same time, I applaud them for their boldness...
Actually, so do I.
Apple is not a company that just assembles parts together and hands it over to customers. Trying to be creative and innovative in their design, and trying to improve the ways to actually implement current existing technology requires resources, and consequently, money. Yes, Apple computers would be cheaper if they just looked at what others were doing and put the mechanical components together, but that's not what I'd expect from Apple.You can say the same thing when comparing $50, $500, and $5000 watchs, all of which keep accurate time. Sometimes I'll just buy the cheapest option because I don't care. In other instances, I'll pay more if its design was the result of real industrial design effort, which was LATER assembled in a factory.
Same can be said regarding simple things like forks and knives, wallet designs, bag designs, dress shirts, umbrellas, etc.
You're paying for the time spent by creative minds and engineers to work together to make something THEY, not YOU, believe is unique and worth paying more money for.
I don't believe HP, Lenovo, etc, do this. They decide on making a laptop out of carbon fibre rather than plastic, they order the material, and just "do" it. They listen to their consumers when they demand "faster" computers, "higher resolution" screens, and "the newest technology". So you have a choice. You may either buy things from a company that listens to you and gives you what you demand in order to keep your business, or you can buy from the company who doesn't listen to you, but goes out to create something THEY think is cool. You then look at the result of the creativity, and see if you like it. I choose the latter.
I guess I wouldn't respect an actor who asked his audience, "So what type of movies do my fans want to see me in?" I'd rather they be creative, and then see the result of what they produced.
lol 1066mhz FSB and RAM is not cheap! the integrated graphics AND extra GPU wouldnt help either. they would also have to make up for the new case designs and the like.. it all adds up.
i do hate how apple have a massive 30% profit on everything they sell... worth it but!!
the reason why they are expensive is cause they are made in that way,outta the slab of aluminum. i mean they even make a video about it lol.,plus its got them other things aswell.
but are these the new prices of macbooks,they have gone way up now. how long will they keep making the whitebook i just ordered.
here in the uk an entry level mac was 699£ and the second was 8xx£ etc,now they are keepn the old entry macs,slapping in a superdrive and putting up the price to 720£. in two years will they still be making the whitebook cause i dont see the price of the lower end of the new books coming down.
but woteve,im a mac noob
myabe they will make a new macbook,but with non led etc for cheaper lol
but are these the new prices of macbooks,they have gone way up now. how long will they keep making the whitebook i just ordered.
here in the uk an entry level mac was 699£ and the second was 8xx£ etc,now they are keepn the old entry macs,slapping in a superdrive and putting up the price to 720£. in two years will they still be making the whitebook cause i dont see the price of the lower end of the new books coming down.
but woteve,im a mac noob
myabe they will make a new macbook,but with non led etc for cheaper lol
The "old" Macbook prices ranged from £699 to £949 in the UK.
The "new" Macbook prices start at £949 and go up to £1149.
OK, so they've kept one of the old models on sale at £719, but even that is £20 more than it used to be (probably caused by exchange rate movement).
In other words, the entire line has moved up into a higher price range.
At a time when we're entering a recession, this seems like a risky move. As an Apple shareholder, I hope they haven't simply lost touch with the market!
The "new" Macbook prices start at £949 and go up to £1149.
OK, so they've kept one of the old models on sale at £719, but even that is £20 more than it used to be (probably caused by exchange rate movement).
In other words, the entire line has moved up into a higher price range.
At a time when we're entering a recession, this seems like a risky move. As an Apple shareholder, I hope they haven't simply lost touch with the market!
Actually, there's a slight flaw in my last post
The "old" £699 model has been upgraded to include a Superdrive and the price raised by £20, so that isn't too bad.
However, it seems terribly messy to leave an old model on sale. I guess Apple wants to push people up to more expensive models.
The "old" £699 model has been upgraded to include a Superdrive and the price raised by £20, so that isn't too bad.
However, it seems terribly messy to leave an old model on sale. I guess Apple wants to push people up to more expensive models.
Uhm, hope you know that the one they currently sell for 719 isn't the one that started on 699 before
The features in the aluminum macbook just cannot be beaten for that price sorry to say. From the case construction and material to the led backlit display and the hefty little IGP they have crammed in there that is a very expensive machine and it is surprising if it is not being sold at a loss.
The high end model with the backlit keyboard, faster CPU and bigger hard drive is a steal at that price in spite of the lack of firewire.
As always there is the £720(this was the top end whitebook) white macbook you have all been crying for a cheep macbook well there it is. It has a good processor, good amount of ram and a superdrive and is a very competitive machine compared to similar specs elsewhere.
Unfortunately there is nothing that can directly compare with the aluminum macbook, as it is unique in design and spec and i feel it is a very aggressive price point.
The high end model with the backlit keyboard, faster CPU and bigger hard drive is a steal at that price in spite of the lack of firewire.
As always there is the £720(this was the top end whitebook) white macbook you have all been crying for a cheep macbook well there it is. It has a good processor, good amount of ram and a superdrive and is a very competitive machine compared to similar specs elsewhere.
Unfortunately there is nothing that can directly compare with the aluminum macbook, as it is unique in design and spec and i feel it is a very aggressive price point.
Hi this is my first post, long time listener, first time caller etc.
Don't forget that Apple would have been planning this move to the new MB platform for many many months, in execution of a plan dating back to possibly even last year. Although the general notion of an economic slowdown was known, the complete meltdown of markets was not anticipated, and especially not a week before the launch of the new MBs.
This new process cannot be cheap, given that Apple has warned of declining margins and they have actually increased the price. I agree that this strategy does seem to be slightly risky unless the estimates of the manufacturing costs have just proved way off from reality.
In recent times, with the major exception of the iPhone (1st gen), Apple products were the best value upon release, since the price never really lowered much until it was replaced with something else. (eg. mac mini?) Maybe Apple is planning an iPhone like reduction in price once the early adopters have finished off the kool-aid. Or they might just be forced to anyway with the economic environment...
But I still wonder whether keeping the original (white) MB was ever the original idea. My guess is that it's a last minute reaction to the financial crisis, to extinguish the inevitable headlines of Apple increasing prices at the wrong time. The slight discount drives that home. But I'm sure they only do it with regret. After all, they've been dreaming of huge sales to justify and validate the expensive design effort that has led to these new models.
IMHO the new models are sexy, and the MBA is finally a serious tool. They've done a good job. The market will determine whether the price can be supported. It's going to be interesting.
Finally, what I really want is a more stable OS. I went from XP to OSX (MBP) this year and to be honest I'm not really happy about the bugs in Leopard. Plus the GUI is lethargic and very fussy. My GF played around and says "Macs are hard to use!" And when is the ~28 year pioneer of WIMP (for the masses) going to learn how to write a mouse driver (or build a decent mouse)?! /rant
Uhm, hope you know that the one they currently sell for 719 isn't the one that started on 699 before
The only difference I could see is the Superdrive in place of a combo, plus a price increase of £20. I'd be interested to know if there are other differences.
That's a very good point, and I suspect you're right.
I agree that the laptops are good, and are worth the money. In fact, I'll be buying one in the next few days!
However, I just hope that the current market can bear the higher price points that Apple has chosen.
It was actually the base model but with a superdrive, so £20 more just for the superdrive.
Actually, so do I.
You can say the same thing when comparing $50, $500, and $5000 watchs, all of which keep accurate time. Sometimes I'll just buy the cheapest option because I don't care. In other instances, I'll pay more if its design was the result of real industrial design effort, which was LATER assembled in a factory.
Same can be said regarding simple things like forks and knives, wallet designs, bag designs, dress shirts, umbrellas, etc.
You're paying for the time spent by creative minds and engineers to work together to make something THEY, not YOU, believe is unique and worth paying more money for.
So you have a choice. You may either buy things from a company that listens to you and gives you what you demand in order to keep your business, or you can buy from the company who doesn't listen to you, but goes out to create something THEY think is cool. You then look at the result of the creativity, and see if you like it. I choose the latter.
I guess I wouldn't respect an actor who asked his audience, "So what type of movies do my fans want to see me in?" I'd rather they be creative, and then see the result of what they produced.
Totally agree