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Who makes Mac's?

W

whitegoodmen

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 15, 2010
19
0
I'm more interested in mac than I have ever been. I'm thinking about buying a new macbook in a few months. I hear people say that Apple builds better computers then most PCs (Dell,Hp,Asus,Acer) but parts does Apple make? Are the plastics made by the same companies that make PCs? I know its the same processor that everyone uses but is it the same hard drive, disk drive stuff like that?
Does it really just come down to which operating system someone prefers?
 
The hard drive, GPU, CPU, RAM, display... etc are all the same you can find from a PC. Only the logic board and case are designed just for Apple (and by Apple) but that's common amongst the manufacturers. FoxConn has made Macs in the past at least and they make PC stuff as well. Basically, it's just the OS, otherwise it's pretty same
 
Apple makes Macs. If you're talking about the specific components, there IS no computer maker that builds all their own components. Optical and hard disk drives, CPU, RAM, screens, etc. are all made by different manufacturers. This is true for Apple, Dell, Toshiba, etc. All of them are a mix of 3rd party components.
 
I just looked up Foxconn. They have around 450,000 employees! Also I just read about the kid that committed suicide becuase he lost the iPhone 4 prototype :(
 
Think of it as a PC like the rest of them with an Apple case and Apple motherboard (logic board)
 
Hellhammer said:
The hard drive, GPU, CPU, RAM, display... etc are all the same you can find from a PC. Only the logic board and case are designed just for Apple (and by Apple) but that's common amongst the manufacturers. FoxConn has made Macs in the past at least and they make PC stuff as well. Basically, it's just the OS, otherwise it's pretty same
Click to expand...

The case and design/choice of components is a pretty major factor, there are not many computers out there with the same all round balance of quality, aesthetics and performance in the hardware, particularly regards laptops.
 
whitegoodmen said:
That's what I was wondering. I hear all these argument when it should just be deductions about the operating systems between OS X and Windows. Thanks!
Click to expand...

It is more than just OS X vs Windows.

The careful selection of uniform hardware paired with OS X is what differentiates it from randomly (or deliberately and well) selected hardware + Windows.

Windows has to support the entire universe and therefore is the jack of all trades, master of none.

Apple only has to support Macs and can therefore specialize and bring a level of hardware and software integration a par above. You lose selection and customization though, and you pay higher prices for the quality and consistency in the experience. Or if you hate Apple, instead of saying 'quality and consistency' you say 'for the Apple Logo'.
 
All the major components inside are the same. Apple uses the same brands of hard drives, optical drives, LCD panels, video cards, RAM, batteries, etc. as everybody else does, from Dell to Toshiba to the PC you build yourself from the neighborhood chop shop.

Everything else (the housings and enclosures, mostly, as well as the custom made logic boards) are created in the same factories that create all the other PCs out there, but they are built to Apple's particular specifications. For example, other PCs might use 2mm plastic where Apple calls for 0.5mm aluminum. Apple might specify tighter tolerances -- or they might not, I have no idea.

Remember that being "made in China" does not necessarily mean "a piece of junk". Ever been to China? They have skyscrapers and bridges and high-speed trains, meticulously engineered from quality materials that don't fall apart. However, they're happy to cut corners to save on costs, to use lower tolerances and lower quality materials, if the company asks them to, which is why you do get a lot of junk on the market.
 
Gold89 said:
The case and design/choice of components is a pretty major factor, there are not many computers out there with the same all round balance of quality, aesthetics and performance in the hardware, particularly regards laptops.
Click to expand...

Design is a matter of opinion, there are great looking PCs as well. The main thing is the freedom of choice, you aren't limited to one or two designs and specs. The hardware in Macs isn't special by any means, you can get similarly specced laptop for a lot less than MBP and there are much faster PC laptops available and again, for less than MBP. Hardware wise, you shouldn't buy a Mac and usually it's the OS X what makes people buy Macs.
 
In addition to being made to Apple's specifications, there are a few chips that are designed by Apple themselves. The SMC is one good example. The processor, FireWire and Ethernet chipsets, etc, are all standard, yes, but don't make the mistake of assuming Apple uses nothing but off-the-shelf parts. These boards are a significant engineering effort, and certainly work better and are better designed than your average PC motherboard.

jW
 
Stay away from Dell. My bro mentioned tonight the lousy work laptop he just got.

The Chinese are starting to look to build more than the bottom-line junk. Made in Japan used to mean junk in the 60's, now it's quite the opposite.
 
Baby Mac said:
The Chinese are starting to look to build more than the bottom-line junk.
Click to expand...
The Chinese are no starting to build more then botttom-line junk. They're building everything period. I cannot go into a store and pick something out without it saying made in china. They are doing making everything. Apple iPhone and products are made in china and they're high quality (most of the time)
 
Apple is known for using higher quality components in their devices (except the iPhone antenna, oops), although I will speak for myself and say that they're still prone to failure. The biggest point is that they have a very limited set of hardware. All the computers except the Mac Pro use Intel Core processors, and all Mac Pros use Intel Xeons. MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air use 9400M graphic cards. A very limited range of hardware means a very specific range of drivers. When buying a Chevy part for a Chevy car (sorry Ford people) you'll expect it to work, and Macs are made to work with Mac OS.
 
wjlafrance said:
Apple is known for using higher quality components in their devices (except the iPhone antenna, oops)
Click to expand...

The whole iPhone antenna thing was just a design flaw wasn't it? I didn't think it had anything to do with component quality, just the location of these components.
 
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