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Why is a MacBook Pro $500 more than a MacBook?
- Thread starter PoloDude
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The calculator works better on the Macbook Pro because mine shows that $1999-1299=$700.
Anyway, I got my wife a Macbook and gave it 2 months of my photography work. That machine is amazing and was easily good enough for what I was doing, but the one thing that made me buy a Pro is the crappy Macbook screen. It's not that I'm unhappy with my Pro because I do like it, but if the screens were equal then I think there's a good number of Pro users who would have been very happy with the Macbook and $700 saved.
Anyway, I got my wife a Macbook and gave it 2 months of my photography work. That machine is amazing and was easily good enough for what I was doing, but the one thing that made me buy a Pro is the crappy Macbook screen. It's not that I'm unhappy with my Pro because I do like it, but if the screens were equal then I think there's a good number of Pro users who would have been very happy with the Macbook and $700 saved.
But then you're not dealing with similar speeds so the MBP is also much faster. Thats why we're talking about the $1500 one.
Even with the existing MB screen, if you have an external display the top MB will do the job quite well.
I think the OP is trying to say that $400/500 is a total rip-off for a dedicated graphics card, firewire 800, better graphics, and a better screen. If that's the case, then here's some advice: Deal with it. Apple won't bring it down anytime soon. Some people don't mind paying the extra $400 for every bit of power they can get.
My advice is to get a 2.0 ghz macbook or a refurb 2.4 ghz (unless you want a "brand-new" computer)
Its only a total rip off if you dont need those things, for the rest of the world its called capitalist economics.
May i also add that its TWO dedicated graphics cards, that will soon be able to act in Hybrid SLI and Open CL.
Ports. MBP has FW800 and an expresscard slot (and 2 USB ports). Macbooks only have two USB ports.
(MBP 17-inch also has a 3rd USB, as well as the super-battery.)
My 1st Gen. MBP has FW800 and 400. I use the 800 a lot.
Besides the ports and screen/resolution size, and that MBP's can optionally have better processing, graphics, and disk space (especially the 17), i don't think there's any reason to spend the extra dough. If they could/would add the FW and EC to the MacBook they could put it in the same category as the MBP's. Either drop the "Pro" on two or add it to one. Then there would just be 3 sizes to the same model.
(MBP 17-inch also has a 3rd USB, as well as the super-battery.)
My 1st Gen. MBP has FW800 and 400. I use the 800 a lot.
Besides the ports and screen/resolution size, and that MBP's can optionally have better processing, graphics, and disk space (especially the 17), i don't think there's any reason to spend the extra dough. If they could/would add the FW and EC to the MacBook they could put it in the same category as the MBP's. Either drop the "Pro" on two or add it to one. Then there would just be 3 sizes to the same model.
The MacBook Pro is about $500 more expensive than the MacBook simply because Apple decided it would be. Apple decided to go for the high end of the computer market, Acer, Toshiba etc the low end. Apple needed to differentiate the products it sells, so there is a spread of prices, hence the smaller screen on the MacBook, and the lack of firewire (having firewire in the least expensive model may canabalise sales of more expensive products).
Another example is try looking for an inexpensive non-Apple laptop that has a 320GB hard drive. You simply won't find one, you'll be stuck with a 120GB hard drive, even though the price difference between the two drives might be US$25.
You see this a lot in products that don't cater for the bottom end of the market, a small improvement results in a significant cost increase. A similar (although not exact) example is GPS navigation. There might be a 5 to 1 range in prices, where the most expensive just seems to have a few more buttons and a larger screen than the least expensive.
Another example is try looking for an inexpensive non-Apple laptop that has a 320GB hard drive. You simply won't find one, you'll be stuck with a 120GB hard drive, even though the price difference between the two drives might be US$25.
You see this a lot in products that don't cater for the bottom end of the market, a small improvement results in a significant cost increase. A similar (although not exact) example is GPS navigation. There might be a 5 to 1 range in prices, where the most expensive just seems to have a few more buttons and a larger screen than the least expensive.
The MacBook Pro is and what you get is simply what you need. If you need a fast dedicated GPU, you need the bigger screen, you need the faster processor (offered by the mid-range model), you need Firewire. Yes $400 is a lot of money, but instead of considering the $400 in the short term perspective, consider it in the long term. That's the issue many consumers have; considering if you use the 15" and what it gives you, I would assume you will be using the computer for at least a few years, you break down the costs over the next few years. The more you use, the more value you get.
You argument here is seriously flawed; if the OP is trying to justify $400, this is asking the OP to try to justified $1100...
You argument here is seriously flawed; if the OP is trying to justify $400, this is asking the OP to try to justified $1100...
larger screen, more battery life in the 17incher, more ports, better quality screen resolution, all unibody pros have light up keyboards, more ram capacity in the 17incher, two graphics cards, etc..
A refurb is usually of better quality and less prone to problems especially the ones from Apple. Just in case your not familiar with how refurbs work, they are machines that have been replaced for a hardware problem of some sort. They will replace the bad part and test it to make 100% sure everything is working. During those tests every component is tested on each and every refurb unit and they have the same warranty as "new" machines and are eligible for Apple Care so are essentially a new machine. Now compare that to "new" machines. They will pull a sample machine to spot check the line for defects but do not perform quality control on each machine, only 1 every x number that comes off the line. You are more likely to get a lemon from buying a new in the box machine than a refurb. Plus you can save several hundred by going the refurb route which more than pays for the upgrade to pro or applecare on a MB. some units will be discounted up to 30% at times. But to each their own.
Exactly!
The difference between the two prices is constant over time, but sometimes the middle-level MB (ok, with unibodies the offer is more complicated) is not as powerful as the basic-level MBP. I think they are "similar" since early 2008: in 2007 there was a bigger difference between the two notebooks hw, same difference in price.
By buying the PRO, sometimes you get only the bigger and much better screen plus GPU (plus some ports), sometimes you get much more.
Apple prices do not depend on the hardware they put in the machines (see, for example, Mac Mini).
thistle
We've also established the OP is concerned about price and isn't going to be doing the most challenging things with his machine. I think you could make a very valid argument for him to get the 2.0 Macbook.
I think he wants champagne price equipment on a beer budget. Not ever going to happen.
Haha, the typical snobbish Apple-fanboy response. At least in the PC world he would have CHOICE, and probably would be able to get two powerful 17" notebooks for the price of ONE Apple MacBook Pro.
Apple puts the very same components in their products as the next PC manufacturer around the corner. The only real difference are the operating system and the design. And when it comes to service, at least here in Germany, Dell beats the **** out of Apple - for less than half the price.
I pay the Apple premium because I like the design and the software. But that's just me, and it still allows for the "why are they so expensive" question.
Some stores (IE Microcenter) still have last-gen Macbook Pros for 1499, which is an awesome deal. Larger and higher-quality matte screen, gpu, more ports. There really isn't a noticeable speed difference between these and the unibodies.
If money is your concern, the recent update to the 999 white macbook puts it REALLY close to the unibody macbooks in specs.
If money is your concern, the recent update to the 999 white macbook puts it REALLY close to the unibody macbooks in specs.
Basically you pay for the ink used to print the "Pro" next to the "Macbook" on the bottom of the bezel.......unless you got the 17"
At least, that's what the kids are saying these days...
At least, that's what the kids are saying these days...