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Why is apple sooo greedy?

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jamie329 said:
What a product is worth, and the cost to produce it are completely unrelated. A product is worth what people are willing to pay. Economics 101.
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Thats a great model for apple. But is it beneficial to the average joe like yourself? I could give a rats ass about apple's profit margins, as I don't own any apple stock. I care about competitive pricing. Like many posters have pointed out, apple's prices used to be competitive a few years back when component costs were high.

But since apple has developed such a blind following over the years, why lower prices? BRILLIANT!


Economics 101? Ok let me ask you this:

Can you be going into an apple store, and whip out your credit card and buy...lets say a $6000 laptop and rationalize to yourself "oh according to the law of economics, the demand of this product methodically follows its extremely high cost. so in accordance to the law of supply and demand, I am going to shamelessly ignore personal judgement on my behalf and shell out money from my son's college tuition account...he's a bum anyways"


:confused:


the world's gone crazy man.
 
gothamm said:
Thats a great model for apple. But is it beneficial to the average joe like yourself? I could give a rats ass about apple's profit margins, as I don't own any apple stock. I care about competitive pricing. Like many posters have pointed out, apple's prices used to be competitive a few years back when component costs were high.

But since apple has developed such a blind following over the years, why lower prices? BRILLIANT!


Economics 101? Ok let me ask you this:

Can you be going into an apple store, and whip out your credit card and buy...lets say a $6000 laptop and rationalize to yourself "oh according to the law of economics, the demand of this product methodically follows its extremely high cost. so in accordance to the law of supply and demand, I am going to shamelessly ignore personal judgement on my behalf and shell out money from my son's college tuition account...he's a bum anyways"


:confused:


the world's gone crazy man.
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Um... Yeah. I think you missed a crucial point. Nobody is being forced to buy anything. If it costs more than you can afford? Or even more than you want to pay? Then you can walk away, and not buy it. And I promise you, that by doing this, there will be no repercussions. This is not craziness. This is called choosing what you want and can afford. If someone can afford to buy a $6,000 laptop, and they want it? Then they can buy it. If not? then they won't. This is not poor personal judgment. People buy things that they want and can afford. This is how the world I live in works. What world are you referring to?

I'm sorry that Apple products are apparently outside of what you consider affordable. Good thing there is nobody holding a gun to your head, forcing you to blindly purchase their products, eh?
 
I havent read the whole 4 page thread, but it seems a good solution for the OP is to install OSX86 on his Thinkpad.

Also, OS X dosent need 3GB of RAM to run properly, I used Tiger on a 900MHz iBook G3 with 384MB of RAM just fine :)
 
digitalnicotine said:
Um... Yeah. I think you missed a crucial point. Nobody is being forced to buy anything. If it costs more than you can afford? Or even more than you want to pay? Then you can walk away, and not buy it. And I promise you, that by doing this, there will be no repercussions. This is not craziness. This is called choosing what you want and can afford. If someone can afford to buy a $6,000 laptop, and they want it? Then they can buy it. If not? then they won't. This is not poor personal judgment. People buy things that they want and can afford. This is how the world I live in works. What world are you referring to?

I'm sorry that Apple products are apparently outside of what you consider affordable. Good thing there is nobody holding a gun to your head, forcing you to blindly purchase their products, eh?
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you missed my point, since you were too busy making yours.

The essence of my argument is that choice is good...something which apple does not like to offer. why would they? Apple has cultivated a monopolistic niche...I wouldn't either if i were them.

Competition is good. Does any pro-american citizen like....debate that?

and thank god there is no one to put a gun against my head, making me buy a $6000 apple laptop. It'll probably just be a slightly bumped 2.8 ghz macbook pro with a 320 gb hard drive and 4 gigs of RAM ;)

you are cutting in with the "I am rich, so i will buy whatever i damn please" argument. That just ain't gonna cut it. There are better options for hardware out there for us folks who like to use common sense and shop smart. Competition creates its own little "checks and balances" system and people like the OP are simply taking advantage of that and buying the better value.

Apple hardware is excellent. just grossly overpriced.
 
gothamm said:
you missed my point, since you were too busy making yours.

The essence of my argument is that choice is good...something which apple does not like to offer. why would they? Apple has cultivated a monopolistic niche...I wouldn't either if i were them.

(repetitive babble snip)
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How is Apple not offering a choice?? (See nobody holding guns to anyone's head to purchase said items above) How can a monopoly be the underdog while competing with companies that offer products that essentially do the same thing? If your point is that choice is good, then why are you repeatedly whining about Apple's prices, when you can choose not to pay them (and on an Apple site to boot :confused:). Do you think Apple is going to read your posts and then lower their prices to suit your idea of what is affordable?

Purchasing Apple products make me rich? LOL! Ridiculous. Income has very little do to with it. Expendable income, however, is more of a factor. The ability to save up for what you value, choose, and really want are other factors. There are plenty of teenagers on this site who have done just that, and are now owners of Apple products. So who is this average joe you refer to? Because if a teenager attending school full time can afford Apple Products, I think you need to re-evaluate the word average, as it's not subjective to your personal opinion.
 
While I have to admit Thinkpads might be the best non-Apple laptops, they have their downsides as well.

Not that they're more expensive than Apple, but the prices for the same hardware comes within $200. If you're planning on spending over a $1000, $200 isn't that much...

Also, if you're going to bitch about the MacBook's design, bear in mind that the Thinkpad has had the same design since Clinton's first-term.

I was a bit impressed by the fact that they had a 2.7 pound notebook, but it's specs were horrible. I believe it had a 1.2GHz processor and 1GB of RAM, and at that it was only a few hundred less than the MacBook Air.

While I admit to paying more for Apple computers simply because they're Apples, I get three key things:

  1. OS X: The best operating system available. Also, in before some Linux user comes in claiming how cool his open source software is.
  2. Design: I'll admit it -- Apple computers look "cool". I tend to take a second look at a MacBook Pro as opposed to a Thinkpad if I'm walking through a room. It's the same thing for a nice car, Oakleys, having a nice phone or wearing Hollister.
  3. Better Hardware: Apple computers are made better and last longer. My Dell is two years old and it's a piece of crap despite the fact that I've treated it fairly (as I do with all of my computers). Even my mom's Thinkpad is worn out after two years of use.
 
gothamm said:
stability my ass. Whenever i pop in a dvd, i get an error message that my computer needs to restart. Whenever i try to partition for bootcamp, error message must restart. there goes all of the other applications i had open at that time. hard drive partitions are a nightmare, extracting big files are a nightmare. Had i not been able to run windows on my macbook, i would have never ever went mac.

Tiger might have been awesome when it reached maturity, but the relatively young leopard is full of bugs. Not even the bugs that picky people point out...I am talking basic Sh*t. Like, it would be freaking nice that i dont get error messages when i transfer files from my external HD.
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That sounds like a kernel panic which generally means hardware problems rather than software. Anyway, if it is software do an archive and install and that should sort you out. If it doesnt, take it to you nearest apple store as it will need hardware repaired.
 
Nice buy. They one thing I don't like about the Thinkpads are how they look, other then that there pretty good machines. One thing I like about Windows Laptops are that you can remove basically everything almost and replace them.
 
macenforcer or gothamwhatever - have you guys ever taken an economics class?

How is apple a monopoly? How? How do they NOT give you a choice? Here's what you fail to understand:

Operation system = product
Windows = product
OSX = product

various hardware configurations run those products. You have CHOICE on what products you want. It just so happens that if you want OSX, you have to buy it with mac hardware. Apple (in the eyes of some) built a better mousetrap and they beat a path to apple's door. What's so wrong about that.

Guess what? if you want a ferrari engine, you have to buy it with... wait for it... A FERRARI! Is anyone calling Ferrari a monopoly? Why is Ferrari so damn greedy?! I bet you the parts that go into a Ferrari don't cost $200,000! They're not giving me a choice to get it for $50,000! Corporate bastards. I can only afford a Honda. WHIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!

I finally get the point of this thread from OP: 'I am smart. You guys are dumb. As a smart consumer, I refuse to pay apple prices for obsolete hardware and an ugly outdated designed laptop.' Well hoooray for you. My dumb ass is fully enjoying my MBP with Mac OSX Leopard. And plenty more people are too. We made a CHOICE to buy mac hardware. Are you so insecure in your purchase of your thinkpad you have to come on here and make yourself feel better by pointing out that we all overpaid and you are the smartest consumer in the world? Awesome. My time and blood pressure levels are worth not having the blue screen of death.
 
Boy oh boy. 5 pages and nobody gets what I said, well most of you don't. Look this is not a thinkpad is better then macbook thread, its a apple is greedy thread.

If Lenovo can pack all those great options into their thinkpad and charge $1100 for it why does apple charge $2500 for less options? Greed? Sticking up for apple when they are ripping your off just makes you look like you need to be shaved. Baaahhhh.
 
latestmonkey said:
How is apple a monopoly?
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Of course Apple has a monopoly on Apple products. Ferrari also has a monopoly on Ferraris. The word doesn't necessarily mean "bad"; it's simply a reflection of the fact that one company is the sole source of a good or service. Yes, Apple has an iPod monopoly. They also have a Leopard monopoly, a Macbook monopoly, and a Mac Pro monopoly.
 
macenforcer said:
Boy oh boy. 5 pages and nobody gets what I said, well most of you don't. Look this is not a thinkpad is better then macbook thread, its a apple is greedy thread.

If Lenovo can pack all those great options into their thinkpad and charge $1100 for it why does apple charge $2500 for less options? Greed? Sticking up for apple when they are ripping your off just makes you look like you need to be shaved. Baaahhhh.
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A huge multinational corporation that is...greedy...:eek:

Well I never! :rolleyes:
 
macenforcer said:
Boy oh boy. 5 pages and nobody gets what I said, well most of you don't. Look this is not a thinkpad is better then macbook thread, its a apple is greedy thread.

If Lenovo can pack all those great options into their thinkpad and charge $1100 for it why does apple charge $2500 for less options? Greed? Sticking up for apple when they are ripping your off just makes you look like you need to be shaved. Baaahhhh.
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You know why Apple sells them for $2500? BECAUSE THEY CAN. It's called business. And as many people have pointed out, they are more than willing to pay a premium because of the integration of OSX with the hardware. Too bad that doesn't jive with your sensibilities. If you aren't willing to pay it then don't. This is a free country I believe.

Try to follow along with this statement: Sometimes 2+2 = 5. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Why is someone willing to pay $10M for a Van Gogh and someone else only willing to pay $5M for a Mattise? (or hell, even a different Van Gogh). I mean all the paint is the same right? And you get pretty much the same utility out of it. Because the way it's put together, because they can, and because it meets a perceived value to it.

We don't really care whether the thinkpad is better than the mbp or the mbp is better than the thinkpad in terms of components and specs, which is what you're totally hung up on. We like that it works. It works for our needs and our wants. What don't you get about that? You are not smarter than apple consumers because they bought a mbp. Apple is not GREEDY because they price things according to what the market will bear. They are simply smart business people. If the products sucked and people would only pay $100 for a mbp, then that's the price of the mbp. Are you trying to tell me that if Lenovo could sell their thinkpads for $2500, they wouldn't? Seriously? What pollyanna world do you live in?

heatmiser said:
Of course Apple has a monopoly on Apple products. Ferrari also has a monopoly on Ferraris. The word doesn't necessarily mean "bad"; it's simply a reflection of the fact that one company is the sole source of a good or service. Yes, Apple has an iPod monopoly. They also have a Leopard monopoly, a Macbook monopoly, and a Mac Pro monopoly.
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Uhh... yeah.. that's not a monopoly.
 
pcs suck

Good machine but it is running xp with viruses spybots etcetra
with mac you dont get that crap :apple::apple::apple::apple::apple::apple::apple::apple::apple::apple::apple:
 
gothamm said:
Apple hardware is excellent. just grossly overpriced.
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to be honest, this is a great point. and i think it is important to realize that apple is overpriced because they can be. they offer the best os, but not the best options. they can charge more because people are willing to pay more for a superior product. im not sure what is so groundbreaking about this concept, as several people have pointed out.

macenforcer said:
If Lenovo can pack all those great options into their thinkpad and charge $1100 for it why does apple charge $2500 for less options? Greed? Sticking up for apple when they are ripping your off just makes you look like you need to be shaved. Baaahhhh.
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yes apple is charging too much. we get that. but apple is offering the product i want, and i am willing to pay extra for that.

that said, i do think apple should lower prices. but that doesnt mean they are going to. again, charging more isnt out of pure greed. if you think lenovo is just in the market for fun you are wrong. every company is "greedy." they are looking to make as much money as possible off the products they make. apple included.
 
I wonder if someone offered the OP to double his salary for the exact same work he's doing right now, would he turn it down because it was "greedy"?

I mean, it's the same work right?
 
latestmonkey said:
I wonder if someone offered the OP to double his salary for the exact same work he's doing right now, would he turn it down because it was "greedy"?

I mean, it's the same work right?
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I guess if you went into a car dealership and they tried to charge you double you would say, its ok, its the car I want and they are ripping me off because of capitalism and supply and demand. Here you go, there is double for the exact same car being sold across the street. Thanks for raping me. Its worth it to be raped. LOL.
 
I have to admit, if i could load OSX on any platform i would not own a MBP. For the money i could have had a little better hardware to be sure. Apple is smart in controlling where their software is loaded. I do wish they offered a "gaming" type platform though. My MBP rocks when encoding, using CS3 etc.., but it sucks at gaming.
 
macenforcer said:
I guess if you went into a car dealership and they tried to charge you double you would say, its ok, its the car I want and they are ripping me off because of capitalism and supply and demand. Here you go, there is double for the exact same car being sold across the street. Thanks for raping me. Its worth it to be raped. LOL.
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That is one of the most ridiculous arguments I've ever ever heard. It's not EXACTLY the car that is sold across the street. If it was, I'd walk across the street. You know why? Because I have free will and choice in a capitalistic society. AND the car dealership that's charging double would quickly go out of business.

If you're saying the Thinkpad is EXACTLY the same laptop as the MBP, then you're not worth arguing with at all.

Seriously, do you have any sense whatsoever about how business works? You're being absolutely destroyed on all sides of this argument. Your reasoning is laughable on all fronts.
 
macenforcer said:
So apple computers have really become a rippoff now that they use intel and they keep trying to gouge consumers even more with the charging of the remote. So what is the deal?
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:confused: Apple has had a 15% - 30% premium over similarly powerful "PCs" for at least 20 years now. If anything, it seems with the transition to Intel CPUs, Apple has become more competitive with their computers priced close to those of Dell and their ilk.
 
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