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Why is the 12" Macbook so expensive compared to similar laptops?

ondert said:
That ultra small motherboard, those stacked battery cells should also increase the price I guess.
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I agree with this as being the main reasons it's so expensive. Those are cool engineering features of MBs. However I remember when Apple used to actually lower the price of its products over time as the designs matured, and that doesn't seem to be happening anymore, which is frustrating at times. Unless they can find a way to lower the MB's price, it will remain a niche product, only attractive to those of us who prize super light weight and compact size.
 
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There isn't much competition to Apple Macbook in this laptop category from other OEMs, so even though the tech is now matured, there isn't much incentive for Apple to lower the price. Also, Apple along with Intel invested in designing this custom chip and motherboard so they would want to reap the rewards as much as possible. It would be interesting once other OEMs get on board offering similar configurations at a lower price point.

HappyIntro said:
I agree with this as being the main reasons it's so expensive. Those are cool engineering features of MBs. However I remember when Apple used to actually lower the price of its products over time as the designs matured, and that doesn't seem to be happening anymore, which is frustrating at times. Unless they can find a way to lower the MB's price, it will remain a niche product, only attractive to those of us who prize super light weight and compact size.
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bluecoast said:
Apple no doubt designed the MacBook around the 10nm processors that intel were due to ship in 2016.

Those cooler but more powerful chips would’ve made the MB pack a punch - and would’ve helped Apple sell a load and let it gradually decrease the price as its volume sales took off. (EDIT: the assumption would be that Intel would’ve been able to reduce the price of its processors this enabling Apple to reduce its price too - obviously they famously protect their margins).

Why does this sound familiar? It’s exactly what happened with the Air, of course.

It too was first released as a pricey underpowered computer, but then gradually became Apple’s most popular - and reasonably priced - laptop (for Apple!).

Apple is no doubt keeping the MB around both to claw back the r&d cost and to wait for the time when it can launch the new rumoured MBA/or ‘13 inch MB’. Hopefully that time is coming very soon now. And hopefully it’s going to be keenly priced, too.

Then, I’d expect the current MB to be retired for a while until it reappears as the new ARM MB.
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This!

I was listening to the MacBreak Weekly podcast on my way into work and they talked about how expensive the MacBook is to make for Apple even in 2018. I suspect the Intel processors are mostly to blame.

Your theory that the 12 inch will be retired this year and replaced by the 13 inch MB (aka the current Non TB MacBook pro) is spot on.

Having it return as the ARM MacBook (which would be cheaper for Apple to make) may also be spot on!
 
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Just because Apple can and want to price it that much.

I am not the one who generally calls Apple's products "overpriced". I think that when you sum up everything that you're getting with the apple product, they are adequately priced.

But the MacBook...I just can't get over that. It is everything that MacBook Pro isn't (in a negative way), and it is priced as much as base MacBook Pro.

I would NEVER buy it.
 
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StellarVixen said:
Just because Apple can and want to price it that much.

I am not the one who generally calls Apple's products "overpriced". I think that when you sum up everything that you're getting with the apple product, they are adequately priced.

But the MacBook...I just can't get over that. It is everything that MacBook Pro isn't (in a negative way), and it is priced as much as base MacBook Pro.

I would NEVER buy it.
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I do agree with the ‘overpriced’ sentiment, if you look at the iPhone X as an example, I don’t think they charge $999 because they want to, I don’t think they actually make more money off it than an iPhone 8, rather that’s just how much it ends up costing because of pricy components like the oled panel (in particular) and the R&D for FaceID.

With the MacBook Pros, they seem overpriced more because Apple have shifted them upmarket (no iGPU model of 15” for example) and don’t offer an entry configuration. As far as the MacBook goes, I can only say they are charging the initial R&D payback price, and it’s obviously selling well enough they’ve no incentive to reduce it... I can’t see that it’s all that much more expensive to make than a MacBook Air, at this point retina screen and terraced batteries or no. The supply chain has had ample time to bed in...
 
StellarVixen said:
Just because Apple can and want to price it that much.

I am not the one who generally calls Apple's products "overpriced". I think that when you sum up everything that you're getting with the apple product, they are adequately priced.

But the MacBook...I just can't get over that. It is everything that MacBook Pro isn't (in a negative way), and it is priced as much as base MacBook Pro.

I would NEVER buy it.
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As a MacBook owner, the high price is simply - Pure greed from a company that has grown obese answering to far too many banker shareholders!
Just look at the way the UK had the 20% price increase from Apple - who would that effect? The pro customer. It's quite repulsive isn't it! But you vote with your wallet.
Products like these have short longevity lives - slow downs, battery problems, keyboards wearing. Compare the 2015 performance in 2018 just 2.5 years on! My advice is if you really want one, buy in the basic spec. Anything else is insane money for something that really doesn't last - I give these things 3 years with AppleCare and after that you are on your own - I've found Apple's after sales service so bad that it's a joke - they just want to sell! I have a MacBook and one iPhone and that's enough!
If you want chic and beautiful, then the MacBook is it. At £1000 and no more. When you get into the £1700+ then you are a fool to buy.
 
You can always tell the people who have no understanding of basic economics because they out themselves by using words like "greed" and "gouging".

It's just simple economics. Apple is a "for profit" company in a society that has an economy based on capitalism.
 
waquzy said:
Great screen, super lightweight, no fan noise - many ppl prefer this over high specs you see, cos ppl are different with different needs ;)

For me it’s hands down the best laptop I have ever owned. It does everything that I want and it looks great.
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My sentiment exactly. In my quest for ultraportable I went through 3 sony laptops that were more expensive than Apple but inferior to it. And Apple tax is more palatable if you wait a month or two after release and buy it cheaper from a reseller
 
If you purchase direct from Apple and upgrade them then yes they are a bit pricey. I got a new sealed 2017 one from ebay for £880 and am very happy with it as a travelling machine. The base model is the one to go for I think. If you start making it 16GB and upgrading the processor then I'd have thought you should probably be buying the 13" MBP.
 
since when Apple changed the 27W for the 12" Macbook to the 30W USB-C Power Adapter ?
 
I think because of the miniaturization of the logic board. It’s easy to make a big ass cheap laptop, but it’s hard to cramp so much quality into a chassis this thin. The display quality is top notch too.
 
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