Macs price tag... why?

Richard Beer

Richard Beer

Richard Beer

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28 Mar 2007
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114
Ive heard a lot of good things about mac and would like to switch but the thing that puts me off is the price tag.... quite steep and the components arent very high spec either, is there some special trick going on that makes them really fast or something? I don't see how the price tag can be justified.
 
Macs are almost proprietry. The operating system and software is written to work with the specific hardware you get with a Mac. They don't need to account for 1000's of different component configurations and therefore you get a more optimised system.

You also benefit from a very friendly user experience. Every applications just works without a fuss and they are mostly stress free.

Pricing is high due to components being of a certain mac specification I would have thought. Im not a full time Mac user so can't comment accurately but that's probably 70% of the reason.
 
Richard Beer said:
Ive heard a lot of good things about mac and would like to switch but the thing that puts me off is the price tag.... quite steep and the components arent very high spec either, is there some special trick going on that makes them really fast or something? I don't see how the price tag can be justified.
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Go to your local Apple Store and have a look at the build quality and layout and have a play with OS X.

It is also a misconception that Apple kit is overpriced. Apple don't make cheap computers nor do they make overpriced computers.

Either stop being a cheapskate ( :p ) or do what most people who want to dip their toes do and get a Mac Mini, or are you trolling? ;)
 
Yeah they charge the high prices because they can!! design, usablility, user-friendliness etc its all there in one neat package! but there is downsides with that. So give me a PC anyday!!! cheap, cheerful and more potential!
 
I recently made the switch to mac after having the exact same concens as you. After about 6 months of carefull thought on the subject i eventually went for it and can safely say it was worth every penny.

As far as im concerned the price is deserved and to be honest they are not a million miles away from similar spec PC's.
Sure your going to pay a little for the name, but what you are getting is a superb peice of design and engineering. Im not one of these people that gets caught up in hype etc and the "it just works" phrase bounded around on mac forums can grate after a while. But it just does exactly that which honestly brought a smile to my face. I cant often say the same about my PC.

In terms of components this was also a concern i had, however i think a major problem here is human nature, in the fact that you always want the best of the best.
With PC's you live in a bubble were you are free to upgrade to the latest bleeding edge technology whenever you want (even if you dont need it) and you get used to that after a while. However in a real world environment that new CPU with an extra 1-200mhz really isnt going to make a world of difference. Once I popped that bubble i become quite content in the fact that a Mac would do whatever i wanted it to do for many many years.

Not only that but they hold their value exceptionally well, unlike you 1K PC that a few years down the line ends up been worth a fiver.

If you are seriously considering it i would highly recommend visiting an apple store, it can be difficult depending on where you live as it was with me, but the deciding factor for me came after seeing and using one.
 
Ah thanks for the insight! Ive always favoured OS X over Windows, the constant freezing drives me nuts!, The next machine I get I am considering a mac, I think I will go and have a serious play about with the OS in the nearest apple store. I don't really "game" on pc's anymore, I couldn't stand been at a disadvantage due to lower specs than the other guy so I switched to console. Again thanks for the info! :D
 
Richard Beer said:
Ah thanks for the insight! Ive always favoured OS X over Windows, the constant freezing drives me nuts!, The next machine I get I am considering a mac, I think I will go and have a serious play about with the OS in the nearest apple store. I don't really "game" on pc's anymore, I couldn't stand been at a disadvantage due to lower specs than the other guy so I switched to console. Again thanks for the info! :D
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Do it. If you don't like it then you can sell it as Macs hold there value. However, once you have had a Mac there will be no going back!
 
I have a OSX (Hackintosh) and Vista systems - almost identical hardware, 3GHz C2D, 2GB in the Vista box 3GB in the OSX box, similar graphics and hard drive etc... The OSX machine is far the nicer to use. The interface is much more snappy and free flowing, switching apps is smoother... it wakes and sleeps in about 1 sec where Vista takes more like 15, it never sits there grinding the HDD like Vista does, Expose and Spaces make it a joy to use.

So I'm totally convinced that with identical hardware OSX provides a better user experience than Vista.
 
ajbuk said:
Yeah they charge the high prices because they can!! design, usablility, user-friendliness etc its all there in one neat package! but there is downsides with that. So give me a PC anyday!!! cheap, cheerful and more potential!
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PC. Cheap. Nasty* and requires far too much upkeep**. ;)




* Why do they insist on putting ports all over the place?



** Yes you can keep a Windows install clean but it is more effort than it is worth.
 
clv101 said:
I have a OSX (Hackintosh) and Vista systems - almost identical hardware, 3GHz C2D, 2GB in the Vista box 3GB in the OSX box, similar graphics and hard drive etc... The OSX machine is far the nicer to use. The interface is much more snappy and free flowing, switching apps is smoother... it wakes and sleeps in about 1 sec where Vista takes more like 15, it never sits there grinding the HDD like Vista does, Expose and Spaces make it a joy to use.

So I'm totally convinced that with identical hardware OSX provides a better user experience than Vista.
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I too have a hackintosh / ubuntu / vista. I did it to try mac os x for many months so I was 100% confident it will do all I want it too.

I am consequently going to get a mac mini and sell my pc.

I hear a rumour that the mac mini isnt dead and is going to get an upgrade soon? 45nm process I heard, can anyone confirm this?
 
Oxy said:
I hear a rumour that the mac mini isnt dead and is going to get an upgrade soon? 45nm process I heard, can anyone confirm this?
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Like with anything Apple.

We don't know anything confirm until they say something :p

Its highly likely if it is continued that it will go 45nm in the near future.

When? We don't know...
 
In a way your buying two machines with a Mac, you get Windows (or any other) and Mac OS X. Harder to do on a Windows Machine (to run OS X anyway). I always thought they were over priced till i used one, and the build quality is immense.
 
Dup said:
Pricing is high due to components being of a certain mac specification I would have thought. Im not a full time Mac user so can't comment accurately but that's probably 70% of the reason.
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Not anymore AFAIK now they are also using Intel chipsets and C2Ds.

Also you pay the premium for design and the prestige (if you see it that way) of owning an Apple.
 
I'd heard something similar - but tbh as Concorde said - it's ALWAYS a guessing game with Apple - and its something I like!

I'd snap up a mac mini if they got a spec bump - not that I necessarily need one.. I like using my macbook with apple tv (it does work!) and time capsule.. and the fact that my phone syncs perfectly is another bonus..

Its not said enough.. Once you go mac, you'll never go back! :p *









* i realise it's been said bout 12 times in this thread - but I like to reiterate :)
 
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