Why do macs cost so much?

It's a question I've often asked myself.
Look, I hate Windoze...I'll be the 1st to say that I do...But think about it..
Maybe it's just me....I got bored waiting for an email saying that this guy emailed me my macbook and I was looking at IBM Thinkpads...I'm looking at T42 and 41 laptops that have 1.7 - 1.8 GHZ with 1GB of RAM and they're only selling for $300. Yet a low end 1.8 GHz macbook with a gigabite of ram sells for $700? Look I'm not knocking either company, I am just looking for some insight of why Apples seem to always be significantly more expensive than PCs.

xj6jaguar1985,

The first reason is quality. Good quality control costs $$ and raises the product price. The second reason is supply and demand. Just like the price of gasoline these days... I think Apple understands what the traffic will bear and charges at that level. And we are willing to pay it, aren't we?

I read an article today in Macworld about why Apple shouldn't cater to the Enterprise market (Corporate America), but rather should let the Enterprise market should come to Apple. It has to do with the premium value that Apple has engendered with their excellent products, while all those other companies that you reference build for huge volume and go after the Enterprise Market using Windows... hence those low prices.

Noel

Actually, my macbook pro is pretty much exactly as expensive as my T61p. You have to compare tier 1 to tier 1.

Dysfunction said:

Actually, my macbook pro is pretty much exactly as expensive as my T61p. You have to compare tier 1 to tier 1.

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I agree with this. Most people compare low end PCs to Macs which are not low end. Its all about the components in the machine, not just the speed of the chip and the RAM in it etc.

This is all true guys...And perhaps that yes Apples are far from low end and are usually durable...In September 2003, my father bought me a brand new Dell Inspiron 1100. With the rebate and all, I think the computer was only about $500. Yeah it had a 2.2 GHz intel celeron processor, which was ultimately its demise. By Summer 2005, the laptop was as good as dead in practical terms. The motherboard was shot so the keyboard wouldn't work unless you had an external keyboard. Then again perhaps it is supply and demand. People nowadays want a portable computer which is why I got this eMac for a whopping $100. This eMac could literally run a Boston Marathon for computers and set a world record. I've kept it on for almost 2 months straight one time, and still it has yet to give me a problem. *Shrugs*

Here's a good read if you're either a) bored or b) interested.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/apple-mac-leopard-windows-vista,1985-2.html

Study after study has shown that if you do an apples to apples comparison, the price between a Mac ad PC is negligible. You only see the price difference when you're not comparing like machines.

US tech support as suppose to calling India... worth the extra cost to me....

The only reason PCs are cheaper is because of coupons. If you check Dell or HP prices before coupons kick in, the identically spec'd machines to apple are pretty close.

Well, they're really not that expensive when you think about it.

Think of what you get. Support, photo/video editing programs, the list goes on forever. When it comes down to it, you would have to buy all those media programs like iPhoto, iDVD, iMovie, Garage Band. It's so much better that it makes up for the price, anyway.

mostly supply and demand. more pcs are sold than macs, so the selling companies must remain competitive on price and compete with others trying to sell the same thing.

lifeafter2am said:

I agree with this. Most people compare low end PCs to Macs which are not low end. Its all about the components in the machine, not just the speed of the chip and the RAM in it etc.

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While that is true, the question remains why Apple cannot do a $500 laptop with lower specs. I am pretty sure that it could, and if it did, would double it's market share within 12 months. This would be better for everyone, because it might mean we wouldn't have to put up with garbage like Quicken 2007.

budafied said:

The only reason PCs are cheaper is because of coupons. If you check Dell or HP prices before coupons kick in, the identically spec'd machines to apple are pretty close.

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Wal-Mart special ftl

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Other computer manufacturer's all-in-one's are actually a little bit more expensive than an iMac.

Zoolook said:

While that is true, the question remains why Apple cannot do a $500 laptop with lower specs. I am pretty sure that it could, and if it did, would double it's market share within 12 months. This would be better for everyone, because it might mean we wouldn't have to put up with garbage like Quicken 2007.

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Lower your standards and double your efforts .... thats something that companies that are failing do, not companies that are already increasing market share every day. Sorry, I normally agree with you, but in this case I don't. I am more than willing to make concessions with software for a better overall operating system and higher quality of machine. Of course to be fair this is coming from a Linux convert ..... we are bred to make concessions.

Zoolook said:

While that is true, the question remains why Apple cannot do a $500 laptop with lower specs. I am pretty sure that it could, and if it did, would double it's market share within 12 months. This would be better for everyone, because it might mean we wouldn't have to put up with garbage like Quicken 2007.

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I think the simple answer is they have no interest in that market.

lifeafter2am said:

Lower your standards and double your efforts .... thats something that companies that are failing do, not companies that are already increasing market share every day. Sorry, I normally agree with you, but in this case I don't. I am more than willing to make concessions with software for a better overall operating system and higher quality of machine. Of course to be fair this is coming from a Linux convert ..... we are bred to make concessions.

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Sure, I just think someone would have noticed the iPhone sales jump after the price cuts.

With the MacBooks now made in China, and with the sales volumes reasonably high, and distribution channels clean and a source of profit, rather than an expense as is the case with most companies, you'd think that Apple could produce at least a sub-$700 laptop. This isn't exactly low-end Dell territory, with a crippled OS (hello Vista Basic) or a machine full of crap-ware.

I'd say that to introduce such a machine they'd have to more than double their current support structure.

Zoolook said:

Sure, I just think someone would have noticed the iPhone sales jump after the price cuts.

With the MacBooks now made in China, and with the sales volumes reasonably high, and distribution channels clean and a source of profit, rather than an expense as is the case with most companies, you'd think that Apple could produce at least a sub-$700 laptop. This isn't exactly low-end Dell territory, with a crippled OS (hello Vista Basic) or a machine full of crap-ware.

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I agree, although I think it would necessitate a discrete video card in the standard MacBook (which should be there already). I could see Apple doing a 13" MacBook Lite, sans iSight, FW400, but with integrated video, 1GB of RAM and a Celeron (or whatever the "bargain" CPU du jour is these days) for $700. It doesn't have to be "junk" (to quote Steve), but something that is more in reach to the mainstream computer buyer.

For better or for worse, the general public thinks that a computer should cost less than $1000 based on the industry offerings. If Apple ever decides to compete in that market, they'd pick up quite a bit of market share.