Here's goes "Nick" with "Mac History" again!
Since 2006 when the first Intel Mac's were released...the Mac Pro's have been the only Macintosh computer that had a video card that was replaceable or upgradeable. So what I'm saying is...the Mac Pro's are the only Apple computer since 2006 where this whole video card (Windows & Mac version) has been a possibility.
But...before Intel Mac Pro's (with PCIe expansion slots)...this same exact issue existed with:
- Powermac G5's (with AGP, PCI, PCI-X, and PCIe expansion slots) which takes us back to 2003 when the first Powermac G5's were introduced
- Powermac G4's (with AGP & PCI expansion slots)...where you could replace or upgrade the video card. This takes us back to 1999.
- Powermac G3's (with PCI expansion slots)...which takes us back to 1997
- Even some of the original Powermac's had PCI expansion slots...which takes us back to 1996.
- Where things start to get a "little funky"...is Macintosh computers from 1987-1996 had "Nubus" expansion slots.
Where I'm going with this are two things:
- the whole "issue" of there being a Macintosh version & a Windows version of the same video card has been with us since probably about 1996...when both Macintosh & Windows computers shared a similar logic board architecture with PCI expansions slots (with the Macintosh video card version always being significantly more expensive).
- before this (1987-1996) desktop Macintosh's had "Nubus" expansion slots...which made Mac's much different from Windows computers...thus requiring "special" video cards that had the "Nubus" interface. So because of this Nubus interface...it was more understandable why Windows video cards wouldn't work in a Macintosh...and why Mac video cards were more expensive.
Since 1996-2010 (with both Mac's & Windows computers sharing a similar PCI, PCI-x, PCIe expansion card interface)...you would think that the cost of the same exact video card model would be much closer (just differences in the ROM on each version of the card).
With there still being (in 2010) an approx. $100 difference between the cost of a Windows & Mac version of a video card...it's seems hard to justify where that $100 extra cost is going other than "economies of scale". Which basically says...the greater the numbers you can make of something (greater volumes), the lower your costs, and the cheaper you can sell something. So apparently this has got to be the reason for the $100 cost difference (as it has been since at least 1996).
Ok...history lesson & personal commentary over!
- Nick