It's Official: Macs are NOT more expensive!

[Techpriest]

That's exactly what I'm talking about. This "unnecessary premium" is so the opposite of unnecessary, I feel proud and happy to pay it, knowing my product will outperform the PC of higher specs in all areas. It starts with the boot up sound.

So are you honestly saying that you are proud to pay extra for the Apple's features, even if you never use them, because of the smug feeling you get from just having them and knowing others do not? Good for you, but I don't have that kind of money to throw around for the sake of smug.

If I was looking to buy a new laptop the $600 Dell with 15.4" screen would fit my needs just fine. When I compare it to the 15" MacBook Pro I find it loaded with things I don't need and nothing that justifies the $1300 additional cost. I would be happy with the Athalon Dual Core CPU so even the extra performance of the Intel Dual Core 2.4 CPU is unnecessary. Gigabit ethernet port? For what? My current Dell laptop does not even have an ethernet port but since all I ever use is wireless with it I really don't care. My Dell laptop does not have a camera and it never once occurred to me that it needed one. As for track pad, they all suck equally so I carry a mini-mouse. Illuminated keyboard, now that is something I have never once wished for and can sit next to Bluetooth on the list of the unnecessary. I would never use any of the programs in iLife they certainly qualify as unnecessary. Even if my XP PC crashed once a month (none of them do) I am not sure I could make sense of the $1300 up-charge for OS X.

"But it's not fair to compare a cheap Dell to a MacBook Pro!" you say. Tell Apple, not me. I have no idea why if you want a basic laptop your only option from them is a 13" screen. The MacBook looks good on a lot of points but that screen just knocks it off the list for me.

When I write down what I want a computer to do, the sheer number of options on the PC side will make it very likely that I will find a machine that suits my needs without charging me for a lot of stuff I don't need. On the Mac side the very limited numbers is just as likely to ensure that I will be paying for things I don't need in order to get things I do. But for some people their needs may just happen to match the offerings of Apple, and for those people the Mac may be the less expensive way to go. And I think that was the point of the article.

 

[jonnyd]

That's exactly what I'm talking about. This "unnecessary premium" is so the opposite of unnecessary, I feel proud and happy to pay it, knowing my product will outperform the PC of higher specs in all areas. It starts with the boot up sound.

That's a fairly limited slice of the market though. I don't begrudge what I spent on my Mac, but if I did it in the office I'd get canned.

And no Mac I have ever seen will outperform a PC of higher specs either. Spec = performance.

 

[notoriousvdh]

good read.