The Wide, Wide World of Apple

[viper37]

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/apple-religion-fanatics,12777.html

Apple and religion stimulate brain in same way.

Lol

[Berkut]

I was looking at the MacBook Pro today before I stomped out of Best Buy and swore never to buy from them again.

But I realized that the main reason I will never buy a mac is the realization that however good they are, their price reflects a significant markup based on the fanaticism of a large group of irrational consumers, who will pay a premium for the logo that has no bearing on the actual value of the product.

Assuming Apple has a brain (and there is no doubt that in addition to be very good engineers, Apple understands their slavish market drones very, very well) then they are going to markup their products in order to harvest that market segment. Therefore, I have to be willing to pay that premium, even if I don't share the irrationality.

But their is no question that the absolute quality of their products overall is very high.

[Barrister]

I was looking at the MacBook Pro today before I stomped out of Best Buy and swore never to buy from them again.

But I realized that the main reason I will never buy a mac is the realization that however good they are, their price reflects a significant markup based on the fanaticism of a large group of irrational consumers, who will pay a premium for the logo that has no bearing on the actual value of the product.

Assuming Apple has a brain (and there is no doubt that in addition to be very good engineers, Apple understands their slavish market drones very, very well) then they are going to markup their products in order to harvest that market segment. Therefore, I have to be willing to pay that premium, even if I don't share the irrationality.

But their is no question that the absolute quality of their products overall is very high.

Berkut - try pricing out a laptop with identical specs to the MacBook Pro.  I predict you will find it is priced competitively.  The laptops you can find for half price or some such are skimping on some significant areas.

[derspiess]

The laptops you can find for half price or some such are skimping on some significant areas.

You say the others are 'skimping'-- I say Apple is goldbricking

[Barrister]

The laptops you can find for half price or some such are skimping on some significant areas.

You say the others are 'skimping'-- I say Apple is goldbricking

Not a term I'm familiar with - and google says it's a term for goofing off while working.

[garbon]

The laptops you can find for half price or some such are skimping on some significant areas.

You say the others are 'skimping'-- I say Apple is goldbricking

Not a term I'm familiar with - and google says it's a term for goofing off while working.

To cheat; swindle.

A similar thought although not sure it is what he meant - selling gold bricks as the base level when standard bricks would work just as well for masonry work.

[Berkut]

I was looking at the MacBook Pro today before I stomped out of Best Buy and swore never to buy from them again.

But I realized that the main reason I will never buy a mac is the realization that however good they are, their price reflects a significant markup based on the fanaticism of a large group of irrational consumers, who will pay a premium for the logo that has no bearing on the actual value of the product.

Assuming Apple has a brain (and there is no doubt that in addition to be very good engineers, Apple understands their slavish market drones very, very well) then they are going to markup their products in order to harvest that market segment. Therefore, I have to be willing to pay that premium, even if I don't share the irrationality.

But their is no question that the absolute quality of their products overall is very high.

Berkut - try pricing out a laptop with identical specs to the MacBook Pro.  I predict you will find it is priced competitively.  The laptops you can find for half price or some such are skimping on some significant areas.

So you are arguing that Apple is foolish and is not willing to charge its loyal followers what they are willing to pay for the "Apple premium"? That strikes me as rather unlikely.

[Barrister]

So you are arguing that Apple is foolish and is not willing to charge its loyal followers what they are willing to pay for the "Apple premium"? That strikes me as rather unlikely.

Are you putting words in my mouth?

I am arguing that in order to keep prices (and margins) high Apple only manufactures high end computers, but that their computers are cost competitive (at least upon initial release) with similarily equipped computers from rival manufacturers.

Toshiba or Dell will sell you a laptop that is just as nice, and just as expensive, as any that Apple put out.  But Dell or Toshiba wil also sell you a cheaper laptop that is not as nice, whereas Apple (in order to both keep their brand image high, and to upsell users) will not sell a less nice, less expensive laptop.

[katmai]

Working with new 17inch MacBook on job. It is fun

[DontSayBanana]

Working with new 17inch MacBook on job. It is fun

Off-topic, but I've been wanting to ask... you work with any crews running AutoDesk Flame?

[katmai]

No idea, would have to ask editors, I just film shit.

[derspiess]

A similar thought although not sure it is what he meant - selling gold bricks as the base level when standard bricks would work just as well for masonry work.

This is actually what I meant.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

I am arguing that in order to keep prices (and margins) high Apple only manufactures high end computers, but that their computers are cost competitive (at least upon initial release) with similarily equipped computers from rival manufacturers.

Toshiba or Dell will sell you a laptop that is just as nice, and just as expensive, as any that Apple put out.  But Dell or Toshiba wil also sell you a cheaper laptop that is not as nice, whereas Apple (in order to both keep their brand image high, and to upsell users) will not sell a less nice, less expensive laptop.

I just priced the Dell equivalents to the 17" Macbook Pro, single-processor Mac Pro, and dual processor Mac Pro.

For identical configurations*:

17" Macbook Pro - $2499
Dell Precision M6600 - $2095

Mac Pro (UP) - $2499
Dell Precision T3500 - $1535

Mac Pro (DP) - $3499
Dell Precision T5500 - $2655

On the workstations, I can beat even Dell's prices by quite a bit building it myself.

* On the dual-processor machine, Dell does not offer the quad-core Nehalem, so the Dell is configured with 2 2.4GHz six-core Westmere-EPs, which is a configuration Apple does not offer.

[derspiess]

Wow, dual processors w/ 6 cores each?  Are they also hyperthreaded?

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

Wow, dual processors w/ 6 cores each?  Are they also hyperthreaded?

The Sandy Bridge chips are the only non-integrated chips Intel is producing right now that do not have (in some models) hardware threads.

Pricing the parts out is really giving me an itch to build a Bloomfield-based Nehalem workstation, too.