Are Mac's too expensive?
- Thread starter Never Compromised
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Mac Quad pricing is ridiculous!
A Mac Quad costs 4X what a PC Quad costs, then you still have to buy a Mac monitor & printer.
Did Mac drop the Quad price so it's only 3X a PC quad now?....
A Mac Quad costs 4X what a PC Quad costs, then you still have to buy a Mac monitor & printer.
Did Mac drop the Quad price so it's only 3X a PC quad now?....
Where have you read that you must buy an Apple monitor and printer? I use an Epson printer at home on my iMac and have never had trouble plugging in 3rd party USB based peripherals. And Power Macs (towers) are fully compatible with a non Apple monitor.WoodPeckr said:you still have to buy a Mac monitor & printer.
Did Mac drop the Quad price so it's only 3X a PC quad now?....
Yes, Macs at the top end are pricey, but those are designed for the pro market, not the consumer market. Do you think a pro (video editor, film editor, professional animator etc.) buys a Dell or HP desktop for $800....I don't think so! That is the market that the Mac Pro gears towards. And obviously many of those people find the Mac Pro attractive, since this market is filled with Mac Pro users!
A Mac Pro is not designed for home or average use. Nor is it horribly over priced compared to a system with close specs.
For most home or office users, a Mac mini or iMac is more than enough.
My monitor is a Samsung, my laser printer a Brother, my colour printer an Epson, the scanner is Agfa and the external back up drive is a Seagate and my mouse is a Kensington Expert Mouse trackball.
I could have bought a lovely Mac monitor, but I don't have "mission critical" colour accuracy needs.
For most home or office users, a Mac mini or iMac is more than enough.
My monitor is a Samsung, my laser printer a Brother, my colour printer an Epson, the scanner is Agfa and the external back up drive is a Seagate and my mouse is a Kensington Expert Mouse trackball.
I could have bought a lovely Mac monitor, but I don't have "mission critical" colour accuracy needs.
Agreed.Compromised said:
I don't think the Mac Pro line is overpriced. These are workstations. Look carefully at the specs and then try pricing out a comparable PC at a place like say Dell. The prices are similar (in fact I think Dell is more expensive). And by comparable I mean same specs, not "does the same thing". It's about an apples to apples comparison.
It's not about who needs Server Boards, Xeon processors or ECC Error Correcting Memory when a basic mobo running C2D Q6600 is just as fast and a heck of a lot cheaper since that's a different issue. I'm just comparing the specs of a comparable PC and they are similar, no way in heck is it 3x-4x more expensive.
Mac Pro $3,799 before taxes
- Two 2.26GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
- 6GB (6x1GB)
- 640GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
- NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 512MB
Dell Precision T5500 Workstation $4,533 before taxes
Dual Quad Core Intel® Xeon® Processors E5520 2.26GHz,8M L3,5.8GT/s,turbo
6GB, DDR3 RDIMM Memory, 1066MHz, ECC (3 DIMMS)
256MB NVIDIA® Quadro® NVS 295, DUAL MON, 2 DP
500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s with NCQ and 16MB DataBurst Cache™
I could have made a mistake in the pricing online and the specs are not exact but it gives us an idea. OK, the Quadro video probably made the Dell alot more expensive but it's safe to assume it's not a heck of alot cheaper.
Those that need these types of machines know who they are. Chances are if you need this type of configuration and are willing to spend $5k on a computer (whether Mac or PC) then odds are your LIVELYHOOD depends on it. People that buy these machines almost always use it for one specific purpose not general purpose like most of us. I mean, $5000 is peanuts to spend on your $150k engineer if it helps him or her work more efficiently. BTW, I use PC primarily, not a Mac fan boy.
hey wantoplay, seems your question is more laptop vs desktop or mobile vs stationary than Mac vs PC. So that really depends on your use and needs. Only get a book if you plan on alot of mobile use or want to move it around like to surf in your living room while watching TV. Functionality they are the same, desktop maybe a tad faster.wantoplay said:
Well I took a look at the iMac 20" which goes for ~$1200
* 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 2GB memory
* 320GB hard drive
* 8x double-layer SuperDrive
* NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
vs my PC which I built for ~$950 and is superior in every stat:
* 2.40GHz Intel Quad-Core Q6600
* 2GB memory
* 500GB hard drive
* LG super-multi drive
* NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT graphics
* 24" LCD (Samsung)
* 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 2GB memory
* 320GB hard drive
* 8x double-layer SuperDrive
* NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
vs my PC which I built for ~$950 and is superior in every stat:
* 2.40GHz Intel Quad-Core Q6600
* 2GB memory
* 500GB hard drive
* LG super-multi drive
* NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT graphics
* 24" LCD (Samsung)
Considering the inability of the user to be able to upgrade a Mac, any Mac, themselves, the need to hunt for software, the price of said software, I still stand by the claim that Macs are more expensive.
I built my Windows PC in 2000, all I had to do was update the OS (2000 to XP), upgrade the video card from 64mb to 256mb, added RAM, then swapped the mobo in 2006, until I had to finally retire it and build a new system in 2007. I spent a total of 600$ on all the upgrades, and right now it's attached to my entertainment centre in the living room, working as a media server.
Can't do that with a Mac.
I built my Windows PC in 2000, all I had to do was update the OS (2000 to XP), upgrade the video card from 64mb to 256mb, added RAM, then swapped the mobo in 2006, until I had to finally retire it and build a new system in 2007. I spent a total of 600$ on all the upgrades, and right now it's attached to my entertainment centre in the living room, working as a media server.
Can't do that with a Mac.
I find it funny that in the PC industry, it's all about the stats, and very little value is calculated on design, quality of hardware (ie. Macbook Pro unibody design, backlit keyboards, 7 hrs battery life etc.), and even less so on software (specifically the OS and the suite of apps that actually do all of your work and allow you to display productivity and creativity). When users calculate the worth of a Mac over a PC, they simply compare the specs and say the PC is cheaper. Yes, IT IS CHEAPER! Does that make it better? Do you do the same thing when buying your speakers for your home theatre system? Look honey, these output the same power as the JBL's and they're cheaper, that must make them better! Never mind the construction, design, and actual sound coming out of them!
This comparison behaviour on specs seems to only live in the PC world, and that's simply because in the Windows world, all the boxes are the same! There is very little design ingenuity, and they all run the same wonderful MS Windows OS. What else can you compare other than price? Nothing, because there is no other differential. But they also do the same comparison between a Mac and PC, saying that by comparing stats, PC's are cheaper. Yes, they are cheaper....nobody is arguing that! That doesn't make them better! lol
I especially find it funny how many people are perfectly happy with running XP. People, this is an antiquated 8 year old OS. Things have changed a little in the tech world, and OS's are so much better now (well, not Vista anways...lol). I'm not just saying that Mac OSX is better, but Linux and all the flavours it comes in beats the socks off of XP too! So to compare a PC to Mac on price alone by simply comparing specs is just foolish. Look under the hood, look at the designs (is there a more beautiful computer than an iMac?), look at the OS (Snow Leopard is going to increase efficiencies by another 50% over Leopard!), look at the security and reliability (OSX has no viruses and virtually never crashes), and finally, look at the apps that come with it. The iLife suite is probably the biggest reason to get a Mac. iPhoto, iWeb, iDVD, iMovie, Garageband are all semi-professional apps that make everything digital so much easier and allow you to be creative in ways you never imagined.
And if you really really really still want to run Windows after buying a Mac, you can! Just install it in Bootcamp and put a separate partition on your hard drive, or even run it through virtualization side by side with Max OSX at the same time! You can get your fill of the pain and misery of Windows, and after you have enough of that, you can shut it down and go back to the reliability, power, security and ease of Mac OSX!
There is a reason that people are willing to pay more for a Mac. Is it because the specs are better? No, they're the same. It's because you get value for your money in more ways than simply comparing the stats.
Cheers
Goomer
This comparison behaviour on specs seems to only live in the PC world, and that's simply because in the Windows world, all the boxes are the same! There is very little design ingenuity, and they all run the same wonderful MS Windows OS. What else can you compare other than price? Nothing, because there is no other differential. But they also do the same comparison between a Mac and PC, saying that by comparing stats, PC's are cheaper. Yes, they are cheaper....nobody is arguing that! That doesn't make them better! lol
I especially find it funny how many people are perfectly happy with running XP. People, this is an antiquated 8 year old OS. Things have changed a little in the tech world, and OS's are so much better now (well, not Vista anways...lol). I'm not just saying that Mac OSX is better, but Linux and all the flavours it comes in beats the socks off of XP too! So to compare a PC to Mac on price alone by simply comparing specs is just foolish. Look under the hood, look at the designs (is there a more beautiful computer than an iMac?), look at the OS (Snow Leopard is going to increase efficiencies by another 50% over Leopard!), look at the security and reliability (OSX has no viruses and virtually never crashes), and finally, look at the apps that come with it. The iLife suite is probably the biggest reason to get a Mac. iPhoto, iWeb, iDVD, iMovie, Garageband are all semi-professional apps that make everything digital so much easier and allow you to be creative in ways you never imagined.
And if you really really really still want to run Windows after buying a Mac, you can! Just install it in Bootcamp and put a separate partition on your hard drive, or even run it through virtualization side by side with Max OSX at the same time! You can get your fill of the pain and misery of Windows, and after you have enough of that, you can shut it down and go back to the reliability, power, security and ease of Mac OSX!
There is a reason that people are willing to pay more for a Mac. Is it because the specs are better? No, they're the same. It's because you get value for your money in more ways than simply comparing the stats.
Cheers
Goomer
I think there is an "Apple Tax" but that premium has come down on the laptop line.
I have a Mac mini in the kitchen with a wireless keyboard and mouse and a 23" Apple display... looks great as a family computer. When Apple supports Blu Ray I'll replace the Mac mini with a loaded tower and go buy a 1080p camcorder....
OTB
I have a Mac mini in the kitchen with a wireless keyboard and mouse and a 23" Apple display... looks great as a family computer. When Apple supports Blu Ray I'll replace the Mac mini with a loaded tower and go buy a 1080p camcorder....
OTB
Why is it when someone buys a car that has fewer problems, and gives them a better driving experience, we say that they chose to buy higher quality. We don't call it a BMW tax or an Infiniti tax. We just assume that the higher cost equates to luxury, higher quality, reliability, and a better experience when using the product.
This is exactly the same thing! A Mac gives you higher quality in design (the Mac Mini is a perfect example of a true desktop....it can actually sit on your desk! Anyone else make anything like this?), features (ie. battery life, iLife software suite, ease of use etc.), reliability (an OS that is reliable, virus free, and doesn't give you the blue screen of death, or that you don't need to spend your valuable time defragging your HDD, taking it in for maintenance, dealing with anti-virus software etc.), and is a sheer joy to use. But for some reason, even though a Mac gives you so much more than a PC, we choose to call it an Apple tax?
This is exactly the same thing! A Mac gives you higher quality in design (the Mac Mini is a perfect example of a true desktop....it can actually sit on your desk! Anyone else make anything like this?), features (ie. battery life, iLife software suite, ease of use etc.), reliability (an OS that is reliable, virus free, and doesn't give you the blue screen of death, or that you don't need to spend your valuable time defragging your HDD, taking it in for maintenance, dealing with anti-virus software etc.), and is a sheer joy to use. But for some reason, even though a Mac gives you so much more than a PC, we choose to call it an Apple tax?
Many of those things are very subjective. Look what 1gb of disk costs from Apple... that's an Apple Tax.Goomer said:Why is it when someone buys a car that has fewer problems, and gives them a better driving experience, we say that they chose to buy higher quality. We don't call it a BMW tax or an Infiniti tax. We just assume that the higher cost equates to luxury, higher quality, reliability, and a better experience when using the product.
This is exactly the same thing! A Mac gives you higher quality in design (the Mac Mini is a perfect example of a true desktop....it can actually sit on your desk! Anyone else make anything like this?), features (ie. battery life, iLife software suite, ease of use etc.), reliability (an OS that is reliable, virus free, and doesn't give you the blue screen of death, or that you don't need to spend your valuable time defragging your HDD, taking it in for maintenance, dealing with anti-virus software etc.), and is a sheer joy to use. But for some reason, even though a Mac gives you so much more than a PC, we choose to call it an Apple tax?
It should be said that I say this as an Apple fan - I choose to pay more for a better experience....
OTB
I completely agree with you that Apple does charge more for commodity items such as memory or hard drives. This is why I don't expand my Macs through Apple. I buy memory from another supplier, and hard drives from various manufacturers. I have 4 USB external HDD's plugged into my 4 year old G5 iMac, all of them from different makers, and they all work like a charm. Buy your computer from Apple, but there is no reason why you can't buy cheaper commodity items from other manufacturers in order to get better prices.....they all work together fine!
Cheers
Goomer
Cheers
Goomer
Yes, because a Mac is just a pretty shell with nothing different inside compared to a PC. What a laugh! Just like a BMW is the same thing as a Honda Civic....just a prettier shell. It has 4 wheels and uses gasoline the same way.....it must be the same!
The reason the PC has to go on sale 3 months later is because all PC's are the same, and the only thing they can compete on is price. Under the hood, they're all the same machines running the same OS!
The reason the PC has to go on sale 3 months later is because all PC's are the same, and the only thing they can compete on is price. Under the hood, they're all the same machines running the same OS!
I get the same thing said all the time about i can build a PC for less ... so can i but when i need 30 MacPro's .... it way easier to order then to build .... just among on of the arguments.
Very generally speaking, Yes. If you're looking for the best bang for the buck box to do gerneral tasks, PC win's hands down.
Having said that, for overall computing experience, I'd give it to Mac.
So, it all depends on what you are looking for when making your puter purchase decision. PC may be more appropriate for those with a tighter budget ( we're talking buying new here ) ; try a Mac if your budget allows.
Not fan boy for both as I use both platforms. PC ( win XP ) for work, Mac and PC ( Linux ) for my personal/leisure stuff.
Having said that, for overall computing experience, I'd give it to Mac.
So, it all depends on what you are looking for when making your puter purchase decision. PC may be more appropriate for those with a tighter budget ( we're talking buying new here ) ; try a Mac if your budget allows.
Not fan boy for both as I use both platforms. PC ( win XP ) for work, Mac and PC ( Linux ) for my personal/leisure stuff.
That is a very fair comment IMO.
