Why does Apple make it so hard to give them my money?

[GotIssues]

I'll admit that they are too damned fragile. But I am always willing to take a chance on something fragile and expensive if I like the way it looks.

They are cooler looking, definitely, and if that's what you are into, go with it. I am that way about some things, just not with my computers/electronics. I am more concerned with reaching the level of functionality that I need it to do, then price, and with asthetics last.

However, Alf was trying to argue that there is no price premium, which is pretty laughable.

 

[IAteYourMother]

My POS dell laptop lasted longer than most MacBooks I know (which seem to require repairs all the time). I think the metal exterior actually works against the durability in a lot of ways because there's just no built in shock absorption, so any impact is more likely to damage the screen in a macbook than a shitty dell whose chassis will absorb the impact (or chip, lol)

 

[dabuddha]

Zemmervolt, just drop it man, not worth it. Every single one of them think they have a chip on their shoulders to prove that they're better, by the very premise that the shits they buy are the best, by any definitions, even by/if their own retarded pretentious reasoning don't make any sense to any sane person.

Just drop it.

I know you can't troll, just leave it to me.

No way man. I'm having a blast seeing alfa make a fool of himself lol. Made my lunch break fly by!

 

[SSSnail]

There are two types of Apple owners, those with more money than brain, those that wish they have more money than brain so they buy Apple stuff to look the part, and those that have no clues what's going on, ever.

 

[amdhunter]

There are two types of Apple owners, those with more money than brain, those that wish they have more money than brain so they buy Apple stuff to look the part, and those that have no clues what's going on, ever.

What about the ones like me that buy a MacBook to run Windows exclusively?

 

[ponyo]

What about the ones like me that buy a MacBook to run Windows exclusively?

No brain.

 

[alent1234]

There are two types of Apple owners, those with more money than brain, those that wish they have more money than brain so they buy Apple stuff to look the part, and those that have no clues what's going on, ever.

too bad by the time i price out a laptop with the same specs and with software i needed it's the same as MBP

the screen on my MBP and on every one that i've seen back to 2007 is better than anything you get from dell/hp or lenovo

 

[Tweak155]

Maybe they thought you were a barista?

MotionMan

Ok I'm late to the game obviously but this made me LOL.

 

[homercles337]

It seems like a humvee and a chevy volt are comparable now...

Your car analogies are simply retarded. Macs use the exact same parts as other laptops, actually they often use cheaper parts (HDs and ram are the obvious ones, i have ripped apart a macbook pro). Your car analogy is better suited to trim level of the exact same car. If you want to argue that Lenovo is the base model and Macs are the "upgraded" version you can make that claim (i personally would not), but to say they are totally different is retarded.

 

[alent1234]

Not as extreme as the previous poster suggested, but there's a definite price premium for the Macbook even with relatively comparable machines.

13" Macbook Pro: $1,199

• Core i5 2.4 GHz
• 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333 RAM
• 500 GB 5400 RPM HDD
• Intel HD 3000 Graphics
• Display Resolution: 1280x800

14" Lenovo ThinkPad Edge: $729

• Core i5 2.5 GHz
• 4GB (1x4GB) DDR3 1333 RAM
• 500GB 5400 RPM HDD
• Intel HD 3000 Graphics
• Display Resolution: 1366x768

I chose the ThinkPad because it can't really be accused of being cheaply made to account for the price difference.

If I wanted to match the 13" Macbook's price, I could get a lot more machine with the ThinkPad:

14" Lenovo ThinkPad T420: $1,199

• Core i5 2.6 GHz
• 4GB (1x4GB) DDR3 1333 RAM
• 500GB 5400 RPM HDD
• NVIDIA NVS 4200M Graphics 1GB DDR3 Memory
• Display Resolution: 1600x900

Macs are still more expensive when compared to comparable hardware from other manufacturers. And before anyone comments about me using the web price and not the street price for the Lenovos, the web price is what people pay; I've yet to see one listed anywhere for the supposed "retail" price.

ZV

all you have to do to the lenovo is add Win 7 Ultimate, about $200 worth of software, a few years of tech support, another battery or two, make the screen better and a few other things to make it like my MBP

i have a lenovo for work and a 13" MBP at home. except for durability and being able to drop a lenovo on concrete and have it survive, they are crap compared to MBPs. i've seen 2007 white macbooks with better quality screens

 

[Pia]

FWIW, at my undergrad since all of the disciplines had their own libraries you could actually see the difference in computer preferences one from the other (Engineering to life sciences, etc)

Engineering = almost all thinkpads, asus, HP tablets
Life sciences/chemistry/physics = 50/50 apple/windows
Humanities = almost all apple
Social sciences = almost all apple

At my technical university, a decade ago, computer science students were the ones with Apple laptops. A lot of Thinkpads and a few business series HP/Dell as well, but most of the PC laptops had serial number / name stickers on them showing that they were on loan from the students' part time jobs whereas the Apples' cost came out of the students' own pockets. Electrical engineering folks bought cheap shit laptops, all PC. Others did not have laptops. Now Apple laptops have spread everywhere except the EE and construction majors running Windows-only software. Staff / lecturers have used Apple laptops all along.

BTW, you guys want to make decent comparisons, always take into account laptop measurements, weight, battery life, and display quality. Apple isn't always king on those things, but they rarely cheap out on any of them either, and those things affect the cost of a laptop an awful lot.

No point in comparing Macbook Pro 13" to other stuff either, it has always been shit tier. Merely Macbook-level tech with a higher price and no portability advantage - for people who like to pay extra for aluminum, I guess? Now that Apple has jettisoned non-Pro Macbooks, the Airs and 15" MBP are Apple's remaining workhorse laptops. Their lineup's biggest weaknesses are that they offer nothing cheap, and that they offer nothing that is compact but still has decent GPU oomph.

 

[busydude]

the screen on my MBP and on every one that i've seen back to 2007 is better than anything you get from dell/hp or lenovo

Trololol.

 

[foghorn67]

Build quality != Durability

Build quality is about quality not how well it can handle damage.

Fit and finish! = build quality

 

[Puddle Jumper]

too bad by the time i price out a laptop with the same specs and with software i needed it's the same as MBP

the screen on my MBP and on every one that i've seen back to 2007 is better than anything you get from dell/hp or lenovo

I hate to break it to you but your MBP has a TN panel. HP and Lenovo both offer IPS panels in their laptops that are far better than what you get form Apple.

 

[SSSnail]

too bad by the time i price out a laptop with the same specs and with software i needed it's the same as MBP

the screen on my MBP and on every one that i've seen back to 2007 is better than anything you get from dell/hp or lenovo

Congratulations, you're the winner of two categories!

 

[Arkaign]

Facts :

(1)- Apple products are generally good to great for their intended purposes.
(2)- OSX works well for those who can use it efficiently, and the desired software is available for OSX.
(3)- Apple products are almost universally more expensive than PC rough analogues. Main exception being the MBA imho.
(4)- People should use what they like, it's their $.

I'll never buy a Macbook personally, for my uses it's very poor value, and I am poor at using OSX. I also like to game a bit, and have a large distaste for non-removable batteries, so for me, they're the last thing I would consider. That doesn't stop me from recommending them to certain people for certain uses. I'll also agree that many, but certainly not all Apple users are probably in the category of style over substance types, or those with more money than technical sense. That's not a bad thing really. The smartest people I know are somewhat socially awkward, make well over six figures, and typically use linux for most of their computer uses.

IOW, IDGAF what you or anyone else uses unless my advice is sought directly.

 

[Inferno0032]

*Note to Self* Alfa is a pouty child. *scribbble scribbble*

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

just need to look at the target audience. maybe you could make a similar comparison to the burton x vs the never summer evo/sl.

 

[kevinsbane]

I am comparing to my Lenovo Thinkpad X220.

all you have to do to the lenovo is add Win 7 Ultimate

For what reason? There doesn't exactly seem to be any benefit in Ultimate, and even 7 Pro gives you remote hosting (on a laptop??) and XP mode (very useful).

about $200 worth of software

Like what, exactly? What's to stop the other comparison, "I'd need to add about $200 worth of software onto a MBP to bring it up to snuff with my Thinkpad"? Although in my case it'd be more like ~$6000.

a few years of tech support

No contest. Lenovo's warranties, while they work, aren't spectacular unless you pay for the more expensive ones... which are awesome. Just expensive.

another battery or two

My Thinkpad gets better battery life than a MBP. ~9-10 hours on a single charge, as a matter of fact.

make the screen better

My screen quality is strictly superior to MBAs. It is debatable as to whether or not it is superior to MBP's. YMMV. It has similar specs except one major flaw being its much more limited colour gamut. Otherwise, it has superior contrast and wider viewing angles. It actually uses the same IPS panel that Apple uses on the iPad 2, just bigger and with an anti glare coating.

and a few other things to make it like my MBP

And MBP needs to add several things to it to make it like my x220; a 160 GB SSD, an IPS screen, 2/3rds the weight, trackpoint, a better keyboard, a magnesium alloy rollcage, and a msata expansion slot. It cost me ~$1150 for my x220. I looked at a 13" MBP... without an SSD, a slower CPU, heavier, half the ram and it still cost more ($1200). A similarly specced 13" MBP costs $1800. And is still heavier, and has a smaller SSD.

I don't know what kind of Lenovo you're using, but Lenovos range from average to top-notch.

 

[Ns1]

and this thread turned into every other pc vs apple debate

srsly, why bother.

 

[DominionSeraph]

Time to spec a Mac Pro yet?

 

[SSSnail]

and this thread turned into every other pc vs apple debate

srsly, why bother.

That's because you don't see PC people create annoying threads in OT boasting stupidity, often.

 

[corwin]

That's because you don't see PC people create annoying threads in OT boasting stupidity, often.

And why it should just be moved, you know to that place where Apple is discussed by people who generally LIKE Apple products....I think it's something like a forum for Apple or something...of course if it wasn't posted there to start with it would probably have been done to get exactly this kind of reaction, something like that would be called "trolling" I think:hmm:

 

[MarkXIX]

It seems like a humvee and a chevy volt are comparable now...

A Humvee costs more, so it is better.

 

[ultimatebob]

and this thread turned into every other pc vs apple debate

srsly, why bother.

Wasn't that the OP's intention?