Next-gen MacBook shipments begin ahead of 'sharp ramp' - Page 4

See, that is where you and everyone else that harps on about this "apple tax", "apple premium" etc etc is wrong. As i said, engineering, design, software development all costs money and apple are entitled to retrieve that through the price of the hardware they sell.

For the luxury of not having to worry about viruses, of not having to run anti-virus software that slows down my computer and makes the whole computing experience a pain in the arse, it is worth it.

Why do you want an apple computer, by the way?

We all love Apple computers for the same reasons.

The only thing Apple does that makes it so we don't need antivirus software is not have an insane amount of the marketshare. People make viruses for Windows, because that is what the majority of users have. That didn't cost Apple any money.

Yeah i don't understand how there wasn't at least a price drop sometime before the last 13 months since its been updated.

Exactly. Once upon a time it was a decent value...

...but if/when that existed, it was too long ago.

whatever the reason, and i don't believe that marketshare is the only reason for it, it's how it is - for the time being at least.

and that is only one of the reason i stated.

It is the only reason. It isn't hard to write a virus for a Mac. There just isn't much reason for it.

And Taco, I posted in your thread.

http://www.EroGear.com

Is that really your company John?

When is shipping beginning?

I can't really see a reason for buying a jacket like that...

if so, so be it. however long it lasts, it will be a positive.

once again, that is not the only reason for purchasing a mac, nor for the apparent "Apple Premium" that is much-bemoaned by some here and many elsewhere.

We're already shipping. Just finishing up a job for this guy now–

http://www.marcotempest.com/

Also had an opportunity to do one for George Michael, but it fell through...

I don't even know what point you're trying to make anymore...

My groinz are doing better thanks to teh SMCFanControl...

Yup. VALUE. If anyone talks purely about the hardware specs itself, then of course Apple offers no tangible advantage. Talk about OS X, iLife'08, design, etc. etc... Then it's a whole 'nother thing. Apple's pricing is one thing... The other is that people can choose whether they are willing to pay that or not. How much are people willing to spend on the experience??? That is really the question, especially in these few years while the economy, well, sucks.

And people ARE paying that much. Apple doesn't really have all that much motivation to drop prices.

That jacket is badass. Marketing peoples around the world would be very, very interested. Much better than those kids riding around on Segways handing out brochures.

Can it be hooked up to live Internet feeds?

For now it can play video from an SD card and also be programmed to scroll text.

We also have a digg counter that works like old school odometer but people mostly just play their video content from SD cards.

I'm not opposed to, and fully expect, to pay a premium for Apple's hardware because of the design and the superior software included. I'm more than happy to pay, say, a 20% premium over an identically specced Windows laptop. But a 50% or more premium? Well if you're willing to pay that, then I've got a $5000 MacBook Pro I'd like to sell you.

But we already covered that issue...


This.

where are you pulling these figure out of? I've never ever seen a $5k mbp, even in A$. 50% premium? um, a touch melodramatic?

I'm adding a 50% premium to my used MacBook Pro, since you're content with paying that much extra for its engineering, design, and software

Regarding a 50% premium for Apple products (at times), look:

Dell XPS M1330 $1099
2.4Ghz T8300, 800Mhz FSB, 3MB Cache
3GB RAM
320GB Hard Drive
Burn DVDs, Burn CDs
Webcam, Bluetooth, Wifi

MacBook $1499
2.4Ghz T8300, 800Mhz FSB, 3MB Cache
2GB RAM
250GB Hard Drive
Burn DVDs, Burn CDs
Webcam, Bluetooth, Wifi


Note that you can't get a 320GB hard drive in a MacBook, and the RAM is a GB less than the Dells, but you can upgrade to 4GB of RAM in the MacBook for a low low price of $1,699 if you act now.

Are you aware of how much it costs them? Otherwise the point is moot.

^Ahhh, well played, Cory.

This line of argument has been rebutted on many occasions by others more knowledgeable than i. If you want to count that as a win, go for it, because i cbf and whether you purchase an mb or mbp doesn't matter to me. Whine away, whilst we use our macs and enjoy the experience.

Buy your cheaper PC, enjoy whatever OS you choose to use, enjoy the pitfalls of viruses and anti-virus software, enjoy not using iApps and pro-Apps, enjoy sony recalling your viao, or your dell falling apart etc etc. Then you can whine some more.

Adding 50% to a used mbp, oh how convincing, and witty. :golfclap:

FFS

Screw you, I'm going to enjoy my Mac, and continue whining and love every minute of it.

haha, good post!

fwiw, that was directed at CB.

I know, and I do hope you could tell that I didn't meant any offense.

no worries!

You smilie thief!

From the Dell Home site on 9/16/2008:

XPS M1330 2.1Ghz - $1,258

Tuxedo Black
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T8100 (2.1GHz/800Mhz FSB/3MB cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1
Standard Display with 2.0 Megapixel Webcam
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
Size: 160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW Drive)
Intel® Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card
Built-in Bluetooth capability (2.0 EDR)
56Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)
High Definition Audio 2.0
Biometric Fingerprint Reader

MacBook 2.1Ghz - $1,249

MacBook 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - White
Part Number: Z0FJ
2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB
160GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
Keyboard (English) / User's Guide
Accessory kit

That's even with Apple's $100 for 1GB of RAM ripoff. $41.99 at Crucial for a 2GB kit. Combo drive though.

Lets try at 2.4Ghz

XPS M1330 2.4 GHz- $1,308

Tuxedo Black
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T8300 (2.4GHz/800Mhz FSB/3MB cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1
Standard Display with 2.0 Megapixel Webcam
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
Size: 160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW Drive)
Intel® Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card
Built-in Bluetooth capability (2.0 EDR)
56Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)
High Definition Audio 2.0
Biometric Fingerprint Reader

MacBook 2.4GHz - $1299

MacBook (White) - 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Part Number: MB403LL/A
2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB
160GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Keyboard (English) / User's Guide
Accessory kit

The new Dell Inspiron 13 2.4Ghz is cheaper but lacks FW and DVI. The next MB should stack up very well against it when it comes out soon and more on par with the more upscale XPS line...which I guess will get a refresh as well.

But what is clear is that the MB is STILL competitive with BOTH Dell and Sony. At least when you actually GO to thier sites and get real pricing.

The specs I posted were from their website earlier today. For the life of me I cannot find them again, but I'm sure you know well as me that trying to shop from Dell's website is damn near impossible.

There is no premium. Against the XPS M1330, from the price from their US Home site the MacBook is cheaper as shown above.

Here's the XPS M1330's specs and price I had found earlier today and posted here.

Apple has stated it will offer expensive functionality that other OEM will not be able to compete with. Theirs still a mystery as to what that will be.

Well they aren't $250 cheaper right now even with the $438 instant savings although it does come with 3GB RAM and a 250GB drive in that package but it's $1,344 for the 2.1Ghz model. The 2.4GHz version is $1,394.

Yes, you DO need to add in Bluetooth and the 6-cell battery for the M1330 since the MacBook has those.

The Dell Inspiron 13 IS cheaper than both the M1330 and the MacBook because it was released last month and is a lower end model.

That's a nice sale price, I stand corrected. The only thing you need to add is the $79 6 Cell battery that puts it at $1,178.

Now the MacBook 2.4Ghz at Amazon is $1,203.98 with rebate but is short 1GB of RAM and half the size HDD.

It's STILL not a 50% cost differential.

We'll know when we know. It may not even be related to the MacBook...there are too many potential product changes to even hazard a guess beyond the usual suspects.

Yes, it's a lower model, but more of a direct competitor to the MacBook 13". The XPS, whetever PR spin you want to give it, is a more high-end notebook that is offerred with dedicated gfx as an option. The Inspiron 13" is integrated only, as is the MacBook.

PS: the Inspiron even has an ExpressCard slot and a SD card reader. I need those! I hope the next MacBook has them built-in!\

It does not cost an extra $500 to get an equally equipped MacBook. Show me a laptop with the MacBook's specs for $500.

For the MBP, there are PC alternatives for $500 less, but they are uber ugly, run Windozzzzze, etc.