In 2012, when my daughter started high school, I bought her a MacBook Air to use in high school. She is now using the same MacBook Air in college and I expect she will graduate with that laptop. I may buy her a new laptop as a graduation present. She has friends with PC laptops that are on their third laptop. Which is cheaper, a $1300 MacBook or three, $600 PC laptops? So while a Mac may cost more, it lasts way longer, so the total cost of ownership is less. Over the years, my Macs generally last about 7 years before I replace them. I replaced a 2010 MacBook Pro with a 2018 13" MacBook Pro about 6 months ago.
On the flip side, most students would NOT want to use a cheap, low-end Mac because it wouldn’t perform like the real thing. They want the quality and design but can’t afford it. In my college days that was known as a "Champagne taste but a Beer pocketbook”. You want the Corvette but you drive a Corvair. You want the Mac but you can afford a Dell. The Mac comes later when you are making some money.
Most college students can put a laptop on their student loan and a Mac Pro bought as a Freshman should last at least 4 years. If you are borrowing money in the 10's or 100's of thousands an extra 2k for a decent Mac should not be that big a deal.
Likening a Mac to a Corvette is not really an apt description in 2019, as the differences between platforms is nowhere as great as it once was. I have a Surface Pro 6 and it is in many ways a better computer than the MacBook Pro it replaced and cost substantially less. Microsoft has invested way more into Windows in recent years than has Apple with Mac OS. Security with Windows has improved considerably and on the Mac has become an issue. Boot times on Apple devices is slow on brand new hardware- my Surface can cold boot and log me in ( with face recognition) faster than my current generation iPad Pro or Macs.
In the Tim Cook era Apple has become known for selling last generation hardware at next-generation prices.
Hilarious article. That's the point though, isn't it? Wouldn't most students prefer an iPhone and an Apple Watch too if they could afford it? Why shouldn't Apple make affordable products to go along with its high priced status symbol products? Both categories are valid.
They do. Entry-levels:
iPod Touch: $199
Watch: $279
iPad: $329
iPhone: $449
Mac: $799
Quite reasonable. No one is entitled to the top-tier offerings at entry-level pricing.
On the flip side, most students would NOT want to use a cheap, low-end Mac because it wouldn’t perform like the real thing. They want the quality and design but can’t afford it. In my college days that was known as a "Champagne taste but a Beer pocketbook”. You want the Corvette but you drive a Corvair. You want the Mac but you can afford a Dell. The Mac comes later when you are making some money.
On my office desk, I'm typing this on a 2012 i7 Macbook running Mojave, with 16GB of RAM and a 2TB hybrid drive. Still works like a charm and only cost me $400 a couple of years ago from eBay. Does everything I need it to do. Don't ask for the moon and you won't have to pay through the nose.
This. I use a 2013 MBA, and it does what I need nicely. On my desktop is a 2009 27" iMac that does the same. Would I like more? Sure. I did spring for a iPhone Xr and an AW4, having come to value the upgrade from an iPhone 7 and a AW0. I could have save a lot going with an AW3, but I made a value judgment. I expect the Xr and AW4 to be with me for at least 4 years.
I am struggling with trying to decide if I want to stop going with iMacs in favor of a nice 4k monitor and connection to a MacBook of some kind, and perhaps a macmini. I don't need the latest versions of either, but I would like a 4k monitor (to replace the 2009 iMac.) Thing is...a previous version 27" 4k iMac is now *very* reasonably priced.
Duh!!! You don't have to go to college to know that. I have been telling for long time that just like iPhone XR vs XS, Apple should create two categories of Macbook Pros. One GOTO MBP with no touchbar,no high end processors,etc and other with all super duper additions for professionals, corporations,etc. Not sure same two categories can be done for Macbook and Macbook Air but worth figuring out price vs performance/features differentiation.
Here is example or representation of students. My daughter is using 2012 13" MBP and still going well. She wants to upgrade but the price is obstale so she kept pushing upgrade further in future. In fact she love her MBP so much that she won't give up MBP to replace with Windows laptop.
I have a MacBook Pro and an Air which are both 2010 models. I am only recently feel to need to upgrade as run Logic Pro with 50 plus tracks is causing beach ball spinning to go on a bit too long.
Sure, Apple will point to the iPad and say there, there is your computer. But what about those that want a real computer, those that want a proper laptop for school or for home?
And right there is the problem. You’re right to stop pitching the Mac as most people just don’t need one. iPads have all the information management, modification & communication most people will ever need without the hassle & limitations of old computing.
There are two Mac competitors you're not mentioning:
Chromebooks
Linux PCs
I have both, as well as a MacBook Pro. Just to be clear, I've been invested in the Apple ecosystem since buying my first MacMini in 2004, as well as several iPods, iPhones, and I believe 5 different Macs over the course of the years.
Here are my experiences:
Even XFCE, a bare-bones Linux Window manager (which I have loaded on my Chromebook after removing the write protection screw) is far more keyboardist friendly than macOS (ex context menu, window placement management, etc)
Even with XFCE, I can disable the touch pad while I'm typing to prevent accidental presses. macOS does not yet have this functionality
For $20, I got an old workstation auctioned off from work without a hard drive, added an old spinning disk and installed Ubuntu. I use it to login remotely.
Yes, there are certain things that macOS just gets right better than Windows or Linux. Still, both OS's are catching up and macOS is sitting still (ex dark theme was just added, how many years after competitors had that feature?).
It's getting harder and harder to justify the macOS premium.
Comments
Likening a Mac to a Corvette is not really an apt description in 2019, as the differences between platforms is nowhere as great as it once was. I have a Surface Pro 6 and it is in many ways a better computer than the MacBook Pro it replaced and cost substantially less. Microsoft has invested way more into Windows in recent years than has Apple with Mac OS. Security with Windows has improved considerably and on the Mac has become an issue. Boot times on Apple devices is slow on brand new hardware- my Surface can cold boot and log me in ( with face recognition) faster than my current generation iPad Pro or Macs.
In the Tim Cook era Apple has become known for selling last generation hardware at next-generation prices.
Quite reasonable. No one is entitled to the top-tier offerings at entry-level pricing.
I am struggling with trying to decide if I want to stop going with iMacs in favor of a nice 4k monitor and connection to a MacBook of some kind, and perhaps a macmini. I don't need the latest versions of either, but I would like a 4k monitor (to replace the 2009 iMac.) Thing is...a previous version 27" 4k iMac is now *very* reasonably priced.
- Chromebooks
- Linux PCs
I have both, as well as a MacBook Pro. Just to be clear, I've been invested in the Apple ecosystem since buying my first MacMini in 2004, as well as several iPods, iPhones, and I believe 5 different Macs over the course of the years.Here are my experiences:
Yes, there are certain things that macOS just gets right better than Windows or Linux. Still, both OS's are catching up and macOS is sitting still (ex dark theme was just added, how many years after competitors had that feature?).
It's getting harder and harder to justify the macOS premium.