12" PB overpriced?

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paulpaul
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Think about it....



The 12" iBook starts at $999, what do you get with it?

700 G3 (new process)

128MB 100Mhz RAM

20GB HD

CD ROM

12"

7500 Radeon 16 MB (DDR?)

F/W

2USB

VGA out/S-video out

modem

10/100 ethernet

Airport ready

X&9



now, what do you get with the $1999 12" PB?

867 G4 (~50-100 more then iBook)

128+128 226 DDR RAM (~50-100 extra)

40GB HD (~20 extra, lets be realistic)

Superdrive (~200-300 extra)

12" (same)

420 Go 32MB DDR (~50 extra)

F/W (same)

2USB (same)

VGA out/S-video out (same) (spanning hack enabled )

modem (same)

10/100 ethernet (same)

Airport Extreme ready (~10 extra)

Bluetooth built-in (~10 extra)

Case redesign/new keyboard/new mobo features (~200 extra (generous) )

---------------------------------(with generous assumptions IMO)

~700 more then 999 iBook = ~300 extra margin ON TOP OF the margin in the 999 iBook!!



DOES THIS MAKE THE 12 PB overpriced?

what is your opinion?



I think it is a healthy margin, normal for apple, but could be $50-$100 less, $150 in EDU pricing....
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 38
    mr. macintoshmr. macintosh Posts: 463member
    I think it is maybe $100 too much, but I would pay the premium anyway. The DVD burner seals it.
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  • Reply 2 of 38
    kcmackcmac Posts: 1,051member
    Maybe, maybe not. But I'm getting one anyway.
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  • Reply 3 of 38
    trumptmantrumptman Posts: 16,464member
    You are high...there is no PC equivelent. It is smaller than the iBook, more powerful than Mac towers from a year ago, it features bluetooth, and burns DVDs. Find me the better deal that is 4.6 lbs with 5 hour battery life.



    Nick
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  • Reply 4 of 38
    ashmanashman Posts: 13member
    it may be a larger margin for apple, but its still a steal for the consumer. The different case/size is worth so much more when you consider that its housing even better stuff. Someone show me a sub 8lbs notebook with a dvd burner. Someone showme a subnotebook with DDR, and one that is as beautiful. If you want to complain about price, dell sells some really cheap laptops that got lots of speed and extra plastic. check em out.
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  • Reply 5 of 38
    kcmackcmac Posts: 1,051member
    from trumptman in another thread



    [quote] I mean think about the power vs. size of this thing. It wasn't so long ago we were all creaming over the high end 733 mhz TOWER with superdrive for like $3200 dollars and now they have a mini-laptop that is really the size a small book, can burn DVD's edit movies, has a 60 gig HD, it is just insane to imagine.<hr></blockquote>



    That sums it up pretty well.
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  • Reply 6 of 38
    msanttimsantti Posts: 1,377member
    Having an iBook is being elite.



    Having a Powerbook is being ultra elite.



    There you go.
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  • Reply 7 of 38
    trevormtrevorm Posts: 841member
    Very much worth it IMHO!
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  • Reply 8 of 38
    flounderflounder Posts: 2,674member
    Also, to the origonal poster, let's remember the FW800 port
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  • Reply 9 of 38
    stunnedstunned Posts: 1,096member
    [quote]Originally posted by msantti:

    <strong>Having an iBook is being elite.



    Having a Powerbook is being ultra elite.



    There you go. </strong><hr></blockquote>





    Sigh, one must pay lotsa money to be an ultra elite nowdays.



    think I am contended just being an elite.
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  • Reply 10 of 38
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    The 12 doesn't have FW800



    But you need to look at the 12 combo for the closest comparo.



    Price



    1299 vs 1799 for the respective combo models.



    I/O



    11mbps airport ready, 54Mbps airport ready



    no Bluetooth, bluetooth built-in



    no spanning, spanning up to 1600x1200



    Drives



    30GB, 40GB (cheap 60GB option)



    16/8X CDR vs 24/10X, though the slot loader is a -ve IMHO, some people think it's a plus, but on speed alone it goes to the little Al.



    Size and finish



    The PB12 is notiecably smaller and looks to have a very durable finish.



    CPU and speed.



    G3, boo...hiss..., G4 I know it, you know it, it makes a difference, go on rip an MP3, scrol through a couple of hundred iPhotos, see what I mean.



    100Mhz bus, 133Mhz FSB



    R7500, GF4MX420 ***oddly, it would appear the iBook has a slightly better notebook GPU, but that is mitigated by the same battery life and the next two points



    SDR100, DDR266



    2X AGP, 4X AGP combined with DDR memory throughput it should give a noticeable QE advantage to the PB12. Also remember spanning vs no spanning.



    Intangibles?



    You can add a superdrive to the PB if you wish, you can't do that to the iBook.



    And the winner is...



    For an extra 500USD, you get a very nice machine (with far superior wireless I/O) that shouldn't buckle under the weight of OSX (apps), while also being smaller and still more portable! For 500USD less you also get a very good deal that should easily see a student through music enjoyment, gaming, and Office/internet tasks.



    I would say these two machines are the two best offerings in Apple's camp, and the only ones I would consider, incedentally, the 17 is also a great offering for those in the market for such a machine, but that's just beyond what I'm willing to spend. The extra 500 spent to get a PB12 does net some cool stuff, and signifcant performance increases.



    [ 01-09-2003: Message edited by: Matsu ]</p>
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  • Reply 11 of 38
    noseynosey Posts: 307member
    I don't think the 12 inch is overpriced. If anything, I believe the iBook line is now overpriced.



    Lets see... these prices are in Canadian prices, not those of the bully to the south... (Okay... I put them in because there are so many of you down there...)



    12" ittyBook w/ superdrive = 3219 (1799US)

    17 Mega = 5299 (3299US)

    Difference of 2080 (1500US)



    12.1 iBook w/ combo drive = 2099 (1299US)

    12" ittyBook w/ Superdrive = 3219 (1799US)

    Difference of 1120 (500US)



    $1120 CDN to get a G4, DVD burning, 128M more memory, All the spiffy bells and whistles, not to mention being smaller, faster, etc.. etc...



    The iBooks are definitely overpriced when comparing... they need to drop $200 - $300 to be competitive against these new bad boys... Even then, if you are in the market for such a device (like, say... ME!) you would be hard pressed not to justify less than a thousand more to get a whole lot more.



    Considering how long the iBook has been out, I could see a price drop of this nature sometime over the next year. Especially since Mr. Jobs was alluding to selling more portables over the next few years.



    But hey, not that I look at it more closely. Using the usual calculation of 1.60 CDN = 1 US, this new line is a bit skewed in Canadian dollars, much like the complaints for the Euro. The difference rates (through simple conversions) should be 2400CDN and 800CDN , respecitively. That kinda doesn't make any sense, but who knows how they arrive at the prices.



    Editted the first time because the price of iBook wasn't 2399CDN.



    Editted the second time becasue I did more calculations on exchange.



    [ 01-09-2003: Message edited by: nosey ]</p>
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  • Reply 12 of 38
    kcmackcmac Posts: 1,051member
    Check out this article by David Pogue.



    <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/09/technology/circuits/09stat.html?ex=1040360400&en=0af7158d1cc97ad9&ei=5 006&partner=ALTAVISTA" target="_blank">NY Times Link</a>



    He believes that Apple has hit a sweet spot with the 12" PB "as big as a sugar plantation."



    edit: (cleaned up the link)



    [ 01-10-2003: Message edited by: alcimedes ]</p>
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  • Reply 13 of 38
    flounderflounder Posts: 2,674member
    Woops, I could have sworn it had FW800.

    Kind of odd that only one model has it. Oh well, I guess that will be changing in a few weeks!
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  • Reply 14 of 38
    emaneman Posts: 7,204member
    For once I don't think an Apple computer's overpriced.
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  • Reply 15 of 38
    thegeldingthegelding Posts: 3,230member
    true about the FW800...is it bigger? hotter? i would think that if the 12" PB is only getting one FW port that it would be FW 800 with the adapter to go to FW400....next revision or PB12" special edition...i would pay extra to get a PB12" with the neat keyboard lights and FW800 and faster graphics card (basically the 17" but smaller...)..ps, how will the 4200 hard disc effect speed? g



    eBoy...did you think the iBook was/is overpriced? maybe by a bit now with the PB 12 " out, but before that?



    [ 01-09-2003: Message edited by: thegelding ]</p>
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  • Reply 16 of 38
    emaneman Posts: 7,204member
    I thought the 14" was a little overpriced, but the 12" wasn't bad.
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  • Reply 17 of 38
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    i don't see how the introduction of a MORE EXPENSIVE 12" (arguably the most expensive component)

    laptop makes the iBook look overpriced



    the only new feature of the new books is BLUETOOTH built-in which is a $2 chip!



    everything else you are paying for is design...



    does a new design make the iBook any worse?
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  • Reply 18 of 38
    icruiseicruise Posts: 127member
    [quote]Originally posted by Paul:

    <strong>

    the only new feature of the new books is BLUETOOTH built-in which is a $2 chip!

    </strong><hr></blockquote>



    You seem to have conveniently forgotten about Airport Extreme, the G4, the classier case and better keyboard, as well as a small but real difference in size and weight.
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  • Reply 19 of 38
    emaneman Posts: 7,204member
    [quote]Originally posted by icruise:

    <strong>



    You seem to have conveniently forgotten about Airport Extreme, the G4, the classier case and better keyboard, as well as a small but real difference in size and weight.</strong><hr></blockquote>

    Plus slot-loading drives are more expensive.
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  • Reply 20 of 38
    formatcformatc Posts: 20member
    You couldn't buy DVD burning capibility for less than $10000 two years ago.



    Now you can get it for $2000 on a LAPTOP!



    Stop whining and start burning.









    [ 01-09-2003: Message edited by: FormatC ]</p>
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