Apple's biggest problem

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Apples biggest problem is price vs. performance!



I think that this is so clear to see on both sides, from the entry level to high end users.



If price/performance was not an issue than people would not wait for long periods of time to update to the next new thing. They would just do it as many do without thinking on the pc side. Apple needs to lower the prices and up performance to gain more market share on every line they make. They need to update more often and make no mention to the fact that they did. You never hear anything from the pc side as far as there updates. They just do it and apple needs to do the same.



Lets face it most people are stupid and apple's complete package is far better than anything on the pc side but sometimes the price in not justified, especially for old outdated hardware at full price. Its like a good bottle of wine, yes its better but what did it cost compared to something almost as good. Not as good but almost.



I do own both a dual 2.0 G5 and a 3.2mhz pc...
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 78
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    Price/performance isn't the issue for people not upgrading.



    The fact that Macs are useful far longer than PCs, on average, is why people don't upgrade as quickly on the Mac side.
  • Reply 2 of 78
    ipodandimacipodandimac Posts: 3,273member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by linefear

    I do own both a dual 2.0 G5 and a 3.2mhz pc...



    you own a 3.2 MHZ pc???? everybody look out! superfast pc on the loose!



    its seems ironic to complain about apple's cost vs performance when your using a PC that's been outdated for about 20 years.



    you know i'm j/k
  • Reply 3 of 78
    kraig911kraig911 Posts: 912member
    apples biggest problem is that they have a huge following of overly critical technophiles.



    a 3.2ghz PC is slower than a dual G5, I use a 3.2 as well as home, and I use a dual g5 at work, and the g5 at work can work better, like its easier and faster to work in photoshop, after effects, final cut pro all at the same time, while on the PC I find myself making not to have so much open.
  • Reply 4 of 78
    jadejade Posts: 379member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by kraig911

    apples biggest problem is that they have a huge following of overly critical technophiles.



    a 3.2ghz PC is slower than a dual G5, I use a 3.2 as well as home, and I use a dual g5 at work, and the g5 at work can work better, like its easier and faster to work in photoshop, after effects, final cut pro all at the same time, while on the PC I find myself making not to have so much open.




    The two processors do not hurt the extra speed. But here is the difference...you have a super fast dual g5 that costs......$2999



    the 3.2 pc is fast enough for most tasks and costs........$1200-1400 depending on day and manufacturer.



    And no comments about how dual g5s are cheaper than compareablt dual xeon machines. Yup g5s are great for the high end.



    Unfortunately, the only apple machines that compete well performance-wise to the pcs are these g5s, and even at the lowend it is still $500 more than a comparable pc.



    $1300 vs $1800?



    You decide.
  • Reply 5 of 78
    bigcbigc Posts: 1,224member
    The up-front cost may be higher but the Mac resale values are typically very good. If you want to compare between platforms, there are many factors that enter into the equation.
  • Reply 6 of 78
    jubelumjubelum Posts: 4,490member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by kraig911

    apples biggest problem is that they have a huge following of overly critical technophiles.





    DIng Ding Ding! Tell him what he's won, Chuck!
  • Reply 7 of 78
    I believe that Apple needs to come to a point (hardware-wise) where the bottom end can perform just as well as a PC of the same cost. I know many of you will come in and say that "for the money you get a better deal overall", which includes reliability and support over several years however, do not tell me that an eMac can compare to a PC of the same cost in terms of performance because we know that it isn't true.



    Apple needs to update its entire line-up to reflect current as well as new technologies and ditch the tech (slow ram, busses, etc.) that they have been using since the days of the first G4 (I own one). Also students especially should be given greater discounts. If this happened Apple would probably have a larger student base. I need PB power, but not at PB prices.



    Apple needs to understand that they are still a niche product and unless they start delivering on the bottom end I seriously doubt a marketshare increase.

    It should not be a big deal that there is a G5 in your computer. I can't believe the G5 has been around for almost a year and still hasn't filtered into any other products than the prosumer ones.



    I would never (let's all pray) switch to a PC, however I just wish Apple could regain its OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW AMAZING THIS THING IS feeling again.



    You are now free to rip apart this post.
  • Reply 8 of 78
    linefearlinefear Posts: 19member
    1st of all I never said anything about what was faster... a G5 vs. a 3.2mhz for all you people who freak out at the slightest hint of that topic. It was a simple statement about the personal hardware that I own that?s it. I also said that apple was overall better, freak!



    As far as price/ vs. performance I still think that apple biggest problem when they have system that are badly needed of updates yet the still very high prices.



    Why else would people wait months to buy a new system? Exactly... they don't want to get caught buying an older outdated system for a high price & then have update come out. They want to buy into the upswing.
  • Reply 9 of 78
    Quote:

    Originally posted by jade

    the 3.2 pc is fast enough for most tasks and costs........$1200-1400 depending on day and manufacturer.



    Well, if you want to compare costs, show me a 3.2Ghz, 64 bit PC, with FW, Bluetooth, GigE, SATA, and a Unixen OS that supports MS Office.



    If you can find one in that price range, you might have a point. Otherwise, not.
  • Reply 10 of 78
    Quote:

    Originally posted by linefear

    Apples biggest problem is price vs. performance!



    I used to think that, too.



    But after talking to some of the mods on this board, I've changed my mind. It seems to me that Apple's manufacturing process is probably the #1 reason why the price/performance ratio is so poor.



    Because, if apple can't take $300 worth of outdated, cheap computer parts (re: eMac), package them in a box, sell them to thousands of people at roughly 3-5 times that price, and STILL comment that it yields their lowest profit margin out of the whole desktop line, then there's something that needs fixing on that assembly line.



    Because no other computer maker in the world seems to have this same problem. Even though they sell a MORE ADVANCED set of hardware at 1/3-1/5 the price that Apple does.



    Yup, it's gotta be that assembly line, all right...



    -Antithesis
  • Reply 11 of 78
    formatc2formatc2 Posts: 176member
    Apple's biggest problem is Apple.



    When you tell your supervisors about Apple, all they think about is graphics, not UNIX.
  • Reply 12 of 78
    mr. memr. me Posts: 3,221member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by FormatC2

    Apple's biggest problem is Apple.



    When you tell your supervisors about Apple, all they think about is graphics, not UNIX.




    It's Apple's fault that you work for stupid supervisors?
  • Reply 13 of 78
    jubelumjubelum Posts: 4,490member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Mr. Me

    It's Apple's fault that you work for stupid supervisors?







    (I gotta write that one down..)
  • Reply 14 of 78
    pbpb Posts: 4,255member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Mr. Me

    It's Apple's fault that you work for stupid supervisors?



    I think his point is that the image most people have still for Apple, is the old graphics-related software/hardware one, due to poor/failed advertising on Apple's part of the new technologies present in OS X. And there is the case of supervisors or IT stuff, that know very well what Apple is about today, and they avoid it like <insert your favorite expression here>, since they love their jobs.
  • Reply 15 of 78
    oldmacfanoldmacfan Posts: 501member
    What is the most important part about building your own PC or for that matter going out and buying one?





    Processor?............NO, NO, NO



    Ram?....................NO, NO, NO



    Video Card...........NO, NO, NO





    It is the motherboard. You can take the same CPU, RAM, and VC and put them on 10 different MB's and have very different computers performance wise.



    I spent a week researching the motherboard that I would have in my PC that I had built 16 months ago. The guy that I had built it said he couldn't get a board with the specs I wanted. I handed him the model # and low and behold he was able to find it. That board only lacks AGP 8x. That is it. It will support all the latest CPU's and ram chips and will run most of the newest video cards because most are 8x/4x. And Yes it was one of the first boards with SATA.



    I am out of college now (No more programming) and it just sits underneath the desk in the kids room for games and collecting dust.



    It will get one upgrade in 12 months when the last of the compatible CPU's and GPU's and RAM are dirt cheap.



    I know this post is long winded and I need to get to my point.



    Apple goes to great lengths to tightly control the guts of their machines. I want them to take their time and do it right. This is why their machines last so long.



    I wish their was a PC maker that took the time to do things the Apple way. The machines would be over priced compared to similar PC's and that company would not survive.



    I see Apple's biggest problem as not the Hardware or Software they sell, but the piss poor marketing they do. Apple needs to educate the masses. Apple needs to get the chip off it's shoulder and stop sticking their nose up at the commoners.
  • Reply 16 of 78
    chris vchris v Posts: 460member
    Really, Apple's biggest problem is people's outmoded perception of them as rarified high-dollar machines that simple "cost more." (I confine my comments to off-the-shelf computers, as we all know the DIY PCs can be built cheaply)



    When you look at it more critically, the PCs out there cost less because they ship with less. Go to Dell's site and configure a 1.7 GHz laptop with all the goodies that come on the 15" Powerbook (Wireless, FW800-- oops can't even GET that-- etc.) and the Dell will cost MORE. The Dell towers might come out a few dollars cheaper than the G5's when configged with similar specs, but the difference is really not too ridiculous.



    After the initial purchase price, you have to look at what else you get with Apple hardware-- all the cool iApps, and things that are semi-intangible, like an OS that takes less time to configure out of the box, and that stays out of your way better than Windows. Total Cost of Ownership has to be taken in context. Downtime, tech support, viruses, patches, upgrades, crashes, confilcts, etc. There are trouble-free Windows installs out there, (or so I've heard) but I've never seen one. If you save $500.00 on your desktop, but spend that again in hours of frustration (how much do you make by the hour?) and tech support, what's the point?



    Apple's marketing department really needs to hammer these things home a little better, and do away with the outmoded perceptions people continue to have about their hardware, esp. now since OS X.



    CV
  • Reply 17 of 78
    oldmacfanoldmacfan Posts: 501member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by chris v

    Really, Apple's biggest problem is people's outmoded perception of them as rarified high-dollar machines that simple "cost more." (I confine my comments to off-the-shelf computers, as we all know the DIY PCs can be built cheaply)



    When you look at it more critically, the PCs out there cost less because they ship with less. Go to Dell's site and configure a 1.7 GHz laptop with all the goodies that come on the 15" Powerbook (Wireless, FW800-- oops can't even GET that-- etc.) and the Dell will cost MORE. The Dell towers might come out a few dollars cheaper than the G5's when configged with similar specs, but the difference is really not too ridiculous.



    After the initial purchase price, you have to look at what else you get with Apple hardware-- all the cool iApps, and things that are semi-intangible, like an OS that takes less time to configure out of the box, and that stays out of your way better than Windows. Total Cost of Ownership has to be taken in context. Downtime, tech support, viruses, patches, upgrades, crashes, confilcts, etc. There are trouble-free Windows installs out there, (or so I've heard) but I've never seen one. If you save $500.00 on your desktop, but spend that again in hours of frustration (how much do you make by the hour?) and tech support, what's the point?



    Apple's marketing department really needs to hammer these things home a little better, and do away with the outmoded perceptions people continue to have about their hardware, esp. now since OS X.



    CV






    Clap clap clap clap
  • Reply 18 of 78
    relicrelic Posts: 4,735member
    Apples are expensive, but so was my BMW and my Bang and Olfusen stereo. I like style, I like it so much I'm willing to pay for something that's worth less then the price tag. I don't want to own something that is common and usual. Sh--t I'm pissed that Apple doesn't have some sort pre-req customer check to weed out the weenies. PC Performance is like a big d-ck, sure it's big but if it looks like Herpes Complex 5 who's going to want to touch it?
  • Reply 19 of 78
    bungebunge Posts: 7,329member
    It's not fair to compare a Dell spec'ed out with Bluetooth, Firewire, etc., with a G5. Compare lowest priced towers and see what you get. Some people don't want bluetooth or firewire. Some people would rather not have those options and pay less because of it. With Apple you can't, so you're forced to buy parts you might not want, need or use.
  • Reply 20 of 78
    chris vchris v Posts: 460member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by bunge

    It's not fair to compare a Dell spec'ed out with Bluetooth, Firewire, etc., with a G5. Compare lowest priced towers and see what you get. Some people don't want bluetooth or firewire. Some people would rather not have those options and pay less because of it. With Apple you can't, so you're forced to buy parts you might not want, need or use.



    Sure, it's fair. Pound for pound, Apples really don't cost much more than PCs. People always quote the price/performance ratio, and what you're saying is that essentially, a PC with less performance (check the other specs besides add-ons, like RAM hard-drive size and speed, ethernet, video card, bundled software) costs less. Sure, fine. You want less, get less. Cheaper is not automatically better. Apple, and hooray for them, I say, won't sell a machine that's functionally crippled.



    CV
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