Why mac are more expensive?
Hi everybody. I'm new around and i would like some help. I'm on a debate on a french forums about apple vs pc's cost. Some guy there are saying that apple are too expensive relatively about the hardware. That is in fact true we all know that. I would like to know what makes a mac more expensive than a pc.. I've try to search on the net about that but i ain't see anything about that. (I,m not a disguised pc user lol)
Help me to bring them some arguements!
Thx
Quicksilver
Help me to bring them some arguements!
Thx
Quicksilver
Comments
1. They don't sell as many computers as Dell
2. They tend to keep weeks and weeks of inventory versus Dell who can take advantage of lower prices in a matter of days
3. They have distributer and reseller networks, and they all want a cut of the price of the computer to feed their children.
4. They spend way too much money on innovation and while Dell would rather spend it finding out how to assemble a notebook by flipping it over twice instead of eight times.
These are the big ones. Apple is even worse off because
1. Dell can tell you what they're gonna have in 12 months because if they don't you're gonna give HP a call. Apple can't, because you would just wait for it.
2. Apple sells way fewer computers
3. Apple has the same inventory problems as HP and others, except that mac users tend to wait for the next revision instead.
4. Distribution and reseller networks suck up too much cash. If we kill them off, Macs would be at least 10% cheaper.
5. Even companies such as Gateway and HP don't innovate as much as Apple. Apple has to design everything itself thus it has to absorb all the costs that goes along with it. Apple outspends every other company as a percentage of revenue by a wide margin.
2) Economies of scale, or rather the lack there of.
A@ron
<a href="http://www.ecomponline.com/company.tcl?dir=Demo&compid=1357"; target="_blank">http://www.ecomponline.com/company.tcl?dir=Demo&compid=1357</a>;
He's currently THE highest payed exec...
<a href="http://www.erieri.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=NewsRoom.Dsp_Release&PressRel easeID=78" target="_blank">http://www.erieri.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=NewsRoom.Dsp_Release&PressRel easeID=78</a>
There have been reports in the main stream press showing that an LCD iMac was cheaper or equal in price to a similarly configured Dell or Gateway.
You also have to be very careful about just looking at paper specifications. Not all LCDs, hard drives, memory, power supplies, cables, etc. are created equal. Two LCDs may have the same specs on paper but placed side-by-side will look totally different. Two hard drives with the same paper specs can behave quite differently. Cheaper components tend to fail sooner. Cheaper electrolytics may dry out in a year losing much of their capacitance value causing odd failures and crashes.
I can't promise that Apple is better in all these categories. These are things for you to consider. You have to be an expert to evaluate much of this stuff.
You can turn this argument around and ask why is it that if you can get a 2GHz wintel for something like $800 then who buys a 2GHz for $2,500 from a different company? I'm making up numbers, but things like this are out there.
I recall a metallurgy professor discussing a similar effect with cars. Cheap cars used cheap metal that had thin case hardening on the gears and thin chrome plating on the trim. A Mercedes, by contrast, had very thick case hardening on the gears and Cr plating that would last for years.
One last thing on specs, a friend had a laptop with an IR port. It also came with a note warning him not to use the IR port or it would damage the computer. It didn't work, but it was part of the spec.
[ 10-29-2002: Message edited by: neutrino23 ]</p>
Look at the difference in the price of Apple's ram and some other reliable third party ram!!!!
(tig)
[ 10-29-2002: Message edited by: The Grimace ]</p>
Now, are these equally as powerful? Doubt it, but that's how it's marketed, not against some white box p4 from the store down the road...and you'll find the portables are even more competitive (equally spec'd from a REAL company).
Just looked...top TiG4 - $3440 / top Dell Inspiron -$3500.
My $0.02...rant away.
[ 10-29-2002: Message edited by: Colby2000 ]</p>
<strong>Just to add to what was said above ontop of that some of the hardware Apple uses is of better quality then most WinTel machines</strong><hr></blockquote>
Absolutly False,
In most cases the components used by Apple are identical to those used in PC's. And in some cases a great deal lower quality than the parts used in PC's
<strong>Apple is not so expensive if you carefully configure them the same as a PC.
(Snip)
You also have to be very careful about just looking at paper specifications. Not all LCDs, hard drives, memory, power supplies, cables, etc. are created equal. Two LCDs may have the same specs on paper but placed side-by-side will look totally different.</strong><hr></blockquote>
If you compare a Mac to a contemporary PC it is even more damning, and on your second count in the case of LCD's in the iMac and hard drives, Apple uses the least expensive and lowest quality available,
<strong>
Apple sells 11% of all computers world wide currently. Dell sells 10.6%. Gateway 9.8%, etc. If you look at each company seperately, then at the moment, Apple sells the most.
- Xidius</strong><hr></blockquote>
NOT RECENTLY!
Apple is selling 2.6% of computers world wide at the moment and Dell's current numbers are much higher.
<strong>Actually, it depends what you're comparing...if you compare Apple's top-of-the-line DP PowerMac with a 17" FP monitor and 1GB RAM and what it's marketed against...an equally spec'd top-of-the-line Dell DP Xeon workstation with 17" FP and 1GB RAM, the Apple is significantly cheaper...$4700 for the Apple and $6400 for the Dell...</strong><hr></blockquote>
Guess what, the top of the line Dodge Neon is much less expensive than the top of the line Porshe.
If anything your example damns Apple further,
<strong>You also have to pay for the software R&D when you buy a mac that come with iphoto, itunes, ical, iDVD, etc. Those apps are worth alot to the user and are heads above both the free and additional ones that you can get with a PC.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Well if the software is so damn valuble, then why doesn't Apple sell it seperately, I mean if it is SO damn valuble then shouldn't people be breaking down the doors of the Applestore to fork over their credit cards to buy the latest iApps?
<strong>
Well if the software is so damn valuble, then why doesn't Apple sell it seperately, I mean if it is SO damn valuble then shouldn't people be breaking down the doors of the Applestore to fork over their credit cards to buy the latest iApps?</strong><hr></blockquote>
You really are from Reality aren't you?!?!
:cool:
<hr></blockquote>
um, they are? where'd you get those numbers?
So why are PC's so cheap?
When look at the PC side of things Intel and Microsoft have built a business where they are the only ones who are guarantied a profit. Intels profits are smaller than they would because they are trying to kill off AMD and are cutting their prices more than they would like. Part of the end result of this is lower PC prices.
Another factor is Dell is currently trying to drive every other PC manufacturer out of the business and is engaged in a major price war. As the lowest cost supplier of PCs they have the ability to price their products lower than anyone else. Everyone else has the choice of trying to match Dell's prices and loose money or keep their prices higher and loose marketshare. One big advantage Dell has over Apple is they don't have to design much.
Another factor is one that Apple actually benefits from except for motherboards and processors. Y2k created a big scare in the IT industry. A huge number of systems were sold in 1999 to replace older systems. The whole industry ramped up for it. There has been a general oversupply in parts since and they have become very cheap.
There are other factors that I don't want to get into at this time. I've already written more than I wanted to. Yea, I'm just being lazy
<strong>
Well if the software is so damn valuble, then why doesn't Apple sell it seperately, I mean if it is SO damn valuble then shouldn't people be breaking down the doors of the Applestore to fork over their credit cards to buy the latest iApps?</strong><hr></blockquote>
They are, there were 3000 people waiting outside of one store to buy Jaguar when it was released. It was included all the new iapps. Oh and they do sell some iapps separately, maybe you have not heard of .MAC, it has only sold over 100,000 copies.
[ 10-30-2002: Message edited by: FlashGordon ]</p>
<strong>
If you compare a Mac to a contemporary PC it is even more damning, and on your second count in the case of LCD's in the iMac and hard drives, Apple uses the least expensive and lowest quality available,</strong><hr></blockquote>
Give me the manufacturer and part numbers of the inferior parts you are talking about...if you even know them? I would like to check that out. I think you have diarrea of the fingers and are just typing what ever crap comes to your head. I am pretty sure that Apple uses parts that are at and above industry standard. I take this from my work on Macs and research into replacing parts.
Please do not post again w/o some facts like part numbers and makers or we will all just assume you are just making up crap to troll.
Do not worry if you don't find the facts or do not respond to this challenge we will just assume you were making it all up...which of course you are.