I now admit they are too expensive.

nosey · January 5, 2003 5:23PM

For the past few years I have been trying to console myself that the ease of use, consistency of hardware and operations and transparent nature of the operating system of the macintosh was worth it.

Today I went to a store to do a bit of comparison shopping... There really was no comparison. PC's are as cheap as $700CDN for models three or four months old. PC Laptops are close to $1000CDN for models of the same generation, while the Macs are considerably pricier.

I understand that the control Apple has over their inventory means that there are fewer blowout prices for the hardware, but come on... The basic CRT iMac is 1200... the basic flat panel is almost two grand, and the basic tower is $2700CDN. At these prices the macintosh is way out of reach of the average buyer, hoping to buy a computer for a grand. Granted, you can find them for sale for much cheaper, but how many people are going to take the time for that? People want it NOW NOW NOW, ready to take from the store and use.

I hate to say it, but Apple is definitely pricing themselves out of the market of the price-concious consumer.

So now I agree with all the people who have been calling for an alternative. Something like the imac without the monitor. something in the 800CDN range. Something which will allow people to use some of the hardware (monitor wise) that their current systems use.

It doesn't have to be the latest and greates. Just let people have a pizza-box with the innards of a CRT iMac for $800 with an upgradable video card. Put it in a pretty gel-colored case... Keep it simple and keep it (relatively) cheap.

Macs for the Masses... that's where they belong. Stop artificially inflating the prices and you will bring new users to the community.

Just my 0.0125 american.

eman · January 5, 2003 5:35PM

I agree.

nosey · January 5, 2003 5:46PM

Just a quickie calculation reveals that, when purchasing from the Apple store (canadian) we are paying between $1.54 to $1.60 for every American dollar.

When we give Americans an exchange rate it is usually $1.30 for every American dollar.

On a purchase of the $1199US iMac, that would bring the Canadian price to $1560. Much m,ore reasonable than $1849. I mean, shipping is expensive, but is there any reason to gouge for an extra $300CDN bucks just to get the stuff across the border?

Other computer companies don't seem to have this problem. Mind you, other companies have a more immediate competitor trying to sell what amounts to the very same thing.

Apple has, well... the different Apple product lines to compete against. I guess they figure that if you include the $300CDN ($300CDN What, do they have these hand carried across the border by people wearing white gloves and ceremonial toques?) across the entire line of products... noone will notice.

[ 01-05-2003: Message edited by: nosey ]</p>

stunned · January 5, 2003 8:43PM

High price is ok, only IF justified by high performance.

Right now, the price- performanace ratio is just too low to attract switchers and upgraders.

Good news is that Apple seems to recognise this problem. The recent iBook price revisions are very encouraging. Just hope that these price revisions are extended to more models.

mcq · January 5, 2003 10:48PM

Hehe where's Matsu?

Oh yeah, heh another thing - Apple doesn't really adjust their prices as time passes (well, except up and back down, but that doesn't count). So while an initial release is usually somewhat price competitive, the six month time interval between updates kills product value as time goes on.

[ 01-05-2003: Message edited by: MCQ ]</p>

matsu · January 5, 2003 10:55PM

Strong the force is with these new Jedis.

nosey · January 5, 2003 11:31PM

Hmmm... lets look at the mindset of a switcher. Here I am in the store. I have a whole bunch of programs (from various sources, shall we say 'liberated' and 'collected'?) I am looking at a snazzy Mac computer for $1849 or a PC (at 'twice the Mhz"!) for $999 and hey, I even get to use the monitor I have had for a year or so.

Hm... decisions... decisions...

I know! I'll spend twice as much and go through the hassle of recollecting (um... liberating) all my old programs... And then try to recover all my files.

Grr...

Um... Hi Matsu... Why on earth would someone think you were going to wander in while I was up here on the soapbox?

[ 01-06-2003: Message edited by: nosey ]</p>

g-news · January 6, 2003 5:02PM

interesting that you say macs are too expensive now, at the very moment where they have never been cheaper. Just look at the ibook. You never got a portable mac for that awesome price.

actually comparing it to a similarly configured PC notebook makes it look even better.

matsu · January 6, 2003 6:33PM

It's been their only competitive product for a while now (iPod excluded), and even it doesn't exactly match up spec wise, though you can put that down to philosophy. PC notebooks do throw in a bit more HDD and screen size, and CPU (if you compare the 14") but you don't feel slighted with an iBook (except for the spanning handicap), not so much that anything is missing so much as things have been tailored just so. It's good, it's cheap enough, people buy it. Apple, see lesson and repeat.

I now admit they are too expensive.

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