Comments on: Apple needs to bring Mac prices down

Apple prices its Macs too high, according to Don Reisinger. But if it wants to truly gain market share, it should drop them as soon as possible.

[Moped_Wrecker]

If you don't like the price of a mac - don't buy it. If you like the mac - you will buy it for what they are asking for. This is free enterprise. They make it and sell it for what they think it will sell for. Not what you can afford. You get what you pay for.

[Moped_Wrecker]

Another thought. Resale value. Mac's retain over 50 percent of thier value 4 years down the road. I tried a mac mini when it first came out and today on ebay sells for over 300.00. Take a 4 year old dell and put a notice on craigslist for a curb alert.

[PC_Fan]

Jeez, when are tech "experts" going to get it right? I am a high-tech kind of guy, and I have yet to find any compelling reason to buy a Mac ever again. Despite Consumer Reports and CNET's unwaivering devotion, the fact is, most of us see thru the Mac veneer. They are not as great as some think. They crash, just like PCs. They lock up, just like PCs. They get viruses, too. Not as many as PCs, true, but they are not immune. Yes, Macs are doing better in the market, no doubt due to the iPod and iPhone hysteria (talk about overpriced, underperforming products!). Did you see the handwriting on the wall when Apple decided to use Intel chips after 20 years of avoiding them? Macs are no more than PCs with a different OS -- and no right mouse button. You should be touting PCs from the hillside. PCs are what made computers and the whole PC industry a world-wide phenom and driven a huge competitive and profitable business structure. PCs are like the perfect democratic computer. Macs on the other hand are the perfect totalitarian machine: only Apple makes them, only Macs can run the OS. That's the opposite of freedom. Kind of ironic if you look at Apples first Superbowl commercial.

I have been very happily using Vista for 5 months with NO issues, NO problems. It's great. And there's one reason you'll never see me switch: Visual BASIC and related products. That is one insanely great programming environment. The Mac world has nothing that comes even close.

[Gimpymw]

Being able to reset a circuit breaker in your breaker box does not qualify you as a "high-tech kind of guy".

I find that Mac's tend to crash, freeze, lock up far less than windows machines. My Mac's never crash although the Apps I have installed often do. I also find windows XP quite stable (as I use a windows machine at work) although not as much as my Mac's.

I'd be curious to know exactly what virus' you've had on your Mac's. As a Mac user I'd like to know.

What writing, exactly, did Apple see on the wall? Was it "Motorolla is failing us so lets go with plan B so we can keep making money and not flog a dead horse"?

Of course a Mac is a PC with a different OS. What else would it be? A toaster with a differnt OS? (FYI. The mac mighty mouse does have a left, right and middle click button with sroll wheel and additional buttons that can have custom functions although I prefer using my old microsft optical trackball mouse... which also works... with my Mac.)

I thought Apple was part of the PC industry. I thought it was largely responsible for the home computing revolution of the early 80's. What PC industry are you talking about?

Democracy barely works within the framework of our western societies. What the hell does that have to do with computers and why the hell would I want some shlub like you dictacting your opinion to me on my computer choices?

Totalitarian? Go live in China and maybe you'll understand the meaning of the word. Maybe when they confiscate your PC they might replace it with a dictionary and you can spend your time looking up the proper meaning of words. Here's another word to look up - Irony. Get it right this time.

I'm glad your Vista experience was good. Keep on programming for that Microsoft vicous circle.

Doughhead!

[manwalklikebear]

This is directed at Gimpymw

"What writing, exactly, did Apple see on the wall? Was it "Motorolla is failing us so lets go with plan B so we can keep making money and not flog a dead horse"?"

Wow, you completely missed this poster's point the "writing" on the wall is for the consumer to see, not Apple. Besides, if Apple was really interested in putting a quality ship in their products they would go with AMD.

Another important note is that you are obviously the shlub here, there was no need for your derogatory comments about the poster's tech skill level or your comments on Democracy. Barely-Works still works, it's the best we've come up with and if you think different, maybe it's you who should live in China.

BTW, it's because of loud-mouthed under-informed idiots like yourself that we may feel the need to dictate, or rather educate, the public on why Mac may not be the best option for your average user, and why the iPod is the most worthless Mp3 player of all-time!

[samkass]

PC_Fan, 1. There are no Mac viruses in the wild. None. I understand that's hard for you to believe, but it's not a matter of "not as many, but some", it's "none." 2. Apple moved to Intel chips when Intel chips turned a quality and performance corner with the Core and when the G5 couldn't keep up. That doesn't mean the PowerPC wasn't the right choice earlier. 3. Macs can use a right mouse button if you buy a two-button mouse. 4. Microsoft is rapidly deprecating Visual BASIC, so enjoy it while you can.

[thatchman1]

While it may be Apples to Apples on hardware specs, and yes Apples are expensive, they consider themselves the Mercedes of computers. And they are-- they provide an OS experience that you can't get on a PC no matter how much you're willing to pay-- and Unix stability that you can't get without an ugly Linux.

Apples prices will come down naturally when they get some formidable competition. I blame Microsoft for Apple's high prices, honestly. They're given the ability to charge and arm and a leg because they're the only completely stable, completely smooth experience in town. And they have a GQ external style to boot!

[Gimpymw]

Point of order.

Not the Mercedes of computers.

The Audi of computers.

Audi is the automotive leader in fit and finish and quality. Plus their cars have AWD. If any computer could have AWD then an 8 core Mac Pro would be it.

[somone_else]

the reason why macs are stable is because they only support a limited number of configurations. If you install products not approved by apple, you're out of luck.

I find it amazing that windows is as stable as it is given the millions, if not billions, of hardware configurations out there.

finally, I don't believe mac prices will ever be close to window PC prices. Apple makes it's money from hardware, and no one else is allowed to install their OS. as long as this is true, Apple will overcharge for hardware. If they lose this lawsuit against psystar(?), then you may see their hardware prices come down. but then again, they will have to start supporting far more hardware configurations, and OS X will lose it's lustre with that resulting mess.

[David.Jennings]

I certainly don't like paying high prices for any product, but I sure don't want Apple to lower it's design standards just to compete with a Dell or HP. The low-end corner of the market is well stocked with brands that don't quite measure up. If Apple were to compete squarely in the $500 laptop arena, the howling would begin immediately about how their design quality is shrinking.

Products are more than the sum of their parts. The Apple products are popular because they are designed better from the top down. This doesn't just apply to the sum total of their components, but to the overall construction and how they function after assembly.

You will save money on a Mac in a lot of ways that have nothing to do with the hardware. Including the lower cost of the OSX software updates, the cost of their office applications as compare to Microsoft Office, and in the strength and quality of the way their systems function.

The Windows Fanboys might be happy if Apple started cranking out low cost systems, but I will always pay extra for quality and design.

[boopiejones]

i am a long time PC user and recently had to purchase a new computer. decided i definitely wanted a laptop, and strongly considered crossing over to a mac especially because of all the vista problems i had heard about. unfortunately, there was no way in hell i was going to spend 3x the price for a comparable product. so, i ended up with another PC and am so far pleasantly suprised with vista. as the article suggests, apple had a chance to gain market share with me, but failed because of the price.

[goober_nut]

I agree. I was in the market for a new PC the other month and was about to finally make my move to a Mac until I realized what I could get for my money. Sure I could afford a Mac, but why spend that much money on a new machine? If their prices were only slightly higher, then I probably would have bought my first Mac, but nope..they lost another one due to their high prices.

[nickj1088]

Hey... I am a tech savvy person. I'm a computer engineer. I would rather run Vista then Mac or Linux, though I like Linux considerably more than OS X. Mac is just too controlled and not as much fun to completely mess up.

I hardly think you speak for everyone or even most people. You speak for the 8.5% of the market buddy.

[rsp82]

Mac's are highly overpriced and its useful to people who are either graphic designers or who deal with video editing. Apple products are like status symbol and most of the people who use it have limited knowledge about computing and all they do is bash windows. Vista works great. I know many people who use it and never complain about. Its all Apple's propaganda about vista and how bad it is and all Mac fans just complain about windows all the time when the fact of the matter is that they are lame people like this editor. If you talking about people who are tech savvy or an IT professional then I don't know why you wanna touch a mac. The bottom line is even if Apple reduces its prices it not going to affect Windows dominance, as only brain dead people will end up buying Macs.

[touchtone561]

I'm a snob I guess. Keep the price where it is or no more than 15% less. Did you see the reaction when they cut the price of the first iPhone - all the "me first" folks felt dissed. I paid good money for my iMac and MBP why should the next round be bargain basement. And here is the dirty little secret - every time Apple appears to keep a price or cut a price they take something out versus the previous model. I remember the newer white plastic iMac was cheaper than my early 06 model, but they took out some of the third party software.

[lavern]

This article is completely biased on while I agree with the premise macs are overpriced isn't very factual. Its not apparent to me that macs are better? fanboy

[torrek]

Does Gucci need to lower their prices so people buy their product? No.

Does GM need to lower their prices so people buy their product? Yes, because they are on the verge of bankruptcy.

Apple has 20 billion dollars in the bank, their market share is always rising, and the price of their products seems to be bothering no one.

Sure, an equally equipped Apple laptop versus any windows laptop is going to cost more, but you're going to get way more performance out of it.


EVERYONE knows this, everyone understands this. So why are we making an issue out of it when no one seems to be bothered by it other than those who can't afford quality product.

[manwalklikebear]

""Any tech-savvy person sees the benefits of running Macs"? Really?

I am very tech-savvy and I disagree completely. At my work, we run about 15 Windows machines and about 10 Macs...the Macs have had far more problems than the PCs. And your Windows Vista bashing? Have you even used it?

...It's terrible journalists like you who go around spreading fear that Vista has all of these issues when it really does not... my Vista computer has much greater stability than my Leopard Mac, which crashes frequently.

Keep praying to your God Steve, maybe someday you can have a world filled with Macs..."

I completely agree with Tommyboytg, I am a long time computer user (both MACs and PCs) and I believe that the author of this article doesn't really know what he is talking about and obviously has a slanted view on what "tech-savvy" people "see the benefits" of. And since the article was written so biased, i will respond with my own biased, albeit better thought out, view.

If you are shelling out the dough for a Mac, then be prepared to continue paying out your ears for it. Let's face it, if your spending that much on a shiny white piece, you're not one who's likely to use freeware and other non-apple licensed products and you WILL pay for it (for example the air-port N enabler extension selling for 2 dollars on Mac's site, i know it's only 2 dollars, but my point here is that a freaking driver update should be free and those who will pay Apple for something like this are idiots) link to example

On the flip side Macs do perform faster when it comes to graphics, but when it's time to upgrade your video card, GOOD LUCK! Neither Tiger Direct nor NewEgg carry ANY cards compatible with mac! Guess it's time for you to buy anther overpriced white box ;-)

As for the guy on here who claimed that Mac's have zero viruses, you are just a dumb-a$$ ( Link to example )

I recently stayed at a friend's house for three weeks, this friend has a brand spanking new MacBook Pro with leopard pre-installed, not upgraded. Guess what? The damn thing froze at least twice a week; far more frequent than my PC!

BTW, i am not a total Mac novice, I've shown several shortcuts to both he and my girlfriend (both of which would consider themselves expert Mac users). Also, I can navigate most of the OS with the same speed they can.

And a note to those who think that Apple should license their OS to third party vendors: To do so would degrade the integrity of Mac's extremely proprietary system. If you could throw any old hardware into a Mac then away goes your speedy start-up and shut-down times! Mac OS is designed to run only a handful of devices and attempting to add third-party hardware would cause the Mac OS to have to boot up drivers and check compatibility the same way a PC does.

So i guess if you are a fan of the overpriced, one way, one brand, replace instead of upgrade, white boxed garbage, then have fun wasting your money the next time Jobs tells you that the newest iWhatever is better than whatever you currently have.

[jbstrand]

I like my Macbook but I also have two computers running Vista and I have absolutely no problems with them whatsoever. The unwarranted Vista bashing is getting really old Don.

[tappy727]

I agree. I have a Macbook and a Compaq Presario with Vista. Both runs great. Vista had problem when it first came out but very steady with the latest updates.

[danielgrant612]

Its about time that Apple lowers their prices. I would've got a mac instead of a Dell even if the mac prices just would've dropped 5 -10%. Maybe the next computer purchase I make will be a mac if they're not too expensive.

[tappy727]

I have an Apple laptop, bought a Compaq laptop too because it was a lot less expensive. I prefer my Mac and the 2nd computer would have been a Mac if it was less expensive. Mac OS looks more elegant but I really don't sit around staring at the OS. The Mac and PC both do what I need it to do well - email, internet. PC for word processing.

[HolyFidget]

Like the the lower Mac but you from your words imply that vista is worst OS. Btw Vista's biggest problem is ppl, journalist, you kept saying it sucks.

[sceptic007]

That's an idiotic suggestion. Apple doesn't care to be the market leader in PC sales. They like their niche market, they make fat margins and increasing revenue without increasing profit is hardly of any interest to them. I am sure Bentley could sell more cars if they were cheaper too, but guess what... that won't happen. Same thinking here.

[purcell429]

Ok, so if everyone would calm down in the OSX and VISTA bashing, can we get back to the point at hand? You know, what the article was about? Thanks.

So, you say macs are over priced, right? Depends on how you look at it. Last time I checked, they dont just chuck a processor, ram, and a graphics card into a box and ship it to you. So, lets compare the HP and the apple, ok? So a base macbook pro compared to this thing, as close as I can get it.... $1542, with a $150 rebate. So, the macbook pro comes with a $300 iPod touch for free... So ok, say a $300 difference.

Hp and MBP- Same screen resolution, but apple is 15" compared to Hp's 17". The macbook Pro is LED backlit, and comes in glossy or matte.

Battery life: HP claims 3:15, Apple= 5:00

Weight: Hp: 7.65 pounds, Apple: 5.4 pounds

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention the slot loading drive, backlit keyboard, multi touch trackpad, magsafe charger (also lighter than HP's charger)... and oh yeah, the most important part of all, and worth $300 by itself:..........................


The software.


Yeah, i'm not going to Vista bash here, ok, but I vastly prefer OSX to XP (I have both on my computer, another plus.) And even if you don't care so much, iLife alone is worth at least $100 bucks.

Oh yeah, forgot service plans too. But, let me tell you, if you live near an Apple Store, its nice to be able to walk in and have your problem fixed within half an hour rather than mailing your computer back to china if something goes wrong. Just sayin.
So yeah, I'd say they are competitively priced. Do some research, or use both computers before you complain alright? Or, better yet, if you don't like it, don't buy one. Simple.

[sanjayb]

Yours was the best post by far. You read my mind exactly. Three months ago I took the plunge and bought a MBP over a similarly configured Dell XPS laptop. And yes I paid an extra $500 which was a bit hard to swallow. Do I regret it? Not in the least. My MBP has been the best computer I have ever owned. The multi touch trackpad alone is a delight to use once you know what it is capable of. And that also works under Vista which I also installed on my MBP.
Would I like to see Apple reduce it's price? Sure. Who wouldn't? But not at the cost of the high quality that Apple puts into it's products.

[davidian56]

"Let's face it -- the average tech-savvy person is well aware of the benefits of owning a Mac and more often than not, they will run a Mac or Linux box before Windows even enters the home. But the mainstream doesn't necessarily possess that kind of knowledge and instead prefers to stick with what they know, regardless of its issues."

What kind of fanboy crap is that? Almost every single "tech-savvy" person I know runs Windows. I have been running Vista for over a year now with zero problems. I ran XP for at least 5 years with zero problems.

I have absolutely nothing against Apple computers. Hell, I even worked for Apple at one point. But, the fanboy crap gets old. It's a computer. Just like any other computer. It just costs more and for some reason people think it makes them look cool when they whip it out in public. All I see when someone does that is a hipster that paid way too much for his computer.

Apple computers are a lot of flash, a lot of hype, and a lot of money for something that in the end really isn't any different than any other computer or OS for that matter.