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Mac Tax, Dell Tax, HP Tax
Harry writes "Microsoft's new Windows ad, with shopper Lauren buying a cheap 17-inch HP laptop instead of a $2,800 MacBook Pro, has unleashed the whole 'Are Macs Expensive?' debate again. I'm diving in with a pretty exhaustive comparison of the MacBook Pro against machines from Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Sony that were as comparably configured as I could manage. The conclusion: High-end laptops tend to carry high-end prices, whether their operating system hails from Cupertino or Redmond. And the MacBook Pro wasn't the priciest of the systems I compared." We looked at this question, not in as much depth, a couple of years back.
I have a silly question for all you anti-Mac people: why are you so offended that people would choose to buy from Apple? What is it about that company that makes you rabidly deride anyone who exercised their personal choice to buy a computer they desired, for whatever reason? How does it hurt you? I have to assume it hurts you, because the derision is so very strong and often personal (for an anonymous interaction, anyway.)
Is it something as simple as your belief that your opinion is somehow more correct? Could it really be something that wrong?
I have an old Dell that's about as old as yours sounds. I used it a little for travel, but mostly to do computer stuff in the TV room. I had to buy a second battery for it; the first one only lasts a few minutes now but works for around the house.
WoW, when I chose to play on the laptop, was sluggish. Actually, I think "sluggish" it the best word to use overall. Windows XP hasn't been getting faster with all those patches, and I can't not install them on a machine I would carry to foreign networks.
My Mac Book Pro, which I bought last year, is different. It replaced my last desktop computer (a Mac Mini), which replaced my last desktop PC (home built). It cost a lot more, but runs WoW at top rates, handles modern software at good speeds, and Just Works. That has value to me.
So when you determine if "it's twice as much as you need to spend for what you're going to do with it", you need to consider all the factors. Someone who just plans to do word processing and email likely doesn't need a $2800 Dell laptop, no. But if they feel that Macs provide more "Just Works", then perhaps they would buy a $2800 Mac laptop.
It doesn't hurt to be nice.
"Overpriced Mac" can mean more than "the hardware added up doesn't equal the pricetag" ... it can also mean "it's twice as much as you need to spend for what you're going to do with it."
I'm sure milages vary on this subject but IMHO it is sometimes worth paying extra. I am willing to pay extra for the *NIX operating system on the Mac or to pay extra for a computer because it's Linux certified, guaranteeing that there will be high quality Linux drivers available for *ALL* of the onboard hardware. I prefer not working with Windows any more than I necessarily have to, but I also want out-of-the-box functionality and I am willing to pay a premium to get that. Another point is the amount of service you get and the length of time the product is supported. I recently reinstalled Windows XP on an ancient IBM ThinkPad laptop that shipped originally with Windows 98 installed. The Lenovo website still has drivers and software for this museum piece that turned out to work with the latest Windows XP service pack. I also recently re-installed a no-name laptop that, theoretically at least, should have offered much greater value for money than a comparable Lenovo. The drivers for the audio card, the network card, the wifi card, the modem and the touch pad were nowhere to be found on the manufacturer's web site. According to their tech-support they don't even support this model any more. The funny thing is that the no-name machine is less than half as old as the IBM. You do sometimes get more if you pay more. That may not always be the case but then again it is up to you to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes what people are asking you to pay for a given level of product and service quality.
Only to idiots, are orders laws.
-- Henning von Tresckow
Silverlight is not touching my computer either, an AC posted a URL which contains the ad in flash format
http://www.techflash.com/microsoft/Microsofts_new_Im_a_PC_ads_target_Macs_as_overpriced_elitist_41942687.html
Everyone who buys Wild Hunt will receive 16 specially prepared DLCs absolutely for free, regardless of platform.
I find it amusing these last two Macfans conveniently ignored answering my question. (Like politicians - dance around & change the subject.) That's because they know you CAN'T buy a brand-new Macbook for $300 or $400. There truly is a "Mac tax". And that's only natural since Apple doesn't have the economy-of-scale working in its favor like genericized PCs have.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
I find it amusing that you complain about this and then do it yourself.
Changing the subject much? The discussion is not about cars or which is a "collectors item." babyrat was attempting to make an analogy (a car analogy which while requisite for Slashdot is also doomed to fail, it seems). Here's another attempt:
Construction Company A specializes in building 3-bedroom condos and sells them for $250,000 while Construction Company B builds 1-bedroom condos for $80,000 and 3-bedroom condos for $240,000-$260,000. What you're doing is demonizing Company A because they don't cater to the 1-bedroom condo market and saying there is a "Company A Tax" because of it. This makes no sense, especially when the prices of Company A's and Company B's 3-bedroom offerings are comparable.
How about instead of demonizing Company A we just accept that they simply don't care to compete in the 1-bedroom market? Surely that is their choice in a free market, is it not?
Just as Lauren in the Microsoft ad did not have her needs met by Apple's offerings, a single young-person might not have their needs met by Company A's offerings. However, someone with a family might be looking for a 3-bedroom condo and would find that there is no "tax" for picking Company A or B and so would choose based on their own set of needs and desires. It might come down to "ooh this one is shinier." That doesn't matter as aesthetics are a valid consideration in any purchase and if there is no "tax" for the shinier product, what's the harm?