Why are mac laptops so expensive?

[mr.wiz0rd]

I'm interested in buying a mac laptop, but it seems that the prices are about 300-500 more expensive than a comparable windows system. why is that?

feature for feature, the macs even sometimes fall short in the hard drive.

for $2000 or $2800, there are plenty of high-end windows based laptops.

is it because the macs offer more free programs?

[bembol]

Apple name for one, Design/Build Quality and the OSX - Tiger?

Apple/Mac have always carried a Premium price. One of the reasons why I didn't look into them until they introduced Mac Mini, which was considered the "cheapest" Mac to hit the market. A year later I own Intel Core Duo's 20" iMac and Mac Book!

[Jucius Maximus]

Main reason: Higher profit margin.

There's a whole "perceived superior quality" mystique they like to maintain, much like it used to be with Sony products.

As I understand it, Apple notebooks are made by ASUS and have pretty much the same hardware inside as PC laptops.

I would pay for the higher profit margin because I find that OS X is really better for getting my work done (maybe applicable to your work too) and that the overall OS and environment is extremely elegant. You can forget that it's a "computer" and just get on with your work.

(Typed on my iBook.)

[BlueX]

-Better built
-Better and stable Operating System (fewer viruses compared to Windows)
-What you pay is what you get

You'll never find a discount price, unless you know someone who works at Apple Computer.

[Aero]

I'm interested in buying a mac laptop, but it seems that the prices are about 300-500 more expensive than a comparable windows system. why is that?

feature for feature, the macs even sometimes fall short in the hard drive.

for $2000 or $2800, there are plenty of high-end windows based laptops.

is it because the macs offer more free programs?

What are you comparing? I mean which mac laptop and which Windows laptop?

[Jucius Maximus]

You'll never find a discount price, unless you know someone who works at Apple Computer.

Watch ThinkSecret and wait for upcoming product upgrades. Right after the upgrades, the model that was previously the best / most expensive suddently costs 15% less and is no longer the best.

Honestly I think the "no discounts" policy is the promote the image that apple products are "better" when in reality it is just the same hardware everyone else is running plus a superior OS.

[hybrid.09]

First off, it's a completely different system. It's unix based, so less problems and viruses. The brand, the design, and what's packed into it.

And no, they don't offer "free" software, that's only some stuff.

[ProfessorChaos]

First off, it's a completely different system. It's unix based, so less problems and viruses. The brand, the design, and what's packed into it

except that it is only different on a software level.

[gordholio]

Another reason could be that you don't see Apple clones around.
It seems that Apple is getting all the money and setting the price pretty high as long as people will pay.
Really, if they reduced the prices, more people might consider an Apple and they might make more than a small dent in the market.

[john widow]

I wonder what the mac os is like....I"ve never used it in person.
I find windows great, I never have problems with viruses or slowing down or crashes once you learn to set things up right.

[Gee]

Another reason could be that you don't see Apple clones around.
It seems that Apple is getting all the money and setting the price pretty high as long as people will pay.
Really, if they reduced the prices, more people might consider an Apple and they might make more than a small dent in the market.

This is the only intelligent answer I have seen.

You cannot compare Apples to Oranges (No pun intended). A Windows Machine is a different animal.

I think the main reason is the lack of competition. I agree to a certian extent that their notebooks are better than say a Presario or Pavilion. But as far as quality, ThinkPads are just as good or better.

[Emancipated]

Comes down to brand mostly but it becomes apparently obvious when you see it in person. No other company uses aluminum to clothe their laptops like Apple does. Attention to details such as backlit keyboard on the hardware end; then you have the same attention paid to the software end with OS X. It's finesse and refined.

Macbooks are finally priced reasonably, but it was riduculously overpriced before Intel days.

[Evil Baby]

Comes down to brand mostly but it becomes apparently obvious when you see it in person. No other company uses aluminum to clothe their laptops like Apple does. Attention to details such as backlit keyboard on the hardware end; then you have the same attention paid to the software end with OS X. It's finesse and refined.

Macbooks are finally priced reasonably, but it was riduculously overpriced before Intel days.

Although I very much dislike OSX, you can't argue with how the laptops look. I'm not a fan of the new keyboards but the outter shell is nice, especially the black one. The only thing that comes close in my mind is some of the smaller sony vaio's. It would be a tossup between those two for looks for me. However I've never trusted Soney technology.

I'd still rather have a dell, as their 14inch laptops arn't so ugle you're affraid to be seen with them and they come packed with a lot more power.

[ericssonboi]

If your looking for discounts..
Education or Refurb prices are quite reasonable.. usually a good chunk off the retail price.

A lot of people are selling them in the B/S/T.. just make sure there is warranty left on the system and your good to go

[Octavius]

I bought my iBook about a year ago and although it was more expensive than a comparable PC, I still took a chance and bought it.

I can say that the extra money I paid was worth it. It's not only the OS that I love (although my desktop will always be a PC that I build myself), but it's all the little things that Apple puts time into which make the difference.

The glowing Apple logo on the back of the LCD panel, the compact and practical power adapter which doesn't weigh as much as the laptop (and doubles as a cord organizer as well), the screens are marvelous and I have yet to have my iBook crash or freeze up on me while working.

Of course, everyone has their own preferences, but after buying an iBook, every laptop I'll buy will be an Apple.

So in short - Yes, it's worth the extra money