Microsoft knows the truth – Apple Macs are too expensive
I hate to have to state the obvious here but Apple Macs are too expensive. Seriously. Why on earth would anyone pay the stupidly high asking price of Mr. Jobs’s latest piece of hardware when there are numerous Windows-based alternatives just waiting to be snapped up? Oh yeah, I forgot, some people like the shiny logo.
When Steve Ballmer recently put the boot into Apple pricing of the iPhone, arguing that, “No one’s going to pay $500 more for a logo,” he delivered the first salvo in what looks to more of an open assault on Microsoft’s biggest rival. It looks like pricing is going to be a key part of the company’s new marketing campaign.
TechCrunch has debuted the latest Microsoft advert, which features Lauren, the unfussy laptop-seeker who has $1000 to spend. her first stop is, naturally, the Apple store. I say naturally because it’s a fact of life that many people love the idea of owning an Apple product, maybe because of the name, maybe because of the fact it isn’t Microsoft, or maybe even because they feel that the price tag must mean it’s better.
Unfortunately for Lauren, she could only find one Apple laptop that came within her $1000 budget and that was a tiny 13-inch screen MacBook. This leads Lauren to declare, “I’m just not cool enough to be a Mac person.” So onwards and upwards to a more general electronics retailer where there are plenty of choices well within budget, and all fitting Lauren’s very broad demands.
This ad may be a low blow, but I can’t help thinking that it’s about time Microsoft starting stating the obvious. Apple Macs are way too expensive. And what do you really get for your money? An alternative to Windows. Wow. A minimalist design. Wow. A shiny logo. Wow. Membership of the Steve Jobs fan club. Where do I sign?
I know Apple fanboys will now likely be baying for my blood but if they were to remove their blinkers for just a second they too would realize they’re being taken for a ride by their beloved Apple. There is no need for Macs or any other Apple products to be priced as high as they are, except, of course, in order to increase the company’s already-bulging bank balance.
You may have noticed we’re slap-bang in the middle of a recession, one that some estimate could be as bad as the Great Depression. Apple fanatics may stick with their beloved during economic hardship but I can’t imagine the rest of the population even considering an Apple Mac when their wallet is empty. So at least some good will come of the credit crunch.
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March 27th, 2009
“I hate to have to state the obvious here but Apple Macs are too expensive.”
Are you familiar with the concept of “begging the question”?
“Why on earth would anyone pay the stupidly high asking price of Mr. Jobs’s [sic] latest piece of hardware when there are numerous Windows-based alternatives just waiting to be snapped up?”
Why would anyone pay the stupidly high asking price of Mr. Ballmer’s latest piece of software when there are numerous open source alternatives just waiting to be snapped up?
“There is no need for Macs or any other Apple products to be priced as high as they are, except, of course, in order to increase the company’s already-bulging bank balance.”
There is no need for Vista or any other Microsoft products to be priced as high as they are, except, of course, in order to increase the company’s already-bulging bank balance.
“Microsoft knows the truth [...]”
Microsoft is run by liars, cheats, thieves and criminals. They wouldn’t know the truth if it bit them on the arse.
March 27th, 2009
“Why would anyone pay the stupidly high asking price of Mr. Ballmer’s latest piece of software when there are numerous open source alternatives just waiting to be snapped up?”
It all comes down to Price and usability.
OSX and Windows are easy to install and Use so it comes to price and windows is cheaper.
Which brings me to another point Windows and OSX is installed when they buy the PC. Not many people can install and configure an OS.
“There is no need for Vista or any other Microsoft products to be priced as high as they are, except, of course, in order to increase the company’s already-bulging bank balance.”
I can’t argue with that.
I paid the ridiculously high price for the IPod touch because it is so unique and cool.
If there was a cheaper alternative at the time I would have bought it.
March 27th, 2009
Apple Macs are better for any design/media based work. Fact. If you do a lot of design work or music/video editing, Macs are first choice and worth their weight in gold. If not, its only the usability which is of benefit. And the fact that it tends to (often – not always) work better. There is an argument that they are overpriced, but for many of us it is a justifiable price increase. They are quite well specced machines if you compare all aspects of the machine eg compare iMacs with all in one PCs not desktop PCs, and Macbooks with well designed, quick laptops.
Oh, and the Mac OSX OS is 64 bit. Which means they run faster. (Don’t come back with any Vista 64-bit argument – its not widely supported and is nowhere near as quick as OSX). And it was recently rewritten from the ground up, rather than being a random mish-mash of new and old code. A lower specced Mac will have the equivalent performance of a higher spec PC – its just the OS.
Macs have their place – they’re too expensive for the average user. But even Microsoft use Macs for designing material for their advertising campaigns. Speaks for itself really – Macs are expensive, but they work. Not what everybody needs, but what they really need is a lower specced netbook. That’s the main problem.
March 29th, 2009
PC’s are cheap. Great. But the problem is, if you buy a PC you are required to use Windows.
THAT is the reason people buy a Mac.
March 29th, 2009
“PC’s are cheap. Great. But the problem is, if you buy a PC you are required to use Windows.”
I guess I need to remove Ubuntu. Sorry, I didn’t know.
March 30th, 2009
I have both, MacBook and a Dell 1405. Both cost about the same, Dell has 1440×900, Mac 1280×768. Both are great boxes. I carry both with me but use the Mac 90% of the time. Both can use open-source software, do everything I need to do, The Mac just feels more comfortable and the OS more complete, and I’ve never had a Blue Screen on the Mac, nor have I had to purchase a professional anti-virus product. If I had to pick only one, It’d be the Mac.
March 31st, 2009
I must say, Mac users are so ignorant, and brainwashed by all the Apple kool aid they’ve been drinking. Mac’s are safer? They still get plenty of viruses! Mac’s are more reliable? My brother has a Mac, and I’ve seen it glitching weirdly! Mac’s are for design people, or music people? Really, well, I make music, and guess what I use? FL Studio, Reason, Ableton Live, and Cubase with powerful VST plugins, all on my all-so-powerful-and-amazing-value Windows Vista laptop!!! I must say Vista has it’s problems, and I of course have seen them first hand. But, I have to say I will stick with Windows, good economy or bad. Mac’s are easier to use? No, not at all, in fact, I find the Mac system MUCH more confusing to use than the simpleness that is Windows! Mac’s are confusing.
All in all though, at the end of the day, I guess I’m not “cool” (or g*y) enough to buy a mac!!
April 26th, 2009
Been cutting feature films, commercials and music videos on Windows for ten years.
Been a Sony Vegas editor for six years.
I have zero difficulties, zero dependability issues, twice the performance and ten times the flexibility of Final Cut Pro.
I use ALL platforms, including Mac, but my preference is for Sony Vegas Pro on a 64 bit Vista system.
All that is needed to make Vista responsive is to tweak it properly and turn off uneeded services.
Not a biggie.
Macs deserve their dominant position in media because they got there first while Windows was trying to be all things to all people.
But the two platforms have caught up to each other in performance terms and there is some very powerful Windows based software/hardware out there.
And in the end one thing says it all – the fact that AVID is now ported to both Mac AND Windows – take your pick.
June 1st, 2009
I wouldn’t completely knock off the Macbook. I played around with one in an iStore, and it’s actually cool! It’s a great laptop actually; I like its features.
Heck, I would buy one, only if it was sold at an affordable price. I think the price for these notebooks are too outrageous.
I would have to agree with some people that the Macbook is really good for media and heavy work. But if you’re gonna buy one just to surf or check mail, then you’re just wasting your money.