Do you think the new MacBook Pro is Overpriced?

Although MBP isn't cheap, I don't think it's overpriced. I've been trying to figure out which notebook to get next, and no matter how much I try to rationalize getting a Windows only notebook, like a Vaio or HP, nothing compares to the form and quality of a Mac laptop (especially the MBP). It looks gorgeous, the specs are great, features such as the slot loading drive and such are really nice touches too.

 

That is not a tape drive. A tape drive runs on tape that has a certain amount of memory measured by square inches.

EDIT: I think Punch cards are even older.

 

Maybe it's not a "tape drive" in the industrial sense, but it's the first thing I ever used to save and load software. 5 1/4" floppy discs were a godsend.

I even called it a cassette recorder, because, that's all it essentially was.

 

Alienware m9700 and m9750 Slotloading not nice when stuck.

 

I just went to the plain basic dell.com and store.apple.com online configurations, and compared two models of laptop that I'm interested in:

Dell M1330 (their new, cool looking little XPS laptop with LED screen):
160GB, 7200pm HD
2GB RAM
2.2 GHz CPU
802.11n wireless
Slim AC adapter
10/100 network (standard, not upgradeable)
13.3" LED display (standard)
128MB 8400M GS video (standard)

MacBook Pro:
the same major components as the M1330 listed above, except...
15.4" LED display (standard)
128MB 8600M GT video (standard)
10/100/1000 network (standard)

The real kicker? Both models came out to be exactly $2283.00!

Now, I know this is before any rebates or sales. Dell coupons can be nice. But, you can get a big discount going through a first-time ADC purchase with Apple.

For as much as people talk about Apples being overpriced... this is surprising! You get a larger screen (for better or worse; it's more expensive a component), much better video, and gigabit ethernet instead of regular ethernet. Both machines have a very slim form factor. Vista vs OS X is a wash for me, as I'm more interested in linux anyway.

Some people would value the smaller size and maybe slightly lighter weight of the M1330 over the increased video and network power of the MBP. But, it seems like Apple is really providing good value here. Going by the raw components, it seems like it should be more expensive to build a MBP.

It seems like the MBP may be a good value. What do you all think? Specifically comparing the M1330/MBP.

 

You're paying for the portability of the M1330 as well.

Also, when people talk about Dell being good value, they're referring to Inspirons and Latitudes, not the XPS or Precision lines, which are both horribly overpriced.

I think both the M1330 and the MBP have good reason to charge such a premium though - they're both the best of breed machines for their target markets.

 

Consider the size difference (that makes the dell more expensive, same with my AW vs Clevo) the fact that both are premium models, both have wireless n which is what really matters in a lappy, and that there are cheaper windows laptops out there, LED isn't that amazing and the XPS has a higher DPI screen-more expensive

 

For the hardware alone, the mbp is pretty expensive. but when you consider the features (LED screen, webcam, backlit keyboard, etc), the mbp is a pretty superior/high end product. To add to that, you get Mac OS X and iLife...a beautiful software package that makes the mac worth the money alone.

 

In my opinion the Macs are always overpriced, but it worth the extra $$$ with the new features.

 

Haaha, I think people here feel strongly about Macs' overpricing.

 

People here also feel strongly about Alienwares overpricing, but if an equivalent Alienware (with a better GFX Card) is cheaper than the 17" Macbook Pro then something is clearly overpriced.

 

Hmm not sure about this.

I've just specified an Alienware to the same spec as the 17" MacBook Pro and it came out to $3159 where as the MacBook Pro is $2799.

 

17" Macbook Pro:
# 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
# 2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB
# 160GB Serial ATA drive (7200rpm)
# MacBook Pro 17-inch Hi-Resolution Widescreen Display
# SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
# nVidia GeForce 8600M GT

Total: £1,959.00

17" Alienware m9750
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7600 2.33GHz 4MB Cache 667MHz FSB
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz - 2 x 1024MB
160GB 7200 RPM SATA
17" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD with Clearview Technology
8x Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24x CD-RW Combo
512MB NVidia® GeForce™ Go 7950 GTX

Total: £1,844.00

The Alienware starts at £1,209.00
The MacPro at £1,799.00

The reason the Alienware has a high processor upgrade cost is Intels ridiculous pricing, no one with value in mind would get the T7600 so the AW would be even cheaper

 

Actually, the above AW comes out to $3,609.00 in the US.
The above MBP to $3049.00.

That's not including warranties and extra software or peripherals of course.

That's quite a hefty chunk. Of course, with academic discounts, the free printer and iPod that you can sell, the MBP comes out to be even less (~$400 less on top of the $600 difference already actually). I don't believe AW has any promotions on currently right?

For one, you'd need to include the cost of Vista Ultimate with the AW, since the MBP OS comes with a full version of the OS, as opposed to the truncated Vista versions Even if you only include Vista Home however, the AW base price is still $500 more than the MBP.

Furthermore, if you upgrade RAM to 4GB, AW charges an extra $100 premium more than Apple. Of course, no one in their right minds would ask either Apple or AW to upgrade their RAM, but it's still something to consider.

So from price alone, the MBP is a far far better deal.

However, I must say that I think the 17" MBP is not a good competitor to the AW m9750.

The 15" MBP is the best that tech has to offer for a 15" frame. The 17" on the other hand, is lacking.

It doesn't have LED backlights for the screen, and the build quality is questionable (frankly i think it's "floppy"). Worse, the 17" MBP does not include a good GPU. Sure, for a 15", the 8600M GT is quite good, but when you're talking 17", it's quite an inferior GPU. Apple really should've waited for the 8800M. As it is, the 8600M GT can in no way really compete against the AW's Go 7950 GTX.

But in any case, that's only if you were to compare those two machines for some reason. I don't think the 17" MBP was targeted specifically at gamers anyway though.

 

I was comparing them cuz I saw this lame youtube video about someone who didn't even know about Dells XPS who said that Macs were better for gaming...

Wow the Uk price difference really sucks.

 

I actually think the MBP is pretty competitve against similar spec notebooks.

I suspect the real issue which is causing many to believe that they are overpriced is that Apple only really offer two entry points in the market. In addition there is very little flexibility with the spec while Alienware, Dell etc start off much cheaper and with a huge variety of options.

Bottom line is if you want to use Windows then you'd be better off buying a Windows notebook. Personally I prefer OS X for everyday use therefore the MBP is worth any extra cost.

 

Well technically the market will dictate if it's overpriced or not, if it sells well then obviously it's not overpriced.

I do think it's overpriced, but only in within the typical Apple overpricing. When you compare a current MBP with other laptop offereings, you notice that some of the specs are much higher than most others, notably the processor. The VAST majority of pre-configured other laptops come with slower CPUs (it seems 1.6-1.8GHz is typical, with the 2+ only starting on the higher end ones), and upgrading to a 2.2GHz costs A LOT of money (usually a good $400-500) which puts it right in the ballpark of a MBP.

 

Do you think the MBP is future proof enough to last for 3 years? Also do you think the Macbook is future proof for the same amount of time?

 

Depends what you mean by "future-proof". If you mean running the latest version of Mac OS X (in three years) fine, I wouldn't worry about it. Five-year old Macs are running Mac OS X Tiger.

So far applications haven't even utilized multi-core support yet, so it looks (of course, no one can "know" the future, its just my prediction) like the current Core 2 Duos will still run 3-year-later applications fine. It'll probably take another one or two years for applications to really utilize multi-cores, so 3 years won't be too much.

 

Is the MBP future proof enough to last for 3 years? Also, is the macbook future proof enough to last the same amount of time?

Also, I won't be gaming. Have a 360 for that.

Thanks

and i know this is kind of a weird place to ask this but I figured people would be looking at it for the mbp...

 

Sheanhs, read my above post. I answered your question.

 

sorry didnt mean to double post...

and thanks

 

also with the max ram in the macbooks, will 2gb be enough later down the road?

 

Again that depends on what exactly you're doing, but if you'll be doing a lot of multi-tasking or using virtual OSes or something, you can always add another 2GB to a MBP down the road. The Macbooks are limited to 2GB though.

But from general use 2GB should still be perfeclty suitable in 3 years.

 

Well, currently the market sees 512 MB of RAM as minimum, 1 GB preferred and 2 GB best. That will probably change to 1 GB minimum, 2 GB preferred down the road, in maybe a year or two. But 2 GB will still serve you well, even in the future.

 

I really do not think that they are too over priced. I mean you get the student discount of 300 bucks and 200 off of an ipod, (that you can use or sell) so really the 2500 macbook pro can be had for right around 2k, which is very similar to other high end 15inch laptops. Look at the asus g1s (1900) or a sony ($$$) or a really upgraded inspirion. 2,000 is not all that bad especially when you have the capability of OSX and Vista. You have the OSX for its goodness, and vista for gaming. I personally think it is almost the perfect choice at around $2000, I might even add in apple care

might be ordering later today


EDIT: and I am not even mentioning that the MBP is the hottest looking laptop ever, compared to the Asus or dell, which are both ugly IMO. MBP is teh ssexx.

 

I feel obligated to post this again:

 

... wow...

anime FTL


ahah

 

o yeah. I have heard you can also get a free printer with purchase of a macbook pro??? is this true? is there a cupon code or something or a link?

thanks

 

http://www.apple.com/promo/

It's the last one on the page "Perfect Companion". It's also only for academic discount-qualifying people though.

 

OK thanks. with a free printer and a free ipod. the 2300 student price tag isnt looking all that bad

 

Of the current MBPs the 2.2 is a very good deal at $2000.

Sure you get the slickest design out there but there are also additional benefits:
- Smaller/thinner than any other 15" laptop. My old Acer TM8204 is huge compared to the MBP.
- Quality aluminum finish
- Top quality keyboard/trackpad
- Light up keys
- Unrivaled design
- VERY bright LED screen
- Almost 4 hours battery life
- OS X

With other laptop manufacturers, it's often hit or miss how good the screen is. For example, my Acer was terrible and new ones aren't much better - dim, leaking light, grainy.

Weak spots of the MBP are the hard disk, should be standard with 160 and have options for 200 and 250 that are reasonably priced. I ended up installing my own HD which in the MBP is a rather scary procedure.

I don't see how the 2.4GHz price is justified. I know it's $500 more mostly because the 2.4 Intel processor is just so much more expensive. I just don't see the end-user value there. I was not looking to save money but the 2.4 looked like I would pay $500 for next to nothing - 0.2GHz processor speed and 256M on the graphics card vs 128.

 

Not sure what you mean by future proof - will it last that long? Certainly. Will it still be the fastest machine out here - definitely not.

I have a 6 year old titanium Powerbook that still works. And a 10 year old Powerbook that also still works... that said I think Apple's product quality used to be much better in the olden days. I don't expect my MBP to hang in there for a decade...

One thing I like about the MacBook is that you can easily upgrade the hard drive. Not so on the MBP.

 

Just take the MBP to an authorized apple tech, and they can upgrade the HD for you. I called my local place to find out how much it would cost to upgrade the HD, and it's only $60 bucks + cost of drive, CAD. Don't have to worry about voiding your warranty as well.

After building my own PCs for so many years, I don't like the thought of having to pay someone to install hardware, but for such a cheap price it's not that bad.

 

well, i'd say they are a little overpriced, if you compare for the same feature you can get on a PC.

but no PC comes with a OS as good as MAC OS X nor they are stylish as the MBP.

But if you compare the US price versus the Canadian price, in Canada the MBP is wayyyyyyyyyy overpriced. There's only 4% of currency difference and they charge over 12% in Canada.

I'll never buy anything from Apple until they respect the currency.

eg: the MBP that is 2499 USD is 2799 CAD.

but with the currency value, it should be 2649 CAD. so Apple makes a 150$ CAD more of profit.

 

The Macbook might look good but that design is getting very old, so you rule out the higher price because of the design premium, maybe Apple can't think of a better design but one can always improve on himself...

@Mari0-Br0s - you don't want to know how much extra profit Apple makes in Europe lol

@Orthorim - err.. comparing Acer to a Macbook, not a very good comparison lol Acer is not particularly known for making err... amazing notebooks

 

The design isn't that old. Apple introduced the MacBook's current design in May 2006. The MacBook Pro's design is much older than the MacBook design (the current design was basically the design of the [corrected by hldan; thank you] Aluminum Powerbook G4). Apple doesn't redesign its Macs that often.

 

Srry, meant the MBP, forgot the Macbooks were the white plastic versions

 

Sorry Sam, that's not actually not correct. The current model MBP's are the design of the aluminum Powerbook G4's that were introduced in January 2003. The Tibooks came out earlier in 2001 and they don't look anything like the MBP's.

 

Yes thank you for the correction, hldan . Aluminum, titanium, I always forget . But yes you're right, its the aluminum G4 that the MacBook Pro has its current design.