New MacBook Pro Supplies Constrained, Steve Jobs Says 'Not to Worry'

Wall of text crits you for 943.

But srsly, I do agree that Apple's Macbook Pros are currently priced at double of what they are worth.

Apple used to be able to get away with charging an extra $800 for just having a 'Mac', but nowadays I don't think they will feel the same growth in their fame because they are no longer 'unique' persay. What with everyone and their dog owning a Mac now; and performing equivalent tasks, well, equivalently.

 

all I'm saying is if HP and Sony can put decent power in a thin form factor, Apple can too. and they should if their desire is to charge premium prices. I'm not asking for Asus/Sager/Alienware power. just Sony/Envy power. put that in there and I'll pay a few hundred extra for the Apple Tax.

but I invite anyone suggesting 2-3 year-old tech is okay and that we should thus, not complain, to take a long walk off a short pier.

 

That would be for pirates how could you make them take the same punishment?

 

> sorry most ppl dont have 2000 dollars to blow on outdated tech.

Too bad for most people. Apple has over 90% marketshare on laptops priced over $1,000.

 

> But srsly, I do agree that Apple's Macbook Pros are currently priced at
> double of what they are worth.

Well, then make what Apple makes at a little over half the price and get rich.

> Apple used to be able to get away with charging an extra $800 for just
> having a 'Mac', but nowadays I don't think they will feel the same
> growth in their fame because they are no longer 'unique' persay. What
> with everyone and their dog owning a Mac now; and performing
> equivalent tasks, well, equivalently.

Check out their new all-time high marketcap printed today.

 

> all I'm saying is if HP and Sony can put decent power in a thin form
> factor, Apple can too. and they should if their desire is to charge
> premium prices. I'm not asking for Asus/Sager/Alienware power. just
> Sony/Envy power. put that in there and I'll pay a few hundred extra for
> the Apple Tax.

Life is about choices. If you want that power, just go to the other vendor. Apple really doesn't care at the moment.

> but I invite anyone suggesting 2-3 year-old tech is okay and that we
> should thus, not complain, to take a long walk off a short pier.

Apple Stores have been around a lot longer than two to three years. Why aren't there Dell and HP stores that provide comparable service to what Apple provides?

They choose not to play there.

 

What is "working"? Their current models make it seem like Apple is more interested in selling their brand than offering a great product. Mac sales have been slowing down all year, and OS X's market share has remained stagnant at around 5%. Apple does enjoy one of the highest profit shares in the market, but you can only push your reputation so far. Their failure to even drop the prices of the macbooks proves that they've moved their focus away from computers, and to mobile gadgets. I'm not a fan of the iPhone, I don't like how much apple controls it. However I have been a fan of their computers for a long time. This current habit of Apple intentionally leaving Macs outdated to turn extra profit margins really turns me, and probably a lot of the core Mac fans off. If Apple fails to significantly update the line to i5s by July, they risk losing their core fan base. That core fan base is the enthusiasts and professionals who promoted them back when G4/G5 cpus were use and are responsible for their current success.

And to anyone making less than mil a year who has money dedicated to other hobbies, $2000 is definitely not "nothing," but a lot to get ripped off, and it will catch up to apple if they make a habit of it.

No... they don't, not even close, but they will turn industry leading profits. It just shows how much marketing and brand image can sell an inferior product.

They do, its called default three year on site warranties on PCs comparable to macbooks.

 

I'm not sure people would consider the Apple service all that great if you live say more than an hour or two from an Apple store which is very possibly the case if you're not on the coasts. All of the Apple stores here in GA are centered around Atlanta and even students at UGA (big college campus) is about a 1hr drive from the nearest store. Doing a 2hr trip to drop off/pick up your computer isn't considered top tier support when Dell/Lenovo/HP will drive to your house parts in hand to fix your machine. Some brands will even offer global support plans should you wind up out of country.

If I'm spending $300+ on a 3yr service plan, I'd better get on site and accidental damage protection which are far better than what Applecare offers. If I'm dropping $1,500+ I'd better get a standard 3yr mail in warranty minimum.

2k for a computer isn't "unaffordable"...I see hipsters that work at starbucks whipping out the latest MBP. The question is if it's a good use of your money. Does a $2,500 17" MBP provide more utility than the latest $999 quadcore 17" HP boat? Both have 1yr warranties but the Core i7 on the HP will be close to leading edge through the rest of 2010 while the MBP's proc was out in mid '08. The MBP is more portable and durable but you could buy 2 HP's and throw in extended warranties for the price of that 1 MBP. Alternately, you could wait till late '11 and buy the latest HP at the 1k pricepoint.

 

> What is "working"? Their current models make it seem like Apple is
> more interested in selling their brand than offering a great
> product.

Business 101 question: what it the objective of a business?

> Mac sales have been slowing down all year,

Source?

> and OS X's market share has remained stagnant at around 5%. Apple
> does enjoy one of the highest profit shares in the market, but you
> can only push your reputation so far.

Yes. But they still do quite a number of successful product launches
per year. I just bought a 27 inch iMac. Told a guy at work about it and
he's going to buy one to replace his PowerPC-based iMac. Another friend
of mine is looking at the 27 inch iMac with the i5 as a trading platform.

They do have an iPad product launch in under two weeks. They are releasing
new products.

> Their failure to even drop the prices of the macbooks proves that
> they've moved their focus away from computers, and to mobile
> gadgets.

Dell has overall stopped selling desktop computers (outside their
Zino) in the really cheap seats: $200 to $300. I think that it was a
conscious decision as they weren't making a good return in that
market. Companies pick their market segments. It is very, very hard to
execute well in all product lines but Apple does a much better than
average job at it.

> I'm not a fan of the iPhone, I don't like how much apple controls
> it.

I don't have one and don't plan to get one.

> However I have been a fan of their computers for a long time. This
> current habit of Apple intentionally leaving Macs outdated to turn
> extra profit margins really turns me, and probably a lot of the core
> Mac fans off.

Companies do that. They EOL popular products to do other products or
other product lines.

> If Apple fails to significantly update the line to i5s by July, they
> risk losing their core fan base. That core fan base is the
> enthusiasts and professionals who promoted them back when G4/G5 cpus
> were use and are responsible for their current success.

I think that Apple has moved into the luxury market and that the
performance base isn't as important as it used to be. I've seen
companies make this transition before leading to higher short-term
and long-term products.

> And to anyone making less than mil a year who has money dedicated to
> other hobbies, $2000 is definitely not "nothing," but a lot to get
> ripped off, and it will catch up to apple if they make a habit of
> it.

In my state, about one in twenty households is a millionaire household.
That's true in a lot of other states too. My state isn't even near
the top in percentage of millionaires. There are about 17 million
students attending college. Many of them are paying full-fare tuition
at $50,000 to $60,000 per year at our private institutions. There is
a lot of wealth in the US.

> No... they don't, not even close, but they will turn industry
> leading profits. It just shows how much marketing and brand image
> can sell an inferior product.

Apple has 91% of market for $1,000+ PCs, says NPD
By Joe Wilcox | Published July 22, 2009, 10:17 PM

Move over Microsoft. Apple can claim big, big market share numbers,
too. According to NPD, in June, nine out of 10 dollars spent on
computers costing $1,000 or more went to Apple. Mac revenue market
share in the "premium" price segment was 91 percent, up from 88
percent in May.

Source: betanews.com

> They do, its called default three year on site warranties on PCs
> comparable to macbooks.

Cool. So if you have a question about your operating system, someone
will come to your house to answer it? Go take a look at the Dell XPS
M1330 thread on overheating issues where Dell replaces motherboard
after motherboard until the extended warranty runs out.

Someone at the office just had Dell on-site service repair his system.
He wasn't particularly pleased with the service. The guy brought parts
that were DOA. I used to be a big fan of Dell products but their
service has gone down the tubes. This seems to happen every few years
- they usually straighten things out after their ratings plummet.

 

> I'm not sure people would consider the Apple service all that great if you
> live say more than an hour or two from an Apple store which is very
> possibly the case if you're not on the coasts.

That's a very real consideration. I have an Apple Store five minutes from my job. If I were located further away, then I would factor that into a purchasing decision. Apple Products can have more of a service value depending on your proximity to an Apple Store. Apparently there are enough customers near Apple Stores that make it worth the premium price.

 

It doesn't take wealth to buy a MBP...all it takes is mediocre credit. One look at the number of almost new MBP's(or any expensive computer for that matter) for sale on CL at significant losses demonstrates the lack of rational behavior in computer buying.

Hell, I have an acquaintance that makes well under 30k(my g/f works in the same job so I know exactly what she makes) who had the Vaio P ($1,000 netbook) when it first came out and recently asked me advice on how to buy a 40k luxury car b/c I had one. I advised her that bringing 10% down doesn't mean they'll finance a car over 170% your annual salary but that didn't stop her from trying to get financing. Given the lack of FB posts of her having a new car I can only assume the nice people at the bank shot her dreams down. There are millions of people just like her w/ expensive tastes and access to not so cheap credit. Given her spending habits, I figure she's one unforeseen bill from having to liquidate half her possessions.

A MBP is little different than a Coach bag or some other highly desired luxury toy that doesn't necessary do anything. It's an "affordable" luxury item...and people impulse buy them all the time b/c Apple will float you 12 months if you clear those oh so high credit hurdles.

I say this when i do spend serious cash on toys like carbon fiber bicycles, condo in a high rise, 4-5 computers at a time, fairly new luxury sedan w/ mods, and funding MBA tuition on just cash flow. I do work very hard for my money so I like to enjoy buying toys here and there (cash of course).

 

Mmoy, when you make points, you must make them general and for everybody. Not everybody has the same financial assets as you, or live 5 minutes away from an Apple store. And who cares if Apple has high market share in premium price laptops. Good for Apple, NOT GOOD FOR US. We are the consumers were not supposed to vouch for the companies. There is supposed to be a balance between consumer and producer surplus, that's just plain economics. I don't give a damn if apple has high profit margins. I want my moneys worth, like every other intelligent and knowledgeable consumer. Apple is one of the few if not only company that decides to not lower prices on their outdated notebook computers. Even on amazon prices are ridiculously high. Sure Apple is growing its stock prices, but consumers are paying an unneeded premium. I don't think I'm the only one who thinks this, but dude, your kind of coming off as an elitist. Realize we are not all like you or in your circumstances.

 

Let's keep this discussion on topic, regarding MacBook Pro updates being possibly delayed over supply constraints. Thanks!