Apple must be making a killing....

[sten_super]

The proof of the quality and desirability of these prodcuts is to check out ebay and see what the prices are for second hand ones. They hold up remarkably well...

Oh yes I'm sure that's true, all reports suggest they are great bits of kit. I'm just amazed at the way that they've managed to set prices so high; there clearly is a sizeable market at these price ranges as competitors in these segments (with the probable exception of PCs) set similar price levels. I just never would have believed that people would pay £500 for a phone.

They don't though.

iPad: All of the big manufacturers, like Motorola and Samsung, who have tried it on with Android tablets have struggled to match Apple's iPad pricing. Pricing which genuinely shocked most industry observers when announced. Some of those tablets have become cheaper post-launch as they've struggled to sell in any kind of volume.

iPhone: When I looked the other day the iPhone rival Samsung Galaxy S2 was not far shy of £400 if you wanted to buy SIM free, the iPhone 4S starts at £499. The iPhone 4, which is nearly every bit as good, is £429.

And the thing with Apple kit is it holds it's value like nothing else. Compare the resale value on an iPhone a year from now compared to that Galaxy S2 - I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't more than made up for the purchase price differential.

No Bozza, they do cost a fortune. That's not to say that they don't maybe cost a shedload to make (although I have my doubts), but they are very expensive pieces of kit. I'm equally amazed that the Galaxy S2 has managed to sell so many units at a similar price - they are benefitting from a premium market that Apple largely created. Going back to my original point, I find it astounding that people are willing to pay up to £500 for a phone (and, despite what you may say about resale value, that is the cost, if for example it broke and you had to get a replacement).

 

[ILIKECANDLES]

And the thing with Apple kit is it holds it's value like nothing else. Compare the resale value on an iPhone a year from now compared to that Galaxy S2 - I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't more than made up for the purchase price differential.

Oi! I just said that!

 

[Sussex Nomad]

What can't I do on my MacBook Pro and Mac Mini that I might want to do?

I have no idea, I don't monitor your usage!

 

[Originunknown]

The worst thing is when you need to copy raw data files to the iphone filesystem without itunes and god forbid you only have a PC with windows or shitty mac OS on.

A good way round this is to plug it into a linux OS, you get read/write access to a large part of the flash memory. You can also rip peoples music this way and other files that aren't normally visible.


edit: the so called "value" is all an illusion created by marketing. The components are just the same shitty Taiwanese/Chinese made chips that feature in all the competitors products (ARM chips excluded from my sweeping asian statement)

 

[Bozza]

I have no idea, I don't monitor your usage!

Right.

So you've never owned a Mac, yet believe them to be very restrictive, but you can't tell me anything that evil Apple are stopping me from being able to do?

I'm selling up all my kit now - I've been duped.

 

[Originunknown]

Its nothing to do with the hardware, that is now standard x86 architecture.

The problem is the platform, Mac OS is closed source.. like windows of course but it is however based on a unix kernel which should be open souce yet you cant compile.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Right.

So you've never owned a Mac, yet believe them to be very restrictive, but you can't tell me anything that evil Apple are stopping me from being able to do?

I'm selling up all my kit now - I've been duped.

Unfortunately I do have to use a Mac and regularly to cross browser test but I don't own it and don't like it. I have many friends that have switched from iPhone to Android when they realise the restrictiveness they are afforded. As was mentioned, things like file lockdown, can you upgrade on a iMac with RAM or hard drive or video and soundcards? Genuine question as I have no idea but I would probably think not.

There is very little that makes me think Apple. The only real difference I see on a Mac as opposed to a pc is the clarity of the monitors, but that's about it.

 

[Bozza]

No Bozza, they do cost a fortune. That's not to say that they don't maybe cost a shedload to make (although I have my doubts), but they are very expensive pieces of kit. I'm equally amazed that the Galaxy S2 has managed to sell so many units at a similar price - they are benefitting from a premium market that Apple largely created. Going back to my original point, I find it astounding that people are willing to pay up to £500 for a phone (and, despite what you may say about resale value, that is the cost, if for example it broke and you had to get a replacement).

Ok - maybe my point is more, then, that a lot of Apple kit does not attract the premium price that many say, and that similar kit from other manufacturers costs about the same.

As I posted elsewhere just now - the new Samsung phone is MORE expensive than the new iPhone: Amazon.co.uk: galaxy nexus

 

[Barrel of Fun]

I want to buy a Mac Air or iMac but have been put off by the prices.

Annoyingly, a good friend of mine managed to bag an iMac G5 27" screen with over £6k worth of software loaded on for about £300.

 

[JamesAndTheGiantHead]

can you upgrade on a iMac with RAM or hard drive or video and soundcards? Genuine question as I have no idea but I would probably think not.

Yes, yes, no, no.

To be fair you can play music from your iMac without needing speakers, unlike most laptops it sounds decent and not tinny.

 

[Originunknown]

Based on some of these comments I think most of you are well suited to the simplicity of the mac OS!

 

[JamesAndTheGiantHead]

I want to buy a Mac Air or iMac but have been put off by the prices.

I'll be looking to buy a new iMac soon, this one cost me a grand 3 years ago, will be looking to sell it for a similar price (£300 that is) and I've got all the illegally downloaded Adobe products a man could ask for.

 

[ILIKECANDLES]

Based on some of these comments I think most of you are well suited to the simplicity of the mac OS!

Maybe, but perhaps its a bit like buying a car. I couldnt care how it works or what bits join together. For all I care there could be air in the area behind me where the engine should be. As long as it does the job and sounds and looks the part Im happy. I guess im easily pleased.

 

[Bozza]

Based on some of these comments I think most of you are well suited to the simplicity of the mac OS!

Brilliant debating.

My MacBook Pro can do everything I want a home machine to do, and probably a lot more that I've never had to ask it to do. I don't want to fiddle with my computer any more than I want to fiddle with the oven or the washing machine. My time is more important than that. It's there, it's always on and it just works.

It undoubtedly cost more than an equivalent Windows powered machine, but it's built very, very well indeed and, as above, just works. I don't have to spend any time maintaining it, fine-tuning it, clean building it etc etc. It hasn't been rebooted in months, yet when I open the lid I'm productive within 5 seconds every single time.

When time comes to sell it on, it will still attract a very, very good price which will make a great contribution towards a new one.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

I guess im easily pleased.

Precisely!

 

[ILIKECANDLES]

Precisely!

Then why complicate life for me?

 

[Originunknown]

Brilliant debating.

Sorry matey

I was trying to be quite balanced, I have owned apple products and have absolutely no problem with their hardware, their products do tend to be well built and always look very nice aesthetically. Like I said earlier, my issues with the whole thing come at albeit quite an advanced software level with my main grievance being the fact that they base their whole platform on an open source kernel yet don't let the users benefit from the joys of open source and instead charge them through the nose for their closed system software.

"Mac OS is closed source.. like windows of course but it is however based on a unix kernel which should be open souce (FREE) yet you cant compile."

 

[theonesmith]

[MENTION=6886]Bozza[/MENTION]

Is Plex better than DivX? Is it similar in what it does?

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Then why complicate life for me?

No I agree, why complicate life when everything you basically need is there. Bozza has pretty much said the same thing and if it does what you need it is a straight decision/choice Mac v PC.

I also agree with this quote

Based on some of these comments I think most of you are well suited to the simplicity of the mac OS!

Some people do need a wider variation to their computer which is when Apple becomes restrictive. I don't like Apple products by choice. That's not to say I don't believe anyone else should use them. Just not my bag.

 

[tinx]

Brilliant debating.

My MacBook Pro can do everything I want a home machine to do, and probably a lot more that I've never had to ask it to do. I don't want to fiddle with my computer any more than I want to fiddle with the oven or the washing machine. My time is more important than that. It's there, it's always on and it just works.

It undoubtedly cost more than an equivalent Windows powered machine, but it's built very, very well indeed and, as above, just works. I don't have to spend any time maintaining it, fine-tuning it, clean building it etc etc. It hasn't been rebooted in months, yet when I open the lid I'm productive within 5 seconds every single time.

When time comes to sell it on, it will still attract a very, very good price which will make a great contribution towards a new one.

This is precisely why i bought a Macbook Pro around two months ago and quite honestly it is the best piece of kit I have ever bought. Its fast instantly available does everything any other PC can do, I have Windows 7 running in a VM partition that runs faster and cleaner than my previous windows 7 laptop did and that runs happily in the back ground for windows tasks without hurting the performance of Mac OS which I have to say is a far far superior OS to windows in every way.

Up until I actually bought it and used it I always thought, how much better can it be. Now I know its infinitely better for every single one of my computing needs.