Apple Talk: Mac Price Drops?
When compared against similarly configured PCs, Apple's computers are competitively priced. However, in taking a step back and looking at PCs vs Macs as a whole, Macs are generally more expensive because Apple does not cut many of the corners PC manufacturers do (ie: selling fancy chips with cheap connectivity and casings). With the advent of cheap laptops and netbooks in the PC market, and rumors of Apple exploring netbook options, it's clear Apple is definitely feeling the pressure to serve this portion of the market.
CNET columnist Tom Krazit frequently writes about Apple-related news and events, and in his latest article discusses the possibility of Mac pricing cuts in the near future.
Check out Tom's article here.
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That's an interesting way to look at it. I'm not sure what the sales figures are for the Air, but the Cube bombed. Still, the lack of connectivity and limits of the computer were enough for me to not get one. The new 17" is perfect, IMO. It is double the weight, but if that isnt a problem you've got way more power, a larger screen, and more connectivity with longer battery life.
I looked at the MacBook Air the same way. The price just isn't worth the configuration. It has quite a premium just for style. It's minimalist and stylish like the Cube but you don't get much of a price break for the features you're missing. If they cut down the screen size to something like what Netbooks are using (8" to 10"), make the thing even smaller and do whatever else they have to do to get the price down a bit then it would make a lot more sense. Even if they don't quite get down to Netbook prices (under $500), there's still a lot of room below the cheapest MacBook.
The Cube had some quality problems, at first, which didn't help much but the main thing is that it was a minimalist computer without a minimalist price. IIRC, at the time, the Cube started with a price of something like $1300 while the base G4 tower was about $1500. You saved a small amount of money compared to a G4 tower but lost all kinds of expandability. I think the Cube would have been a success if it had been a G3 Cube instead of G4 (iMacs and PowerBooks were still using the G3 at the time). With a cheaper processor, maybe a cheaper graphics card and a little smaller HD or something it could have been priced under $1000 and still been a very useful computer.
The cube was about QUIET. No fans.
I agree. I have owned most types of Apples over the years, except the Air. I was in PC World the other day and picked one up to feel it. It nearly fell out of my hands. What a horrible size for such a lightweight pice of kit. And those tapered edges are absolute c**p, like the curves on the iPhone, they are bad to handle. Apple is not perfect and has made some blunders. And what about that iphone - I blink and the battery is flat, and what a wait for the stoneage update with MMS, forwarding, copying etc. Looks and utility should go side by side. Sometimes Apple really disappoints me.
I'm waiting for the spate of bad remarks for criticizing Apple, but I am a power user of over 20 years owning scores of items.
(ps the wheel on ipods, including my latest nano are also rubbish. They look great but operate very unreliably. My first gen click wheel worked better. I daren't even mention that dreaded Apple Mouse with the pea ball!)
There's still a way to go
Another solution would be for Apple to up the base specifications
- More RAM as base would be helpful, especially in the Pro range.
Or as earlier, include more software in the bundle.
- iWork ?
Also offer options where the PC's can't go, such as > 4GB RAM as optional
(4 GB as standard), PC's can only effectively use 3 GB maximum,
even though 4 GB can be fitted.
- by Randy Singer May 1, 2009 4:31 PM PDT
- I don't think that Apple will drop prices at all. Instead, I think that they will simply offer more options to buyers.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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(8 Comments)Apple may be readying something to slot between the iPod Touch and
their MacBook. Some call it an "iPad."
Great article here:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/ptech/04/29/cnet.apple.mobile.computer/index.html