Why are MacBooks so expensive Reddit

I have been doing creative work digitally since 2016. This includes all sort of stuff like digital art, graphic design, photo editing and video editing. I always preferred macOS for this sort of work but it always made very little sense for me to get a Mac because they had a bad rep for having a very steep price for the performance they offered. So I always ended up with windows PC’s, this made even more sense considering I was into gaming as well.

This year I started looking for a new laptop because I am going to college for graphic design this fall. I had no plans of getting a MacBook initially but seeing how much better they have gotten and how competitive their pricing was I was a bit surprised. Not only the MacBooks but even the Mac mini which I thought was dead in the ground is now an amazing machine for around $700.

Even more mind blowing was the fact that when I went to my closest retailer I found that the slower intel based MacBook Pro’s was much more expensive and I was just left there scratching my head as to why Apple isn’t charging more for these new M1 Mac’s.

I am of course not saying that I wish these computers was more expensive or that their price isn’t fair but it really feels weird that Apple of all companies drops a new generation laptop that you could argue is revolutionary and blows their old computers away and it is cheaper than their older computers. After all, this is the same company that charges $200 for an extra 8gb of ram.

I’ve seen some people say that Apple can afford to make them cheaper because they are making their own chips but I don’t believe this to be the case because they make their own chips on their iPhones and those have a very premium price compared to other phones.

I would like to know your thoughts on why you guys think Apple are pricing their new computers so well compared to previous models, is it because they can afford to, or is it because they are catering to a different demographic. Or do you disagree all together and feel that the new Mac’s are still too expensive?

When 13" M1 is too small and 14/16" are too expensive from macbookpro

A brand new Mac Studio unboxed, unscrewed, opened and field stripped, shows off EVERY little thing that apple considers when building their products.

I have always maintained that a closed loop system is advantageous, because, without competition, there is no compromise or pressure to come in at a price point. PC'S are assembled with components that are made cheaper every year, due to its competitive nature. This is done by saving money on what goes in there. It is at the expense of quality, though you can certainly get quality parts, it brings you up and away from affordability. It is at the expense of the consumer, in the end.

Though I have no desire to get into a PC/Mac debate, and will not entertain one, there isn't a PC chip or motherboard, yet, that has the intercommunication speed of a Mac and it's other SoC designed benefits of having every major component that lends to performance next to and physically attached to each other with direct, tiny (in length) connections to each other, for unmatched internal performance, which leads to how it all performs overall.

Again, not looking for a PC/Mac debate, and I'm just speaking for myself, but PC Motherboards are predominantly under $299. You can get an ASUS - a good name brand, PC motherboard for only $59 everyday, and there are cheaper ones as well, but if you are looking for quality, jump up to an ASUS WRX80E-SAGE Pro - it's $1,000.00 though and, on paper, many of the specs are much like all the rest - except these specs are likely not vaporware specs, it probably performs to those specs, use superior parts and but predominantly stuck in standard PC design rut (that will soon change).

Think there's a difference? Most Mac users would, I find most PC users say, "It does what I need it to, and for so much less!: Most bedroom PC builders, not all of course, don't pay attention to the motherboard quality, just the specs of what a motherboard will accommodate and get the cheapest one that claims to accommodate what they need to - key word is "Claims" for cheap components claim much more than they actually do.

Power supplies - Think there's a difference? Again, I find most PC users don't pay attention to the power supply build (the single most important part of any piece of piece of electronics) just the claimed output. How is this output verified? Well, it isn't! Is that box that makes so much heat, it needs its own fan, filled with 85 degree caps instead of 105 degree caps, and a cheapo fan, so it can be sold at $15.99, or get the EVGA SuperNOVA 1600W for $589.00. I guarantee you, there is a difference in it's specs, it's components, its reliability and how it helps everything else in your PC perform AND last longer (underpowered electronics get hot and hot electronics degrade and break).

If the RAM specs say what they want it to say, do you grab the cheapest priced ones? The PC users I've seen in stores do. Though the more educated, the ones whom understand that any specs can be put on any PC part, and there isn't anyone stopping them from ...uh .....exaggerating, or or users whom have had issues with cheap stuff, will probably go to Crucial and spend 2-4X the amount, for the same specs. Why? Because they know they are getting those specs there, and at other premier suppliers. We Mac users are willing to spend more to get the performance, and don't really care about the 'specs' or components as much. We do, it just isn't our guiding factor.

I feel, and I'm just speaking for myself, that PC users are stuck in the model # vs price loop, producing thoughts of, well I can get an i7 for $xx.xx and 8 gig of RAM and apple charges $XX.XXX, for it THE SAME THING, in their myoptic view. Again, I'm not talking about everyone, but I am speaking about the bulk whom only look at model number vs price, when the key factor is performance, not just in speed, but in reliability, (I know there is one windows user that will always point out that they've never had a crash, so feel free to put your obligatory claim, though you keep doing so in a Mac oriented subs, which kinda kills your credibility) but performance in how well it is, in harmony with all things apple, too.

They never seem to consider apple has the edge in performance using the same components, which is how apple user think - and, in the end, isn't that what it is all about? Now, it isn't even a competition anymore with the performance of the M series of chips. Not to mention that you are going to get a much longer lifespan out of the apple, making the money you spend, spread out over a decade, less expensive than even if you put together a PC, using all of the best components you can find, probably spending similar or more money than a Mac, and your computer will be outdated in 3 to 4 years and obsolete in <5. It is called TCO - total cost of ownership. Apple updates us and keeps our components working better and better for........free in perpetuity! We never have to buy the next greatest OS. Logic hasn't charged an upgrade for I can't remember how many years.

The following video really shows, in detail, the extreme steps that apple takes to make their products uniquely well built. They always have been, but the Studio, taken apart over eight minutes, really lets you see the degree they go to, if only in part. So, to all, if you want to see what a build is like when it is, well, all about the build, WATCH THIS

They seem to be overpriced when compared to pcs. Don't get me wrong, I love apple, but why are they so highly priced?

Windows user here. I was/am looking for the new laptop with good monitor (for photo editing purpose) comparable to what apple macbooks can do (looking for 13-15'' and about 1050 lines of resolution for 15'') and I can't find anything non-Apple for the same price. It is either much cheaper with bad monitors, or those with good monitors and similar other specs (like SSD drive) are more expensive than Macbooks (air or pro, depending on screen size).

I kind of start questioning the whole "Apple is overpriced piss of shit" mantra. Or am I looking in the wrong places for laptops with good monitors?

(The reason I am posting this to Apple subreddit is because I want people to reply who actually knows about apple laptops. And while most of the Apple users do know and use PCs, most windows users do not use Apple, but have opinion about Apple as something very overpriced, so they unlikely to give any reasonable answer except for pissing contest. I know, I was one of them until this search for better laptop.)

EDIT1: Please consider in your replies the fact that my primary concern is MONITOR with good color reproduction and resolution for photo-editing tasks. It is very easy to find Windows laptop with other superior specs and cheaper, but their monitors are quite bad in comparison.

EDIT2: To the complete surprise of the PC user that goes against all of my years of preconceived notion of Apple being overpriced brand, after some investigation, the answer is NO. I need a beer.