"...and there will be gnashing of teeth.." Apple Cost / PC Cost

[Undrpsi]

So...

I was a little bummed by the 'air' specs....my macbook can runs circles around it for what I use it for..

...that got me thinkin'....

Off to circuit city and best buy websites.....I wanted to see what was out there from the darkside to compare....

I will stop complaining about the cost of a mac now....what a bunch of loosely engineered 'crap'. Circuit City had several 17" laptops, most UNDER $1000. Some were $1100 with HD and Blu-Ray...wow! Then you read the specs (1.6 ghz core 2 duo).....oh...then read the reviews (3.5 stars) and they have quotes from owners about returning them, Vista inconsistencies, and constant lock-ups.

Hmm...$1300 for my macbook (2.0 ghz) that has never hiccuped or failed me.

I will stop complaining about Apple's costs. (now I only have to write that another 999 times)


Jay

[space-time]

still, Apple should make a 699 laptop option to reach a sweet spot, most consumer I talk to don't want to switch because a new macbook is "too expensive".

heck, on Black Friday you could get a crappy 15" laptop for $299. Consumers want crap, so why Apple does not provide it, I don't understand

[what4]

You can get a decent PC laptop for $600 that will run a web browser and a word processor with ease.

For a lot of people, more than that is unnecessary expense.

It would be very nice to have a $600 Mac equipped as well as the $600 PCs you can find from HP, Compaq, Dell, and others.

[sekker]

Apple definitely does not have the $799 decent laptop market covered. Dell has some at the small business site that comes with a 3 year warranty and XP (preferred over VISTA).

There won't be big margins on a $799 laptop, so I doubt Apple will ever build such a beast.

[Sam3]

Consumers don't want crap, they just don't want to spend a lot of money, especially in the current economic climate where gas is expensive and living expenses are rising. Look at the race (and the gaining demand) to get to the $100 mark for a laptop. OLPC XO, Intel Classmate, Asus Eee PC. Not saying that Apple wants to enter that market, but that is where the PC is headed. The technology is progressing such that useable computers will be available for a low price.

I also concur that the Macbook would do well if it was $599. That seems to be the new entry price point for consumers. It used to be $1299, which is why the iMac was such a hit, then it dropped to $799, but now the entry point has dropped again in the consumer's mind.

The mini also should be repriced because of the price depression. I think the mini is languishing in sales, except for refurbs. Mini's should be going for $499 or less for entry configurations. Also, do away with the combo drive. I don't think there are many PC manufacturer even offering combos, everyone has pretty much gone to DVD burners.

[bfd]

[quote space-time]
heck, on Black Friday you could get a crappy 15" laptop for $299. Consumers want crap, so why Apple does not provide it, I don't understand
There's a good reason Apple customer service remains at the apex of the personal computer business … same reason the repair frequency is still at the bottom of the pile.

[decocritter]

I would love a basic low priced mac laptop. But I want it under warranty, not used.


Already tonight at Office Depot, they were talking about the cost of the AirMac