[quote=“MiG”]I think you’re a bit confused about what Apple makes.
It doesn’t make cheap computers or Wal-mart specials. It makes good solid machines that don’t have to deal with viruses, spyware, and DLL-hell. For people who want to do work, not have to work on their computers.
To those people, Apple isn’t expensive at all.
You’re not Apple’s market if you regularly shop at NCIX for the best price.
I’ll bet you don’t drive a BMW for the same reason too.
Or you have a Canadian Tire bike instead of an expensive Norco one.
Don’t confuse quality with price and market share.
Yes, you get what you pay for.
As for “running down to Future Shop” – doesn’t Future shop sell Macs? Besides, what exactly are you buying at Future Shop that doesn’t work on the Mac? I have upgraded my G5 with monitors, mouse, keyboard, hard drive, etc. All bought on NCIX.[/quote]
Of all people to jump on the personal attack bandwagon, I never thought I’d hear it coming from you 
I sense another “Macs are more stable! Macs have no viruses! Macs don’t crash like Windows does! Macs have no spyware! Macs are easier to use! Macs come in brushed steel!” debate coming.
You know, Mac people are very defensive. It’s like you’re attacking a family member when you dare mention that Macs may not be the best thing since sliced bread.
The average Windows machine is not secure, is not stable, and is not reliable. But the average user treats it like an appliance - like a toaster oven - they plug it in, push the button and hope it works. When it breaks, out comes the “Repair Install” CDs, and then they wonder where their emails went.
For those of us who RTFM, we run spyware sweeps every week, download email with a grain of salt, keep virus defs up to date, and OMG! our Winboxen run solid, secure, and stable. I’m sure there are people out there that stick stacks of paper on their 1st gen iMac’s heatsinks, then wonder why the computer won’t power up. Don’t confuse the target markets for the Mac and PCs - Apple targets knowledgable, tech-savvy people with their products, while PCs cater to the lowest common denominator. And Apple will continue to languish at the bottom of the market as long as that remains true. My Winboxen have been up and running for over two years on XP with no crashes. No BSOD. My Win2k server hasn’t been rebooted for at least three months. And it’s happy.
I don’t confuse quality and price with market share; I’m smart enough to see a product that’s overpriced and over hyped. Macs do graphics and media stuff excellently, and there are few PCs that can match them. But you can’t tell me that PC parts are build to a lower standard than Apple parts are - unless there are “premium Mac only” parts at the FS sales counter. PC people are bitching that WinXP costs too much for OEM at $70 right now… how much is OS X? Riiiiight.
Quite simply, there is no justification for the price premium.
“You get what you pay for” doesn’t apply here - what exactly do you get for your premium for a Mac? What happens if your mobo melts? Your SuperDrive goes tits-up? Yes, FS sells Macs, PowerBooks, iBooks, etc. And yes, they sell the parts that Macs share with the Wintel architecture, but you can’t tell me that you can buy all the parts you need to BUILD a Mac at FS, because if you can’t buy and replace all the parts, then as far as I’m concerned you’re SOL. I’d rather be able to run down to the corner store to buy a replacement part than wait a week for it to be shipped to me. I’ll take the 10-minutes my system is down per week for a spyware sweep, and enjoy my compatibility with 95% of the market than wait for parts and look at a dark screen, or have to “make do” because a specific software app isn’t Mac-compatible. Because I don’t have a specific need for a Mac, I don’t have one. If I had loads of cash, I’d have one - but I have to make do with buying 2 decent Win PCs for the price of one Mac.
Macs have their place in the market, and there is really no reason why someone MUST HAVE a Mac. Especially now that the speed gap will be essentially nullified with their move to x86. There will continue to be persons and businesses that NEED Macs - their hardware and software will suit their needs perfectly, but the mass population will continue to buy their NCIX, Dell and other Wintel boxen. Checking email and surfing the net doesn’t require a Mac - a Walmart special will do.
Why should I drive a BMW when I’d have to get it shipped to PG for service?
Why should I buy a bike at all when I haven’t ridden one for years?
And FYI - I work on Macs all the time. Love them. I used to have a IIvi. Lemmings was my bitch. My Mac clients are happy, because I don’t have to bill them for spyware removal and such. I’m happy, because everything is laid out smartly and not buried in tab after tab after tab.
But they’re mighty pissed when they have to wait for a part.
