Why are MAC computers so much more money then regular ones? What makes them any different?

Question

I have always wanted to get a MAC computer, but they are just too much money for a computer. I have found some laptops that have the same qualities, but the MAC is almost twice the price. Can anyone tell me why this is?

Answer 1

Macs are pretty reliable, but mechanically, they are NOT any more reliable than other top tier names like a good dell studio and XPS series, falcoln northwest, alienware or hp. However compared to off-branded PC's like acer, gateway or other no name brands, yes they are more reliable.

A REAL claim to greater reliability may only be made if you consider how many third party software aps and hardware drivers there are. MAC is a monopoly. You can only write a mac ap or make mac accessories if you PAY A LICENSING FEE, which most "off brands" aren't going to do. Subsequently, third party mac accessories DO tend to be a little better.



Part of what you're paying for is moving to the top shelf with the rest of the "good" brand names. Apple IS a top tier name. Apple tech support is a LITTLE better than MOST PC tech support, but it is still really bad.



The reason why macs are expensive is because youre paying for :

1. the name

2. the pretty logo

3. some of the best ergonomics and industrial design in the business

4. apple is a monopoly so there is NO competitive discounting.



You will also pay more to upgrade

pay more to repair

pay more for accessories

pay more for software although you can run just about anything with bootcamp.



"CC of oz" is completely wrong. macs can and do get viruses. It's just that fewer people write viruses for macs because the "target" is a smaller audience. Microsoft spends much more time and money being proactive and hiring "white hats". There are several mac exploits that have been known about for months now that have not been patched or updated. As of this writing, there is currently one HUGE hole that has been known for months, but little time and money is being spent to fix it



Macs did tend to be a little faster in the old days because they were using reduced instruction set (RISC motorola) hardware. Now days they are use intel chips and are about the same as PC. In the old days animation used to be rendered on macs, now animation and movies are now made on HP's and Dells. Most scientific work is done on mainframes, but there are alot of very powerful XPS, poweredge and precision workstations at our "national labs" and military bases because mainframe time scheduling is very premium.

Answer 2

Macs are better, simple as that. I've owned about 7 PC's, and about 5 macs, and I'll never ever buy a PC again. If you just want to turn your computer on, and it does what it's meant to, day in and day out, with no mysterious error messages and unexplained bugs - then buy a mac. If your into solving problems and upgrading/tinkering etc, then PC's are the way. As has been said, macs only use approved or dedicated parts, which are of a higher quality than PC's. Second hand macs are only slightly more expensive than PC's, but the quality is far superior. Plus they do look much better too :-)

Answer 3

No you can't install OS X on any old PC (not without some hacking, anyway). The reasons for this are primarily due to the firmware on the motherboard. As for cost, well, why does a Mercedes cost more than a Toyota? Apple tends to use top quality components in their hardware, leading to much greater overall performance and reliability than a bog-standard PC built from the cheapest parts available. For example, the Mac Pros use server-class buffered RAM which is far more stable than the regular variety. Macs also ship with a far better bundle of software than a standard Windows install - for example the iLife suite and a complete set of developer tools.

Answer 4

How much is too much though. If you want a machine that is going to last and last, doesn't get viruses, just works every time without a fuss and runs pretty much every bit software out there (using WIndows, Linux or Mac OS X) then you need to figure out if that is worth paying for. Windows PCs might look dirt cheap in the windows, but they are very expensive to fix. Pay a bit more for a Mac to start with, but you save a ton of money by not having to repair/replace cheap dodgy components that weren't really compatible in the first place. Best thing about a Mac, should something go wrong - the buck stops with Apple. On a PC if something goes wrong you are on your own. While your are spending all that time tinkering with your PC to get it to do - well anything at all, your Mac just keeps chugging along year after year, outlasting 3 other PCs lifetimes. With technology you get what you pay for.



post edit:



Re Harrison H: As a Mac user for many years now, I can categorically state that I have never had a Mac virus in the last 7 years.. I am currently still on my original machine (it is approaching 7 years old now). It runs the latest version of OSX leopard. There is a HUGE difference between a possible "vulnerability" and a full blown virus in the wild. It is common practice for Mac users to use *** no antivirus software whatsoever ***. Meanwhile Microsoft has its official patch days because it can't keep up with the 140,000 and more viruses that plague the platform. security by obscurity is a total myth since there are well over 30 million Macusers last time I checked (and that was years ago) and yet no complaints. Vista was riddled with viruses while it was still in Beta (and that was with a mere 10,000 users). You can be sure that the moment a real virus hits the Mac it will be trumpeted from the treetops by the windows community. Note also that I do make a difference between Malware and viruses. How hard is it to just click NO when asked by OS X for your admin password when some trojan malware program that you didn't know about wants to install. Only blind freddy would fall for that. Even on its worst day your Mac is going to beat a windows PC hands down.



As for films and media what a crock. The Star Wars prequels, Lord of the Rings, the Narnia series all were done on macs. They used 500 dual G5s for Star Wars (there was a newpaper report about it here in Australia where it was made). What doesn't get done on Mac's gets done on linux server farms. The real question is, do you believe some guy with tickets on himself all over his wall, or do you believe the guy who has used one for most of the last decade?

Answer 5

It is generally agreed that a MacBook etc. runs about 10 to 15% more than an equivalent Windows computer. For instance on a MacBook you get built in wifi type "n", a built in webcam, and almost all the software (iLife 09) that you need. On the budget Windows computers you get "bloatware" which you have to pay to use for more than 30 days and is often difficult to delete. The top rated laptops in the 13", 15" and 17" sizes are all MacBooks (Consumer Reports). Macs have the highest rated tech support (by far), highest reliability, great battery life, highest resale value and no viruses to worry about. If you buy a Windows computer you get to worry about 1,500,000 viruses. The last MacOs X virus was released in 2006. So on a Windows computer you have the extra expense & time wasted for anti-virus software, daily updates & scans. Some people would rather spend their time working with their computer instead of working on the computer. Check the security section of Yahoo & computers, there's 2,000 requests daily for help with viruses, malware, adware etc. for Windows computers. There maybe 3 questions about Macs a day.

Answer 6

You pay more for a Mac because they have to apply $400 worth of Gloss to the product. They are the only vendor which means they can do whatever they want with the price. In all honesty, Macs aren't worth it. You can build a stronger PC for less money. And for whoever said Macs don't break, you have got to be kidding me. I work in a PC repair shop, and you better believe that broken Macs come in all the time. And regardless of if a PC or a Mac breaks, you should have gotten a warranty.Plain and simple Macs are popular because of smear tactics and myths. Macs are no more secure than a PC.



http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobilize/gone-in-2-minutes-mac-gets-hacked-first-in-contest-676

Answer 7

the reason macs are so expensive is their reliability. Plus, they give you a 1-3 year warranty. they'll fix anything, no questions asked. the thing is tho, when it comes to macs, there are a lot more people working on their design and stuff like that. that's why there is a new, better mac laptop every year. i mean, they've already started working on a newer version of the operating system. then, microsoft copied apple (again) and started making another operating system. microsoft made vista when apple announced leopard (10.5). and microsoft made windows 7 when apple announced snow leopard (10.6).

Answer 8

My macs have NEVER BROKEN. Two of my husband's XP windows machines fried their MOTHERBOARDS.



Fixing those machines is EXPENSIVE. Not a deal at HALF THE PRICE that is why I love my macs.