How much would the same $999 Macbook Air cost (same specs, build quality, 1 year warranty) if made by another comany?

I want to find out how much do you pay for that so called Apple premium. But really.

The $999 Air is just my example as it cost a round number (offers a 16:9 screen found in PC notebooks as well, may be one of the bestsellers too; I don't know) but feel free to compare a different Apple model to its matching PC notebook.

 

Well, the easiest way to do this would be to look up the OEM cost for the different parts in the computer (CPU, GPU, display, etc.) and compare to the cost of the laptop as a whole. Labor prices are basically the same since they're all built by the same ODMs. For example (iPhone): Breaking down the $650 price of the iPhone | Digital Trends

Or, if you can, just look up the company's financial records for the profit margin per laptop...

 

Apple has a company-wide profit margin of roughly 20%. If we assume that the profit margin on this particular product is the same and that another manufacturer with a profit margin of a more common 10% were to make a duplicate, the other company could ostensibly sell it for $915.

 

You could also just go to other manufacturer's websites, build similar systems, and see what they come out to. Of course, not everything would be equal and you would have to figure these cost differences out but it would give you some idea. I think it's a little too much to ask people to do this for you though.

You should also take into account the new price level of the MacBook Airs. Apple took $100 off of all models so the 11" now starts at $899 instead of $999.

 

Honestly, it would cost the same price or close to. If you have something that is an equivalent, why price it cheaper if you can charge a similar price for it. Apple were the first ones with the current ultrabook format so they pretty much set the pricing trend.

 

The Macbook Air is essentially a premium ultrabook, and it's price is in line with other premium ultrabooks (meaning metal or carbon chassis, thin, SSD only). The Samsung Ativ 9, the Dell XPS 13, the HP Specter 13, Acer S7, etc... they are all within a hundred bucks or so of similarly configured Macbook Airs.

 

True, though $100 on a $899/$999 notebook is still a non-trivial percentage difference. It's smaller than, say, a rMBP vs its competition, though it's still an "Apple tax".

 

How much do you factor in the convenience of being able to go to a local store for service? I have had repairs done overnight. My local Apple Store is less than a mile from my office and the ability to buy accessories, spares and get service there has some value.

 

Eh, that's highly limited by the fact of if you have an Apple store nearby or not. There are also equivalent (sometimes better) services provided by other OEMs too, such as NBD.

Really, you're mostly paying for the OS and the environment when you pay this "tax"; whether that's worth it or not is a personal choice.

 

My choices are the Apple Store and Best Buy. I had a service incident with Best Buy which is why I won't buy stuff from them in the future.

So the benefit depends on your proximity to a store. Or perhaps a future store as they plan to triple the number of Apple Stores.

My approach on Apple equipment is to trade their stock to pay for stuff I buy there. So their equipment is effectively free.

 

Are you more like a day trader or an investor?

Being a successful trader has nothing to do with what computer do you use, IMHO.

 

To the OP (that is me)

Since I opened the thread the same model got its price dropped from $999 to $899, factory refurbished with the same warranty is just $719 (I'd rather buy that one - would be quite a change from ThinkPads). Now how do PCs compete with that one)

 

I do both.

I use a 2004 Compaq laptop for realtime streaming charts and use a Dell desktop with three monitors to place trades and do research.

 

No offense but are you seriously not going to just conduct a simple search yourself? You can go to hp.com, dell.com, samsung.com, bestbuy.com, or amazon.com and find comparable Wintel ultrabooks (made of aluminum with 9+ hours of battery life) and see the prices for yourself. I'm honestly a little confused as to why you asked the question to begin with and continue to ask it especially when you can figure all of this out in about 10 minutes.

 

Could be worse. We already have one member who posts about *everything*, and another that's shaping to be the same.

 

I ask about the so called Apple tax (sorry if it wasn't so clear from the 1st post). Eg. the supposed premium you pay for the same performance in an Apple branded machine vs. a Wintel. I just wanted (still want) to find out the truth behind it.

To address your question more precisely: I am sure I cannot do this search in 10 minutes, as I am not familiar with all the US sites, esp. how to look for the same specs on each one. Though I calculate in US prices, because that is how most commonly prices are calculated. On the other hand, I thought this question is of common interest; why not ask here, really? I really wanted some discussion about the 'Apple tax', with real humans being, not just sorting through specs sheets for hours and keeping the results for myself, OK? Hope it' s not bad!

Fast forward to 2015

Asus Zenbook UX305
8 MB RAM, 256 GB SSD, Core M - MSRP: $699

Apple MacBook 12"
8 MB RAM, 256 GB SSD, Core M - MSRP: $1299

Though the CPUs offer a different performance, they are priced the same.

The screens are different, as well as the case, touch pad, keyboard, ports, etc. All in all, how about the so called Apple tax here?

 

Apple's profit margin is about 40%, Lenovo is about 8%. So basically 30% difference.

The closest comparison to mac air will be Asus zenbook ux303, which is about 200-300 cheaper.

 

Dell xps 13 is better than mac air 13 in almost every aspect. Smaller, lighter, better display, and still cheaper i5/4g/128g xps13(1080p) $899, mac air13(900p) $999.

 

There are aspects of the Mac that I would argue nobody has properly duplicated and Apple earns the tax. The trackpad for one. I have never used a PC trackpad and been half as satisfied as using a Mac trackpad. The Magsafe too, I mean yeah it's such a minor thing, but the placement and simplicity can save so many seconds every time I plug in. Apple also properly implemented HiDPI in their Retinas. From day 1, way back in 2012, OS X just looked "right" at 2880x1800. Windows is still a mess in 2015 at HiDPI and the hardware makers don't care. LETS DO A 13" SUPER HIGH RES GUYS!

Apple has also shown that they don't generally care for standards. This sounds bad on the surface, but it's why they are able to release Retina MacBooks with flash storage on little cards while everyone else is fumbling around with hard drive-sized SSDs. Again Macs have had "gum stick" storage for three years and the PC makers are only now trying m.2. It's why they jettisoned floppy drive and ethernet ports and optical drives. Those ideas were scary to PC makers and they gladly let Apple go out on the deep end with it before "oh, I guess we don't need that thing after all."

Depending on how well the new MacBook does, maybe in the next year Lenovo will release a revolutionary new ThinkPad with.. only one port!

 

But some Apple designs seem to offer much better value than others. The rMBP 13 is one of the best values in Apple's fleet (no real "Apple Tax" over, say, an XPS 13 with an upgraded screen), and the MBA 11 is probably the worst (nearly $1000 for a 1366x768 ultraportable?!).

 

Strangly, this topic started with the exact same model. You (not you, personally, but you, the community) convinced me it is no more expensive than a Wintel with similar specs, so no 'Apple tax' on that particular one. (Yeah; you should consider here Magsafe, the trackpad and possibly other bells and whistles.)

It was the situation a year ago, though; might have changed since then.

 

It's a crutch to people who can't even lift.

 

Ultrabooks are definitely a huge cashgrab. I could never justify paying for something underpowered and small like that. That's just me though, so I blame all manufacturers.

 

If you travel a lot, then you'll appreciate thin and light. You're carrying a lot of other stuff besides the Ultrabook so you may be just saving 10, 20, 30%. My previous laptop was eight pounds and I liked to bring extra clothes, nav system, water bottle, flashlight, food, mouse, keyboard, tablet, charger and other stuff in my backpack on a flight. So dropping down to four was welcome.

I've made a lot of money on AAPL stock over the years so I consider MacBooks free.

 

All consumer goods in a market economy are a "cash grab." A MacBook is not any more of a cash grab than a mobile workstation or gaming rig is. Not sure what you're getting at here.

 

It's a luxury, but then again for most peope most computers sold today are also a luxury. Given the computer usage an Average Joe does in a given day, anything more expensive/complex than a Rasberry Pi is a luxury and thus will be a cash grab.

 

I have an Air, and even though the specs are not exciting, it has a place, and there's been plenty of times I go to grab a laptop, and I choose it over much more powerful machines. I can watch YouTube videos at 1440x900, and I don't expect much more than that out of it.

 

As much as I HATE Apple, when it came time to purchase my sister a computer for college, the 13" Macbook Air was the top choice. Best buy was running a 150$ off any computer purchased for college, and apple was running a 100$ off promo on all macbook airs, so with a combined 250$ off, 789$ out the door, it was substantially cheaper than any PC ultra book on the market, and much better build quality. I think the MBA is Apple's best/most fair offering. The "Pro" lines for both desktop and laptop (note, not the iMac), are horrendously overpriced for what they are.

 

The value of a product varies from person to person depending on the level of utility to the user.

I use my MacBook Pro professionally (software engineering) so to me, it's a work tool. I also use it for managing trades and investments. The cost of a laptop is not my primary concern. Reliability, availability of service, ease of backup and restore, usability, and performance are bigger factors as my tools generate many times their costs.

 

Aside from this one, admittedly hilarious, example... until you get into MacBook Pro 15" ($2,000+) territory, Apple's pricing is actually pretty reasonable. I appreciate you cranking the microscope up to prove a single point, though.

 

How long are you going to keep it? Long enough to pay Microsoft $300 for OS license upgrades?