[closed] Is apple a rip-off?

I think it's worth it, if you have the money. I wold much rather have my 27'' iMac than some Alienware gaming machine.

Just looks at it. Most screens of that resolution are $1000+, and witht he iMac, you get a pretty powerful computer stuck to the back.

In my opinion their laptops, and towers (Mac Pros), are WAY too overpriced. I would still love to have a Macbook Pro though...I'm kind of an Apple fanboy... ;)

It's only a rip off when you don't have the money to buy it. (Which to me everything is a rip-off, lol)

Sometimes it is kinda of annoying that one product is $5000 more because it has a picture of a fruit on it.

My only problem with them is that they don't update their line like other companies do. They are pricey but the build quality is nice. (I doubt they are actually making anything on their own) The problem with product in general is consumption over quality and this has been going on for a while. Everything anywhere is being outsourced to whomever has the lowest price per unit. Apple actually controls the quality to an extent by choosing only one company or a few companies to produce their designs. Were as everyone else is competing for quantity not quality. (thought there is only like 3 companies who actually make laptops, desktops there "maybe" more manufacturers than 3.)

Wife has a Macbook laptop. Recently, her hard disk overheated and destroyed the motherboard. We took it in to an Apple store (fortunately still under warranty), and while waiting for the Mac tech to do the paperwork, another guy with a Macbook came in with the same problem. Looks like a design problem to me. My Toshiba laptop just keeps on tickin'...

I'm a Vaio PC guy but my wife wanted a Mac. I think keeping my marriage sane is worth the price considering my Vaio Z was $2100 vs her $1300. Neither give us problems.

(And you know what they say: "If she ain't happy, you ain't happy!")

People look at the computing world as two factions battling each other:

Apple PC's vs. Microsoft PC's.

(yes I DID say "Apple PC" because ALL home computers are "personal computers")

Apple builds computers; plain and simple. Apple ALSO designs the OS/software that runs in CONJUNCTION with that hardware. Why do you think a Mac hardly ever crashes like a computer with Microsoft software on it? It's because the software is designed around that particular hardware. They test that before those models are released at the factory because they're all the SAME machine.

Microsoft is NOT a computer builder. Everyone is so quick to say "Microsoft PC"....yet I've never seen an actual "Microsoft computer". Because they don't build computers. Microsoft has been and always will be a software company. They've made "some" hardware (i.e. phones, MP3 players) but that's after everyone else was doing it first. When Microsoft releases a version of Windows, they have no clue what kind of machine you're putting it on, nor do they have a clue what hardware is in that machine. Hence, why Vista had everyone up in arms because drivers were a P.I.T.A. to get for the Vista/7 platform right away.

Honestly, (and getting "more to the point") Macs have been insanely fast computers, simply because of the way the OS is written, infrastructure, and the fact that they always use TOP-GRADE COMPONENTS. Hence why their top 3 iMacs right now are the i3, i5. and i7 processors. They don't settle for "middle of the road".

If you were to buy - or even build your own PC running Windows, to EQUAL the speed of even let's say the 2.6 i5 4GB RAM iMac, you'd be paying at LEAST $1,000 for the hardware that would make Windows and the entire machine run as fast and as smooth as Snow Leopard.

Then comes buying a monitor (let's say $200 average), Then at least one solid, credible DVD-burner (at least $75 average for a high-grade one today)

You're at about a healthy $1,300.00

Mind you, this is BEFORE taxes are applied to the purchases of those components. You could be looking at about $1,400 - $1,500 after all is said and done and the parts are all in your possession.

So really, at that point, is a Mac truly more expensive than buying or building your own?

I think that the money you spend for the stuff you get is shocking. However, I think the main atraction for macs is the exclusivity of the software and the hardware design. As bad as the components may be, it's an iconic design.