AS Macbook Pro major pricing differences between Intel and ARM - CARES act

[4sallypat]

Data point on upcoming AS/ARM Macs from a large corporate purchase:

So my workplace government organization received a chunk of money from the CARES act and we are spending some of this to equip our staff of 300 users with new Macbook Pros (13").

We received a quote for both the current 13" i7 MBP and 13" AS/ARM MBP.

Price difference was the AS/ARM Macs almost twice more expensive than the current Intel MBP.

We asked why an AS/ARM Mac that is more efficient using the same chassis/case - Apple responded by saying that the new upcoming Macs are commanding a higher price.

Our Apple sales executive said that they would incentivize us with a sweet deal if we opted for the current Intel i7 MBP....

So we ended up getting the Intel i7 MBP for our organization as they priced it way below retail and threw in 300 qty 4K Apple TVs for free.

Our purchasing dept notified us that the Intel MBP are on it's way and expected in our warehouse by next week.

 

[ssmed]

2x the cost! If that is true, this is the end of the Mac Notebook for many. They are already pretty expensive.

 

[Mr.Blacky]

Sorry, but I call BS on that story.

 

[radiologyman]

Ouch. I think eventually Apple will lower prices on AS Macs, when they will clear up the inventory on Intel Macs and novelty of the AS will wear off.

 

[ssmed]

Ouch. I think eventually Apple will lower prices on AS Macs, when they will clear up the inventory on Intel Macs and novelty of the AS will wear off.

Novelty is one thing, but this transition will not be without some pain for many! Sticking the price up high at the beginning of a world recession doesn't sound good sense.

 

[Icelus]

they priced it way below retail

Doesn't this imply the Intel ones were cheaper compared to the AS ones? Or are you comparing the original retail prices?

 

[jz0309]

whoever quotes prices at this point is plain out lying, this story is a hoax

 

[jz0309]

Sorry, but I call BS on that story.

Don’t be sorry, you’re calling it what it is

 

[Jorbanead]

We received a quote for both the current 13" i7 MBP and 13" AS/ARM MBP.

I have a hard time believing they gave you a quote for a product they haven’t even announced yet? Seems very odd to me and I really don’t think Apple would charge 2X the price either.

and threw in 300 qty 4K Apple TVs for free.

What? Why would Apple just give you 300 Apple TV’s? What business needs 300 Apple TV’s for their employees in addition to 300 MBP’s?

Our purchasing dept notified us that the Intel MBP are on it's way and expected in our warehouse by next week.

If your business needed these machines next Week - there’s absolutely no way they would have been able to ship you the new AS Macs in that same timeframe. We’re likely looking at a November release unless the event on Tuesday magically reveals the new MBP 13”

 

[4sallypat]

I have a hard time believing they gave you a quote for a product they haven’t even announced yet? Seems very odd to me and I really don’t think Apple would charge 2X the price either. I don’t know why someone would make this up - so maybe there’s more to the story that we don’t know about?

The Apple sales executive assigned to our account said that they can provide the AS/ARM MBP but it would not be fulfilled until 2021 which is why we opted for the Intel - unfortunately we had to spend the government funds before the end of the year according to our purchasing dept.

I think Apple just gave an inflated price on the AS/ARM to dissuade us from waiting for a highly constrained MBP.

Based on the discount (5 pack MBP master carton) pricing and the free 4K Apple TV, they know that these will be discontinued soon.
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[leman]

I have difficulty believing this, for two simple reasons:

1. Apple would not disclose prices of unreleased products or negotiate their sales to a third party

2. I doubt it that Apple would offer a quote or directly deal with a third party for such a small volume purchase. If you were ordering couple of thousands of them, maybe.

 

[motomotomoto]

Sounds like BS. If Apple was already quoting and selling AS Macs to corporate there would be an unending stream of leaks. No way.

 

[JMacHack]

I think Apple just gave an inflated price on the AS/ARM to dissuade us from waiting for a highly constrained MBP.

Yeah this is what I was thinking too, it's like contractors giving ludicrous prices for jobs they don't wanna do. It's probably in Apple's better interest to unload their current stock (which they may be replacing anyway) to you guys than selling their brand-new machines.

Giving OP the benefit of the doubt, I still think there's no reason to believe the consumer price of the ASi Macs will be double that of the Intel offerings.

 

[aednichols]

What? Why would Apple just give you 300 Apple TV’s? What business needs 300 Apple TV’s for their employees in addition to 300 MBP’s?

I have seen businesses put a flat screen plus Apple TV in every conference room as an AirPlay screen mirroring target for presentations. It is actually really slick and responsive.

 

[motomotomoto]

I have seen businesses put a flat screen plus Apple TV in every conference room as an AirPlay screen mirroring target for presentations. It is actually really slick and responsive.

Ah yes, the business with 300 conference rooms!

 

[CWallace]

I don't expect the first ASi Macs to be any cheaper than their Intel equivalents since Apple will want to recover their R&D and manufacturing costs - they'll sell the better performance to justify the same price - and I am positive they would not go for a major premium (especially a 100% premium).

 

[aednichols]

Ah yes, the business with 300 conference rooms!

Yeah, the number is a little goofy unless it’s a Fortune 50 or something.

 

[Erehy Dobon]

My guess is that the sales executive deliberately quoted an exorbitant fake "AS Mac" price to incentivize the OP's purchasing department to place the purchase order for current inventory FOR THIS QUARTER.

The sales executive probably has quarterly sales targets and likely knows that many organizations have a "use it or lose it" annual budget window that expires on December 31st with zero budget rollover into the following year.

This person probably has a minimum price quotable for the MacBook Pro but may also have a separate discretionary incentive budget. Again, this sales executive's incentive budget is likely subject to the "use it or lose it" calendar year restriction.

With COVID-19's expected ongoing economic impact and 2021 uncertainty, it's likely that many organizations will vastly scale back their 2021 budgets.

Assuming these MBPs arrive in the OP's organization's warehouse in a week, that means even with 30 or 45 day terms, Apple's accounts receivable will have the money before the end of the year.

As an election year, there's probably some unspoken trepidation about the possibility for a change in administration in addition to all of the COVID-19 uncertainty.

OP's purchasing department buyer might be aware of all of these various dynamics and gambits yet still bit the bullet because 2021 budgets are likely to be much smaller than 2020's. As well all know, government organizations are skilled at using up all of their money (and many excel at using money they don't have).

Even if the additional 300 Apple TV 4K unit incentive is true, there is no requirement for OP's government organization to deploy them. Some or all of them could easily be resold.

 

[cmaier]

Data point on upcoming AS/ARM Macs from a large corporate purchase:

So my workplace government organization received a chunk of money from the CARES act and we are spending some of this to equip our staff of 300 users with new Macbook Pros (13").

We received a quote for both the current 13" i7 MBP and 13" AS/ARM MBP.

Price difference was the AS/ARM Macs almost twice more expensive than the current Intel MBP.

We asked why an AS/ARM Mac that is more efficient using the same chassis/case - Apple responded by saying that the new upcoming Macs are commanding a higher price.

Our Apple sales executive said that they would incentivize us with a sweet deal if we opted for the current Intel i7 MBP....

So we ended up getting the Intel i7 MBP for our organization as they priced it way below retail and threw in 300 qty 4K Apple TVs for free.

Our purchasing dept notified us that the Intel MBP are on it's way and expected in our warehouse by next week.

show us the quote or it didn’t happen

 

[Erehy Dobon]

show us the quote or it didn’t happen

Unrealistic demand.

No one can see all aspects of an organization's activities. The way OP started this threads, it sounds like a second or third hand retelling.

Even the C-suite executives don't have the time to review everything even if they have the authority to do so.

Hell, OP's organization's buyer could be fabricating the entire story as a pathetic ploy for attention. It wouldn't be the first time.

 

[ChrisA]

We received a quote for both the current 13" i7 MBP and 13" AS/ARM MBP.

Apple is not quoting prices or even telling anyone what is inside the new Macs. I think this story is fictional.

But like some fiction, there is some truth. The Intel Mac will lose value very quickly and retailers will be cutting prices to get rid of inventory

 

[thekev]

This is clearly trolling, and it should be wastelanded. We haven't seen any hints of pricing data yet. If someone had such information, it would be rather sensitive, and they would not disclose potentially identifying information about the nature of their purchase. This would also be a rather gross abuse of the CARES Act.

 

[Icelus]

Ah yes, the business with 300 conference rooms!

Better known as open offices.

 

[Waragainstsleep]

I'm guessing the AppleTVs were thrown in as a favour for users to take home. Get them all hooked on Apple subscription services.
As for these prices, I don't see Apple releasing these figures to anyone outside Apple without a heavy NDA so maybe they are overpricing them in order to shift old stock and conceal the new pricing.

 

[chabig]

There is no way Apple would quote prices for unannounced products.