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minik

macrumors demi-god
Jun 25, 2007
2,212
1,744
somewhere
Unless Apple discontinues the macOS or hardware, I won't stop purchasing. Since year 2020, I bought an Intel-based iMac, M1 MacBook Pro for my sister, M1 Mac mini, M1 Pro MacBook Pro, M2 MacBook Air for my mum, and 15-inch MacBook Air. When it comes to upgrading these computers, a complete redesign will be a reason.
 
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xantufrog

macrumors regular
Jul 7, 2023
130
135
But Macs already weren’t the majority… that’s one reason they tried to push the “think different” marketing, embracing being the underdog.

did your Mac really lose something you liked about it when fewer people joined your team this year?
 
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drugdoubles

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 3, 2023
430
356
Wife bought an Asus laptop 18 months ago. It has a 13” OLED display, lighter than a MacBook Air, 16/512GB, and cost 2/3 of a base MacBook. Battery life is decent too. For her needs it is enough. To be true, Macs are too expensive compared to what others offer. Years back higher prices of Macs could be justified because of reliability and longer life expectancy. But now… I think Tim believes that whatever the price they may put on products, people will just open their Wallets.

Yeah Mac is like 200%, 300% price of windows laptop with same specs. That’s why I call it passion since no way to buy Mac if just because technically get a job done.
 
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kp98077

macrumors 601
Oct 26, 2010
4,312
2,764
Whistler, BC
Honestly, I wish people would just not literally take the numbers for what they are and think about, what the numbers actually mean! :) the Macs are much more efficient now, and therefore, people do not need to upgrade as often (which is the case), coupled with high global inflation, again, which hampers ones ability to buy, other choices, SO many reasons.
 

drugdoubles

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 3, 2023
430
356
Nope, that's not how the stock market works. And Apple has trapped themselves into that game in the worst possible way. They can't "good enough" any quarter. They are married to "Another record quarter of profit"... so it's not just do a good job... not deliver some good numbers, they have to set records EVERY time. Else the stock market will punish them dearly. It's very hard for ANY company to always set records. That is not sustainable. No high flyer has ever been able to keep doing that forever.

An earlier incarnation also cared about the price of the stock... but it was focused on building dazzlingly great products too. In other words, there was a good split between delivering customer value and delivering shareholder ROI. Now it feels like it's 1 for customer and 19 for shareholders.

That ever-growing pressure for records drives most of the decisions that seem to make no sense to Apple consumers. And it can only keep getting worse as long as Apple keeps chasing that "another record quarter" unless customers as a group decide there is insufficient value to keep paying higher and higher prices. Customers have the power to snap Apple out of it so they can re-focus on a better balance. How? Stop buying. If enough stop buying, Apple will definitely notice. They can't deliver "another record" without customers readily buying what is for sale.

As bad as a sales downturn can seem for a company, it is often the only thing that wakes them up, and brings fresh focus on delivering improved products- and pricing- that can motivate frustrated customers to open their wallets.

Incidentally, this is the same- and ONLY- solution to inflation surges. If people stop paying ever-rising prices, prices will stop rising. If people show they value their money more than overly-priced stuff, prices will start DEflating in search of a level where customers will choose to part with their money again. DEflation is a real thing too. We just haven't seen it in a long time because consumers opt to just pay up... any higher priced asked by sellers... as if we don't actually value our money at all and $200 or $2000 is no different than $150 or $1500.

I think Apple will be like Intel, still a big tech company but almost no growth, still around the same stock price range for years, and then APPL would not be in the fast growing big tech list like Nvidia, Tesla, Google, Microsft.
 

whitby

Contributor
Dec 13, 2007
397
402
Austin, TX
Makes no difference to me unless they abandon the line, in which case I will switch to Windows and dump the iPhone for an Android phone. if they break the eco system by screwing with the Mac, then everything is up for grabs, including the phone.
 

lJoSquaredl

macrumors 6502a
Mar 26, 2012
522
227
Honestly I just can't decide which one I want anymore lol, been delaying a while cuz they're all amazing but they're all missing something as well and I can't decide what's more important...and even more to the point my M1 MBA is also still fantastic but missing some stuff.
 

Sami13496

macrumors 6502a
Jul 25, 2022
692
1,529
I buy my stuff based on my personal needs. Never based on hype or sales figures. What does affect my passion for Macs is Apples ridicilous pricing in Europe. I’ve always been prepared to pay extra for Apple stuff because of exceptional user experience and quality it offers (hardware, software, ecosystem) but 15 inch Air starting from 1650€ is just robbery. The mandatory upgrade to 16GB ram makes it 1880€. That is just too much for an entry level (= non Pro) laptop.
 
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VisceralRealist

macrumors 6502a
Sep 4, 2023
647
1,776
Long Beach, California
you know earlier this week, I LOVED my mac. but then earnings reports came out and now i just threw my mac in the trash.

Earnings report got me like:

mC9FYsxYi_S74woxKP0LsutW2zY=.gif


But seriously, I know that laptops are not cutting edge future tech, and I do think about that sometimes, about the fact that eventually I will have to move on with whatever replaces it (whether that's more advanced tablets or goggles), but low sales don't affect how I perceive what I've bought or my ability to enjoy it. Of course in my fantasy world, 75% of Apple's revenue comes from Mac hardware and they come out with new designs every year and it's all very exciting, but that's not reality (and never was, frankly).
 
Last edited:
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drugdoubles

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 3, 2023
430
356
I buy my stuff based on my personal needs. Never based on hype or sales figures. What does affect my passion for Macs is Apples ridicilous pricing in Europe. I’ve always been prepared to pay extra for Apple stuff because of exceptional user experience and quality it offers (hardware, software, ecosystem) but 15 inch Air starting from 1650€ is just robbery. The mandatory upgrade to 16GB ram makes it 1880€. That is just too much for an entry level (= non Pro) laptop.

And the “starting” Mac (non pro) has only 256gb only, adding $150 for $512gb is so expensive nowadays.
 
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bousozoku

Moderator emeritus
Jun 25, 2002
16,120
2,399
Lard
If I cared about such things, I would have run away in 1995 when the stock price was US$13.25 per share and Power Computing's Mac clones were selling very well, and were better performers than what Apple had.

I may have been a bit passionate for my first computer, but I don't have passion for computers or much of anything else. It's what I do with them that gets my attention.
 

sleeptodream

macrumors 6502
Aug 29, 2022
385
811
I’ve always bought Macs because they aren’t what the majority use… “Think different” and all that. Also because I think their hardware and software are beautiful. They’re works of art imo
 
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drugdoubles

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 3, 2023
430
356
I’ve always bought Macs because they aren’t what the majority use… “Think different” and all that. Also because I think their hardware and software are beautiful. They’re works of art imo

I agree the "art" part or the user interface and experience of Mac is much better than other options, but not as a "get the job done with the cheaper solution".
 
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sleeptodream

macrumors 6502
Aug 29, 2022
385
811
I agree the "art" part or the user interface and experience of Mac is much better than other options, but not as a "get the job done with the cheaper solution".
Aren’t there studies that show mental/physical health benefits to having beautiful surroundings?

I’d bet that having a beautiful computer and UI, for something that you need to use for half of your waking hours, provides some of those same benefits 🤗
 
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drugdoubles

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 3, 2023
430
356
Aren’t there studies that show mental/physical health benefits to having beautiful surroundings?

I’d bet that having a beautiful computer and UI, for something that you need to use for half of your waking hours, provides some of those same benefits 🤗

yeah this is half of the reason why I use iPhone, another half would be the camera since only Pixel/iPhone can take quick good shoot of kid/pet while Samsung cannot do that at all. For computer I need to use a lot of AI stuff so Mac doesn't work.
 
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Torty

macrumors 65816
Oct 16, 2013
1,239
944
I still use my 2012 mid MBP. Bought in 2012 for 1100 Euros. This was my first apple device cause I was tired of windows. Upgraded later to 8GB / 1TB SSD. Now the MBP starts with 8GB / 256GB with 2000 Euros. I would be interested in 16GB/2TB which costs over 2900 Euros for the 14 inch MBP. For europeans that's a lot of money where you think more than twice if you should pull the trigger.
 
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drugdoubles

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 3, 2023
430
356
I still use my 2012 mid MBP. Bought in 2012 for 1100 Euros. This was my first apple device cause I was tired of windows. Upgraded later to 8GB / 1TB SSD. Now the MBP starts with 8GB / 256GB with 2000 Euros. I would be interested in 16GB/2TB which costs over 2900 Euros for the 14 inch MBP. For europeans that's a lot of money where you think more than twice if you should pull the trigger.

Seem like only 2013 or later models still get patch. Well around 10 years patches is pretty impressive, I guess Apple will cut it to be like iPhone then around 6 years patches.
 

3Rock

macrumors 6502a
Aug 25, 2021
733
799
We are all human and most of us like to follow the majority. 27% sales disappear in just a year, 34% quarterly, much less people buy Mac now, then would you stop buying new Mac in future and why?
The question doesn’t make sense. Why would you stop buying Macs because the sales drop? sometimes I just cannot figure out people with questions like this. I buy Macs because I want and need a Mac, than stop because other people stop buying them.
 

EmotionalSnow

macrumors 6502
Nov 1, 2019
369
1,351
Linz, Austria
If you can't understand the numbers then you should ignore them, not make a doomsday thread about the Mac.
Last year, September Mac sales were up because of supply chain issues in June, a situation that Apple could not compete with this year. Cook expects Mac revenue to improve next quarter thanks to the October introduction of the M3 Macs, and he said that the negative 34 percent growth should not be seen as representative of the underlying performance of the Mac.
 

Kottu

macrumors 6502a
Sep 21, 2014
790
897
I still use my 2012 mid MBP. Bought in 2012 for 1100 Euros. This was my first apple device cause I was tired of windows. Upgraded later to 8GB / 1TB SSD. Now the MBP starts with 8GB / 256GB with 2000 Euros. I would be interested in 16GB/2TB which costs over 2900 Euros for the 14 inch MBP. For europeans that's a lot of money where you think more than twice if you should pull the trigger.
True. M3 MBP is starting at 2055 Euros in Sweden. M1 MBP with 16GB/512 GB was at same price in 2021. Now a 18/512 costs same as my M1P 14" 16GB/1TB which I hope I can hold on for a long time(didn't pay the full price either). One thing is sure, I won't buy a Macbook as soon as it comes out. As the performance difference isn't so big, I would wait for a year for the prices to go down.
 

Ethosik

Contributor
Oct 21, 2009
8,142
7,120
We are also in hard economic times where people are having trouble buying groceries these days. Working multiple jobs now to sustain the constant increase in prices everywhere. I recently dropped ALL streaming services other than Apple Premiere plan for the family. I am not even struggling, and neither is my business. I have 7 Macs now all Apple Silicon....Most I will not upgrade for 5 years. Like my M1 Ultra and M2 Ultra.
 

Ethosik

Contributor
Oct 21, 2009
8,142
7,120
Nope, that's not how the stock market works. And Apple has trapped themselves into that game in the worst possible way. They can't "good enough" any quarter. They are married to "Another record quarter of profit"... so it's not just do a good job... not deliver some good numbers, they have to set records EVERY time. Else the stock market will punish them dearly. It's very hard for ANY company to always set records. That is not sustainable. No high flyer has ever been able to keep doing that forever.

An earlier incarnation also cared about the price of the stock... but it was focused on building dazzlingly great products too. In other words, there was a good split between delivering customer value and delivering shareholder ROI. Now it feels like it's 1 for customer and 19 for shareholders.

That ever-growing pressure for records drives most of the decisions that seem to make no sense to Apple consumers. And it can only keep getting worse as long as Apple keeps chasing that "another record quarter" unless customers as a group decide there is insufficient value to keep paying higher and higher prices. Customers have the power to snap Apple out of it so they can re-focus on a better balance. How? Stop buying. If enough stop buying, Apple will definitely notice. They can't deliver "another record" without customers readily buying what is for sale.

As bad as a sales downturn can seem for a company, it is often the only thing that wakes them up, and brings fresh focus on delivering improved products- and pricing- that can motivate frustrated customers to open their wallets.

Incidentally, this is the same- and ONLY- solution to inflation surges. If people stop paying ever-rising prices, prices will stop rising. If people show they value their money more than overly-priced stuff, prices will start DEflating in search of a level where customers will choose to part with their money again. DEflation is a real thing too. We just haven't seen it in a long time because consumers opt to just pay up... any higher priced asked by sellers... as if we don't actually value our money at all and $200 or $2000 is no different than $150 or $1500.
And just to add to your post. It's not just Apple...but every publicly traded company at that level needs to chase for "Record quarter". It's why most big companies lately are making horrible decisions (FROM THE CUSTOMER VIEW) and just increasing in price non stop. I finally dropped Netflix and every other service.
 

Torty

macrumors 65816
Oct 16, 2013
1,239
944
True. M3 MBP is starting at 2055 Euros in Sweden. M1 MBP with 16GB/512 GB was at same price in 2021. Now a 18/512 costs same as my M1P 14" 16GB/1TB which I hope I can hold on for a long time(didn't pay the full price either). One thing is sure, I won't buy a Macbook as soon as it comes out. As the performance difference isn't so big, I would wait for a year for the prices to go down.
One year of waiting unfortunately also means one year less SW and HW support. It also looks like the air is getting less support because it’s released months later than the mbp?
 

TGM85

macrumors 6502
Aug 29, 2005
269
754
A lot of people bought the M1 models because they had either failing butterfly models or had held out with older Intel models until the AS Macs dropped.

They aren't looking to upgrade yearly.
Exactly this. I held on to my 2015 MBP for years, because I really disliked the 2016 and later Intel MBPs. I bought a (very expensive) M1 MBP in late 2021 and see no compelling reason to buy a new M3 machine at this point (and spend yet another €3000).

The fact that mac sales are down does not influence my decision to remain an Apple user at all. I switched to mac in 2005 and never looked back. Mac user base in 2005 was tiny compared to what it is now.
 
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