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One reason why Apple will (or has to) aggressively update the laptop range

P

Pikemann Urge

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 3, 2007
276
0
melbourne.au
This isn't so much a prediction as a theory. Basically, I'm asserting that Apple must and probably will either a) update the laptops aggressively or b) introduce a killer new model in the line-up.

The reason: Apple can realistically dominate the market for laptops. Laptops are slightly encroaching on desktops in market share. So, if Apple dominates laptops, they dominate PC sales. This is their last chance for market leadership in a short timespan. Simple, really!
 
Apple still considers DVD-recordable drives an "upgrade" on $1100 machines. As long as they keep charging extra for basic stuff like that, their laptop lines aren't ever going to dominate the industry. Just imagine if the baseline iPods didn't come with fast-forward or rewind buttons!
 
heatmiser said:
Apple still considers DVD-recordable drives an "upgrade" on $1100 machines. As long as they keep charging extra for basic stuff like that, their laptop lines aren't ever going to dominate the industry. Just imagine if the baseline iPods didn't come with fast-forward or rewind buttons!
Click to expand...

I think a more realistic comparison would be an iPod without USB 2.0 syncing.
 
Jasonbot said:
I think a more realistic comparison would be an iPod without USB 2.0 syncing.
Click to expand...

Thank you; that's a better analogy. If iPods were still coming out in 2008 with USB 1.1, Apple would be the laughingstock of the PMP industry. As long as they keep using that business model to guide their "consumer" offerings in the Macbook, lots of people are going to continue to say 'to hell with the Apple tax' and pick up cheaper and more capable laptops on the PC end.
 
Well I think it's fine for Apple to charge a premium for the superior OS, but even then I do still think they are more expensive than they need to be. I would slash $200 off the Macbooks across the board, and $200-300 on the MBPs.
 
janitorC7 said:
I think that its crippling the ipods to have USB2. When FireWire was so much faster
Click to expand...

I hope you aren't serious. It doesn't matter how much faster firewire is. When 98% of the market share consumer is using USB and doesn't have access to a firewire port, you tell me if going to firewire is a smart decision.
 
janitorC7 said:
I think that its crippling the ipods to have USB2. When FireWire was so much faster
Click to expand...

I can see it now, new iPod Classic pro with Firewire 800 syncing out next tuesday... *


*come with extra cash because you'll be paying out your ears for this bugger...
 
heatmiser said:
Thank you; that's a better analogy. If iPods were still coming out in 2008 with USB 1.1, Apple would be the laughingstock of the PMP industry. As long as they keep using that business model to guide their "consumer" offerings in the Macbook, lots of people are going to continue to say 'to hell with the Apple tax' and pick up cheaper and more capable laptops on the PC end.
Click to expand...


Sorry, I just have to add something to this...


Regarding my Mac Pro (desktop) : GRAPHICS CARDS. Apple continues to release outdated cards in their "elite" desktops. I run some heavy 3D rendering and refuse to "upgrade" with an "outdated & overpriced" card !


Talk about choking the life out of my brand loyalty.


I love OS X but have always hated Apple's hardware death grip. I want an 8XXX series Nvidia card to run my apps.... yet Apple will not let me.


I switched to Macs with the iBook many moons ago. Then I followed up with a Powerbook. I decided to take the desktop plunge due to Bootcamp. Now I regret it. If Apple does not unlock their graphics card firmware, then this Mac Pro will be the last desktop I buy with the Apple logo on it :rolleyes:
 
Laptops (Apple's most definitely included) have really come to life. I know of 2-3x the people with laptops. The only desktops people have anymore are at their desks at work.
 
At school most people I know have Apple laptops, or want one desperately. Even the people with PCs often complain about how much they dislike their laptops.
 
With a solidly spec'd and aggressively priced revamp to the laptop line-up, Apple definitely has a great opportunity to make significant gains in market share over the next year. Of the last 10 people I know who bought a new computer, nine were laptops [4 were Macs] and one built his own PC gaming rig.
Very much looking forward to MWSF to see what they bring to the dance, even though I have no immediate plan/need to buy.

Woo me, Steve.;)
 
kuebby said:
At school most people I know have Apple laptops, or want one desperately. Even the people with PCs often complain about how much they dislike their laptops.
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same here.

some people say they hate apples, yet i bet they have never had one, much less used one for more than 10 minutes.
 
I don't think apple will ever take over PC there's just too much software not on Mac and by the time it starts to get more popular virus's will plague the OS and make it just as bad if not worse than windows or they will have the most annoying security features, They could even worse than Vista. either way apple won't dominate. It's not the hardware so much as what could go wrong during the process of taking over.
 
MarlboroLite said:
Well I think it's fine for Apple to charge a premium for the superior OS
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i disagree. to an extent it's all propaganda... as long as apple can convince people that their hardware and software is superior, they can easily justify charging the premium. once apple starts playing itself off as the AFFORDABLE superior alternative they will gain a lot more marketshare in the consumer market.
 
sr5878 said:
i disagree. to an extent it's all propaganda... as long as apple can convince people that their hardware and software is superior, they can easily justify charging the premium. once apple starts playing itself off as the AFFORDABLE superior alternative they will gain a lot more marketshare in the consumer market.
Click to expand...

Fully agreed. The longer we help Apple peddle this "superior OS" stuff, the longer we're all going to pay the Apple tax.
 
I agree! Affordability is a major deterrent. In my own family, the issue came up this Holiday. My teenage daughter wanted a laptop. It would be her first. Am I going to spend $1600 w/ Applecare on a MacBook or buy a loaded Gateway laptop for $650 without extended warranty, knowing that it should last three years but lasting two is fine. Also, if the Gateway lasts under a year, then it's still covered under warranty. I know this warranty stuff in part depends on how the laptop is abused or not.

So, I bought the $650 Gateway for her and will get her a MacBook in a few years, after seeing how she handles this one.

:apple:
 
heatmiser said:
Apple still considers DVD-recordable drives an "upgrade" on $1100 machines. As long as they keep charging extra for basic stuff like that, their laptop lines aren't ever going to dominate the industry. Just imagine if the baseline iPods didn't come with fast-forward or rewind buttons!
Click to expand...

That was a bitter pill to swallow. :(
 
FanOfMac said:
I agree! Affordability is a major deterrent. In my own family, the issue came up this Holiday. My teenage daughter wanted a laptop. It would be her first. Am I going to spend $1600 w/ Applecare on a MacBook or buy a loaded Gateway laptop for $650 without extended warranty, knowing that it should last three years but lasting two is fine. Also, if the Gateway lasts under a year, then it's still covered under warranty. I know this warranty stuff in part depends on how the laptop is abused or not.

So, I bought the $650 Gateway for her and will get her a MacBook in a few years, after seeing how she handles this one.

:apple:
Click to expand...

Personally, I've bought three Gateways in the past year, and have given them each to family members. They're very reliable notebooks, and I haven't had a problem with them. I'd definitely recommend them to someone considering a Macbook/Pro; it makes no sense to pay twice as much just to break even on hardware specs. An Apple laptop is a PC laptop with a TPM chip inside that allows it to run OS X. That's it. No other difference. It's made from the same parts in the same factories by the same underpaid workers in China as 99% of the other laptops on the market. It's about time their prices reflected reality.
 
Last I heard Apple Laptops were the #1 selling laptop in the USA, they still have a very small market share but it has everything to do with the 10 or so other major Windows peddling brands that are out there. If they licensed their OS to other makers I'd bet there would be a rapid takeover of at least the laptop sector of the market with machines running OS X.

Keep in mind that USA today a few months ago ran an article that listed Apple as #3 in computer sales overall. Dell and HP/Compaq were the only two brands that sell more units per year than Apple. Again it's the fact that you can only get OS X from Apple that will keep their OS having the smallest market-share.

SLC
 
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