Why are Apple computers more expensive?

[Andy008]

Why is it that Apple notebooks are so much more expensive than PC's?

[leggysreturn]

i believe its better quality and theyre less mass produced hence a higher cost.


im sure a techy can explain the technical benefits too.

[ZXR]

Apple computers are made by just one company (Apple inc) and set their prices accordingly.
PCs are made under licence by many different companies, all competing in an open market driving prices down.

Apple say thier products are better made than pcs and work sraight out of the box with no tinkering (see their many ads on youtube poking fun at how rubbish pcs are by comparison )
Basiclly Apple offer a quality product that works well and is intuitive to use, for this ease and reliability you have to pay.



More here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_inc

[leggysreturn]

That's exactly what i meant.
Though done with more eloquence.

[MWB]

I really don't know this.


Can you use google & firefox, etc with Apples?

[ACtheTROLL]

same reason a dog licks its b@l@cks ... cause it can
macs wre the first machines to use a graphical interface which showed exactly what would appear on screen.
so the media market jumped on them. And in industry ... when it works you don't fiddle with something that makes you money

not all - but a good proportion of macs are still used by their key target audience - the media guys
desktop publishing, graphics design, photo re-touching and advertising
and they can pay the money because the look/brand is important.

the pc market has competition
the mac market just has a price list - you wany a mac - you pay ... you want a bit for a mac ... you pay .... you want a prog for a mac ... you pay ... you want to go elsewhere ... well then you shouldn't have bougt one ... because there isn't anywhere else to go

there is a mistique of invunerability about macs - they don't have viruses (rubbish - there used to be more mac viruses than PC - now there is a steady increase in targeting as they get more popular - partly because they can now run windows!)

they are well built no argument - but sadly it's a windows world - unless you work in an area that uses macs ... at school and at work ... and at home you need to be window wise.

[Gromit]

If you factor in that a Apple computer last longer, are more reliable, don't suffer downtime due to viruses and attacks, and are easier to use so are more productive, then their overall cost can be argued to be cheaper.

PCs pricing is governed by competition between different vendors.

Apples is based on people paying more for what they believe is a quality product.

[squarebear]

Apples do get viruses but they are not publicised as much as PCs.

[VHG]

>If you factor in that a Apple computer

>last longer

Some people are stil running PCs with Windows 95 on them

>are more reliable,

I have 4 PCs in my house and rarely have a problem,

>don't suffer downtime due to viruses and attacks,

Never had a problem.

>and are easier to use so are more productive, then
>their overall cost can be argued to be cheaper.

Debatable

[Gromit]

squarebear

There are zero viruses out in the wild for Mac OS X.
The number of viruses for Microsoft PCs has passed the million.

[ACtheTROLL]

what's it like in gromitworld?


PCs pricing is governed by competition between different vendors.
Apples is based on people paying more for what they believe is a quality product.
and your point is?
"I got ripped off because it's good quality?"

>>>There are zero viruses out in the wild for Mac OS X.
gromit you are wrong again - and it's irresponsible to tell others this sort of rubbish
http://www.virusbtn.com/conference/vb2009/abst racts/Ferrer.xml


http://antivirus.about.com/od/macintoshresourc e/Macintosh_Viruses_and_Mac_Virus_Resources.ht m

http://searchg.symantec.com/search?q=apple+mac &charset=utf-8&proxystylesheet=symc_en_US&clie nt=symc_en_US&hitsceil=100&site=symc_en_US&out put=xml_no_dtd&context=hho&x=13&y=9

[beso]

Indeed Apple actually released advice a few months ago that Mac uses should be using virus protection and then quietly withdrew it.

Their supposed intuitive nature is a myth. They may seem intuitve to those who have only used them. They just don't realise what could be done better. Personally I find Macs clunky.

For example you can't size a window except from the bottom right corner. Want room to the left or top then you must move the Window. Don't forget to resize it first or the content and the resizing active area will be off the screen.

Want to see the full path in the search results window. Tough. You can only drag the columns to a limited width when viewing any folder in details mode. So it can find a folder but you won't know where it is. Quite tricky is you don't realise the file is on the OS9 desktop.

The minimise, full window and close buttons are meaninglessly colour coded where on a PC they have graphics with clear meaning.

Mac notebooks well made and robust. What a joke. I have seen more than one with the CD drawer taped shut. Want a heavy duty PC notebook you can choose from several manufacturers.

Want to run older software on a Mac. Nothing too long ago just OS9. It half reboots into another mode. As for the time they take to boot in the first place it is ridiculous.

Use a word processor you have a window for the program and a separate one for each document.

The Mac mouse. What junk. No buttons. You press the whole body down to click (don't rest you weight on it or you will click.) No scroll wheel.

One mouse I used with a laptop had a lead so short it barely reached across the notebook. Quite a problem with the USB port on the left. Oh but the clear top is just so stylish. Not.

Mac users will always tell you they are better because otherwise they would feel like fools for paying through the nose.

[Gromit]

ACtheTROLL

Please wake me from my ignorance. You have supplied links to people trying to sell virus protection. That is not evidence that there are mac viruses out there. I know it is possible to write mac viruses because people have done it in the laboratory, but no OS X viruses have ever made it out into the wild.

I am sick of these spurious mac vunerability reports from people trying to sell my software which I do not need.

There is malware which attack all browsers, and there have been the odd worm, but I have never heard of or had a virus for the mac.

I would be grateful if you could name me half a dozen so I can go and look them up.

It would indeed be irresponsible to claim it if it is not true. Equally, it would be irresponsible to say there are lots of viruses if that is not true.

You are normally very sound in your advice, so I look forward to seeing this list of viruses that I can get in OSX.

[Gromit]

ACtheTROLL

To start things off, here is a list vunerabilities that have been found this week in Explorer. How many of these are present in Safari or OS X?

Bloodhound.Exploit.256
W32.Troresba
Packed.Generic.236
W32.SillyFDC.BBY
Suspicious.S.Gen
Suspicious.S.Bifrose
Suspicious.S.Zlob
Bloodhound.Exploit.245
Bloodhound.Exploit.249
Bloodhound.Exploit.250
Bloodhound.Exploit.251
Bloodhound.Exploit.252
Bloodhound.PDF.15 Trojan 06/18/2009
W32.SillyFDC.BBW Worm 06/16/2009
Suspicious.S.Vundo.3 Trojan 06/16/2009
W32.Grenail.E!inf Virus
VBS.Mutafrog!inf
Trojan.Amoevae
W32.Ackantta.C@mm
Packed.Generic.2269
W32.Fujacks.CA
Packed.Generic.235
W32.SillyFDC.BBV
W32.SillyFDC.BBU
Trojan.Heapshelldll
Downloader.Lapurd9
Trojan.Iflar9
W32.SillyFDC.BBT
Trojan.Cipevas
Trojan.Ransomcrypt
X97M.Ecmetsys
Packed.Generic.233
Bloodhound.PDF.13
W32.Mibling
Boot.Chan
W32.Sfc!mod
W32.Neeris.C
Packed.Generic.228
Trojan.Hanambot
Bloodhound.Exploit.239
Bloodhound.Exploit.240
Packed.Generic.229
Packed.Generic.230
Bloodhound.Exploit.241 05/29/2009
Bloodhound.Exploit.242
Trojan.Bredolab
W32.Simouk
Trojan.Pidief.F

[Gromit]

beso

i use anti-virus software on my macs even though I have never had a virus because non currently exist.

I have never had my home burgled either, but I lock the doors when I go out.

Nothing too long ago, just OS9. That came out 10 years ago, before Windows 2000 even. The OS was completely rewritten in 2000. 10 years is a hell of a long time in computer terms.

[ACtheTROLL]

gromit
in this context none of the sites are selling - just giving info

firstly the virus bulletin - it's one of the sites used by the security guys (I don't class myself in their league I'm not one of them
see
http://www.virusbtn.com/search?s=apple+mac

but when I started working with computers - the majority of my day was spent cleaning mac viruses - the playboy toy being the one all the blokes had ... but there were probably 15 or 20 others (remember this was on the mac classic - no internet ,,, viruses were destructive in those days)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festering_Hate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk_Cloner_(compu ter_virus)

of course ie has more threats - 99% more popular than macs - but the fix time is also faster ...
but the recent increase in popularity has put macs on the radar ... and they are being targeted - to a lesser extent so is linux

you've also got to consider that these days viruses don't exist in the same numbers they did 5 years ago ... malware is the current method - trojans, phishing and spoofing currently are far more of a threat certainly for PCs - but increasingly more for MACs - and a good spoofing site is completely cross platform

the symantec site is a respected source of virus information as well as selling - the database is second to none - so we use it extensively
http://www.symantec.com/business/security_resp onse/threatexplorer/azlisting.jsp

[ACtheTROLL]

APPLE URGES MAC USERS TO INSTALL AV
Battling the common conception among its users that the
Mac platform is safe from malware, Apple issued a quiet
announcement last month encouraging the �widespread use
of multiple anti-virus utilities� on its products.
With increasing numbers of data-stealing trojans and
fake anti-malware programs targeting Mac users, the
announcement will come as a wake-up call to many
who misguidedly consider their preferred platform to be
unaffected by the dangers that Windows users deal with on
a daily basis. Apple recommended products from McAfee,
Symantec and Mac specialist Intego in its announcement.

the theat exists ... just because you've never been burgled doesn't mean there aren't burglars in the neighbourhood ... to say they don't pose a threat ..... or don't exist .... why then is apple issuing warnings?

[beso]

Windows 98 was around for ten years too. Much of the software from it and even Windows95 era (not to mention Windows3 now gettng on to two decades) continues to run happily.

Probably worth mentioning that the legendary superior in its day OS9 was the end of the road for Apple operating systems. It was so great that it was entirely abandonned and replaced with OSX which is based on the Linux kernel.

Notice there was no answer to the other issues.

[Gromit]

ACtheTROLL

There are zero viruses out in the wild for Mac OS X.
gromit you are wrong again - and it's irresponsible to tell others this sort of rubbish.

Again, all you have supplied is just scaremongering links from AV software sites. I have asked you to name one virus for OS X and you have not done so. Is that because you cannot find any. Go search the net, see how many people are seeking help with viruses, you will not find one genuine one anywhere in the world.

I know the the Mac is not immune to viruses and one day someone will write one which is why I do use AV software, but my original claim was that costly infections do not currently occur on the mac platform.

A AV software company have proved it is possible in the lab, but it was not released, and the platform is still virus free (for the moment).

http://www.sophos.com/pressoffice/news/article s/2006/02/macosxleap.html

Malware is completely different, and I never made any claim about that. Malware involves the user to be tricked. Mac users are as easily tricked as anyone else. I know the Symantec site. That is where I got the list above from.

Did you see the link at the bottom of your first link.
If you didn't read it , here it is again

http://www.apple.com/macosx/technology/securit y.html

[Gromit]

ACtheTROLL

I already used the burglar myself above. Which is why I do use av software.

The reason is that there are no burglars in the district at the moment but that doesn't mean they will not eventually come. I have never said do not use anti-AV software. My original claim was that clearing up the mess of a virus can be expensive, and OS X users have never had to do that.

The question was about the current Apple laptops. They are pretty secure. I have no idea how secure the macs released 20 years ago were. As you will know, the platform was completely rewritten in 2000. I suggest you go and have another look, as your information seems to be greatly out of date.

[ACtheTROLL]

gromit - methinks you protest too much

everyone else seems to admit that there are threats in the wild - even apple ..

you asked for examples - I've given you the symantec database .... still not good enough

OK so if I'm so wrong - and you have the inside knowledge - educate me

show me some evidence that they don't exist
(see I can do bold as well!)

and not the toytown site - or the self promoting apple site
you seem to have don exactly what you've accused me of doing and quotes a site SELLING software!
(although - see the quote) - make it a real security source

you need to get the simplex virus thing out of your head - the issue is malware of all kinds - which includes a wider range of threat tactics

I'm not always right - I know that - and virus security isn't my area (I've said that more than once as well) - but I'd rather err on the side of caution when giving advice - irrespective of what I do myself.