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Originally Posted by CaptainRaiden
The term "over-simplistic" is used a couple of times by you in this thread. First of all, I assume and it seems like I'm the only person in this thread who cares about what tech goes into the gadgets I buy, who can build his own PC, and miraculously keep Dell products running without any failures, so in my opinion, buying Apple products and paying close to 50% more money just because "it works" without looking at what you're getting inside the box is rather noobish and "over-simplistic" as well.
I'm not trying to be insulting by using the term "overly simplistic". And I'm not dismissing your opinion... but it is just that: an opinion. I'm just saying that trying to condense a company's success or failure into a pejorative one-liner does indicate (IMO) an overly simplistic approach.
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I have assembled enough PCs and conversed with enough tech people to know how criminal Apple's premium really is. I have put forth tech questions in this thread, and instead of valid answers, all I've gotten is "I don't care bout the hardware", "It looks nicer" and "It's convenient and easier to use." I can't believe people are actually justifying $800 extra for inferior hardware to be okay. How much more can an OS do if the hardware isn't up there? Ever thought about that?
So just as I have a deep fascination for business and economics, it seems that you have a similar interest in technology. And there's nothing wrong with that. But you seem to be trying to use your knowledge of technology to extrapolate a market opinion on why people make the choices they make.
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I believe the majority of Z06's body is made out of plastic. Isn't carbon fiber at least 10 times more resistant than plastic in case of a crash? Isn't that why all F1 cars or any high performance racing machines are entirely built out of carbon fiber. It's not about how much you'll spend to fix it, it's about safety and whether that steering wheel is going to go through your chest or not. Do you get a better quality engine, gearbox, paddle shifters with the Ferrari? Probably yes. So, I'd say inside and outside, you still get more with the Ferrari even for double the price.
Carbon fiber, ounce for ounce, is stronger and less flexible than FRP. But neither car (to my knowledge) uses a carbon fiber chassis. Both use aluminum and/or aluminum alloys. Most formula race cars these days have carbon fiber chassis. It is the chassis that houses the survival cell. The body has little to do with the safety of the vehicle. So I fail to understand what what a carbon fiber body has to do with a steering wheel going through your chest.
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But like I have posted my comparison a few posts ago, with the Macbook, you actually get inferior hardware. The graphic card in the Macbook Pro for $1795 is exactly half of the one in the $959 Dell XPS. 512 MB vs 1 GB, and GPU memory plays a BIG role in any graphic intensive task on a computer. So, for the extra $800, I am getting an inferior product.
If that is your opinion, then I'm fine with that. So why wouldn't you just buy the product that you believe is a better buy and be happy? :)
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Well, since you have never extensively compared nor used a smartphone, then you can't really comment on whether the iPhone is better or even know how Apple is charging its customers silly money and once again, providing an inferior product. Without going into too many details, the Galaxy S2 was universally regarded as the phone of the year 2011 by experts all over the world, and the only phone to receive a 5/5 rating at techradar.com where even the "amazing" iPhone 4S got 4/5. Yet it is $150 cheaper than the iPhone 4S, and the sheep mentality of Apple customers kept it above by a hair.
So using that logic, then I can assume that you have both a Ferrari 458 and a Corvette ZR1 parked in your garage? :D
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I seriously don't know how these folks get infected. I've been using Windows for the last decade and a half, and Android products for the last 3 years. I've got Avast on my PC and AVG on my phone, and I have installed possibly over 200 applications and games on my computer and mobile combined. Not once have I got even one error, and I'm not the most anal guy when it comes to security. One would have to be REALLY careless to get infected or have the hard drive crash on them.
You might be a statistical anomaly. Anecdotals don't tell us much about the total population.
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I really can't believe people are trying to justify Apple charging $800 extra for inferior hardware. It's just amazing.
It's less about justifying and more about trying to give you some sort of answer to your question. That you may not like the answer is a separate matter. Sorry.
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Second, you can't really compare Apple and Dell. Apple deals in smartphones, tablets, desktop PCs, laptops, MP3 players, set-top video interfacing like Apple TV etc. Whereas Dell is really one of the many PC vendors with their main business being only desktop PCs and laptops. So, of course their revenues are ALWAYS going to be MUCH lesser than Apple's. If you look at only the laptop and desktop sales, they are quite close.
I remember that Dell has tried to compete in all of those areas as well. It's just that it didn't work out so well... and now they've exited some of those businesses.
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Besides, Dell is only one of the many PC vendors, and might be Apple's main competitor in America, but that doesn't mean people don't buy desktops or laptops from a number of other PC vendors like HP, Sony, Acer, LG, Samsung, ASUS, MSI, Toshiba all around the world. On top of this, people who really know their stuff, prefer to build their own PC, which usually is close to $1000 to $1500 cheaper than a comparable iMac and does all of the same things. If you pool ALL of the PC vendor sales, it trumps Apple quite easily.
The worldwide OS share statistics is 60% Windows and 9% Mac as of April 2012. So, while Apple MAY have sold more laptops than Dell last year in America, it's a luxury brand for rich people and is nowhere near competing with PCs all over the world.
You brought up Ferrari, so let's continue with that example. What was Ferrari's worldwide market share last year? Can we agree that it was probably less than 1%... substantially less than 1%? But in an industry paper that I read a couple of years ago, Ferrari was the most profitable automotive division in the world. The reason for that is Ferrari focuses on margins. Dell, on the other hand, focuses more on volumes. Others focus on margins. Apple is currently in the enviable position of being able to focus on both. Because the market demand for Apple products (including PC's) is what it is, Apple, unlike Dell, has no real inventory or margin concerns. The PC business is still very tough. And (IMO) part of the reason for that is the number of companies competing at the low end. And further, I really think it's those low end, generic computers that hurt the brands of many of these PC OEM's.
It's not my place to argue the superiority or inferiority of one brand over another. We all have opinions. Although I may be able to find logical explanations for how a company has succeeded or failed - since that's pretty much what I do for a living. ;) If you like to build your own computers, I think that's very cool. But I'll be really honest with you, to say that Apple is just a brand for rich people... if you'll consider the mathematical impossibility of that statement, it might unwind you a bit. With something like 50% of U.S. households having at least one Apple product... uh... Captain, there are not that many rich people in the U.S. That is, unless you want to define "rich" as someone who just has a job and a place to live. What would the Occupy Wall St. kids do if they had to contend with The 50%'ers? :eek:
Why not just enjoy whatever works for you and stop worrying about the decisions that others make? Why do you care what brand of phone or computer someone else has, as long as you're not paying for it? Whether it's cars or computers, I've never really understood why some get so wound up about the purchasing decisions of others. :confused: It's fine to discuss tech and whatever else. But remember, "a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still."