Apple Charges 200% More Than Dell For Laptop Upgrades And Will Forevermore Get Away With It
The UK branch of Cnet.com features an eye-popping laptop upgrade price comparison between Apple and Dell.
We all know Apple is way more expensive than Dell, or most any other PC maker out there, because consumers aren't just buying a system—they're buying sex, image, prestige and reliability. But the fact that upgrade prices blast upwards to 200% more than Dell ... that's just straight-up fucked.
Check out the full comparison on the Cnet.net website and let us know what you think.
What do I think, you ask? Well, I think, as I said, it's "straight-up fucked." I also think Apple will get away with it forever and ever and ever, because its customer base does not seem to care. Why is that? I can't even begin to imagine.
Sure, there are homegrown ways to upgrade your own laptop, most of which are far less expensive than doing it through the Mother Company, but the reliability of these generic upgrades is dodgy. Personally, I had to try out several different RAM chips before I got one that didn't make my MacBook whirr like a pigeon caught in an industrial fan.
All that said, I've owned one Dell in my life. It lasted one year and then died. But where is the line and when is it crossed?
NeonMadman
Posted to In the News, On Your Desk on 26 June 2008
· Comments (4)
Other stuff like this: apple, dell, laptop, price gouging
I have a Dell notebook, and it's lasted for a year and a half so far with no hardware issues. I've known people who've had Dell systems that have worked fine for 5-10 years. So, to imply that Dell sells nothing but crappy computers is pretty unfair. Almost every company has systems that end up breaking sooner than expected. That's what warranties are for.
That said, it makes no sense why physical upgrades to a Mac cost so much. Sure, some of the hardware is different than what's in a PC, but there shouldn't be enough of a difference to merit price gouging.
Apple will always be able to get away with it because they have the entire market. Where else are you going to go if you want a Mac? Dell has to compete with HP, Sony, etc.
Apple is not alone in this though. Sony is notoriously expensive for replacement parts.
Apple's biggest problem is they never lower prices. They are usually more price competitive when a new product is released, but 6 months later they don't adjust the price for the now cheaper internal components like other companies.
kybarsfang: I never suggested Dell products were "crappy;" instead, I said my one experience with a Dell product was crappy.
Ducky: I mostly agree with you. However, the whole $200 price cut on 1st generation iPhones goes to show that Apple does sometimes cut prices, and, in the process, pisses in the faces of its customers.
I got my MacBook stock at MicroCenter and upgraded the RAM and HD myself. It was a good way to do it, because MicroCenter has a dedicated Mac section with appropriate upgrade parts: As the employee informed me, Apple (or more importantly, AppleCare) supports Lifetime brand memory, so that's what I bought. It sucks not being able to go for the lowest bidder, but I did a lot better than the build to order prices and got something I knew would work reliably, plus MacBooks are designed to be upgraded by the end user, an unfortunately rare feature among Apple systems (just the low-end laptop and the high-end tower, for some reason.) I've heard that if Minis are sent in for repair or upgrade, they come back scratched up because even the professional Apple techs have to pry them open with putty knives.
I guess the moral of the story is just to research your options, and especially talk to employees. You may know all about the product line, but they probably know more about the company's policies.