How is an Apple cheaper?

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muppet

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#175088 16-Jun-2015 21:21

I want to get a new laptop.

Why the hell is a MacBook Air cheaper than a similar specd Windows machine?

I want:

13"
SSD
8G RAM

Don't care much about the processor, long as it's not a potato.

Air is $1499
Dell XPS $1990

I almost think buying an Apple and sticking Windows on it might be the way to go. Of course, I'd rather kill myself than own an Apple product, so no chance of that actually happening.

What's up with that though? Even the ASUS
XU305 that's reportedly cheaper in the US is more expensive here.

Am I looking in the wrong place or what? I thought Apple crahap was always more expensive, not cheaper!

Audiophiles are such twits! They buy such pointless stuff: Gold plated cables, $2000 power cords. Idiots.

OOOHHHH HYPERFIBRE!

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#1326100 16-Jun-2015 21:25

What about a Surface Pro 3?

https://shop.jbhifi.co.nz/computers-laptops/tablets/microsoft-surface-pro-3-i5-256gb-tablet/81329

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muppet

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#1326103 16-Jun-2015 21:29

Interesting idea, but a really want a laptop with a keyboard etc. I know the Surface can have a clippy one, but I don't even want Touch screen etc.

But thanks, worth considering if I get desperate.

Audiophiles are such twits! They buy such pointless stuff: Gold plated cables, $2000 power cords. Idiots.

OOOHHHH HYPERFIBRE!

Inphinity

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#1326114 16-Jun-2015 21:33

I'd think you would find an HP Probook or Envy, Dell Latitude or Asus Zenbook with those specs (or very close) for under $1500. Got a Latitude E6230 recently for just under $1200 - 12.5", i5, 8GB, 128GB SSD. They seem to be end of line clearance at a few places, presumably the new model is not far off.

JoshWright

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#1326126 16-Jun-2015 21:56

muppet: I want to get a new laptop.

Why the hell is a MacBook Air cheaper than a similar specd Windows machine?

I want:

13"
SSD
8G RAM

Don't care much about the processor, long as it's not a potato.

Air is $1499
Dell XPS $1990

I almost think buying an Apple and sticking Windows on it might be the way to go. Of course, I'd rather kill myself than own an Apple product, so no chance of that actually happening.

What's up with that though? Even the ASUS
XU305 that's reportedly cheaper in the US is more expensive here.

Am I looking in the wrong place or what? I thought Apple crahap was always more expensive, not cheaper!

Have you used a Mac as of late? I know people who swore by PCs and hated Macs a few years ago, only to all flock to Mac recently. The build quality is really good and if you put Windows on it they're still a solid machine.

If it fits your needs and you're happy to run Windows on it I don't see why you should dismiss it as an option purely because "you'd rather kill yourself than own an Apple product". It might actually be a viable option. I recommend you try out someone's MacBook Air if you haven't had much hands on experience with one, they're solid laptops.

josephhinvest

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#1326127 16-Jun-2015 21:59

Good grief. Have you actually tried one? Apple have a very good reputation for build quality and reliability, and customer service. And it's cheaper in this case. Suck it up and try one. It's just a computer.

Cheers,
Joseph

billgates

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#1326142 16-Jun-2015 22:04

If you ring or jump on Dell chat and ask for a discount on the Dell XPS 13 ($1999) they will knock $300 off ($1700). Build quality and specs are better than Macbook Air. Full HD screen for a start vs 1440 x 900. 13" almost bezel less display in a 11" body. Macbook Air 4GB RAM with 256GB SSD 13" is $1799 at Apple NZ website so the Dell XPS 13 comes out cheaper by $100 and you get better specs. There is also a $1699 version of Dell XPS 13 and you can get a discount on that too via Dell chat if you ask them for one.

http://store.apple.com/nz/buy-mac/macbook-air?aid=www-k2-macbook%20air%20-%20index-n@b&cp=k2-macbook%20air%20-n@b

Do whatever you want to do man.

jaysin

20 posts

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#1326147 16-Jun-2015 22:13

muppet: I want to get a new laptop.

Why the hell is a MacBook Air cheaper than a similar specd Windows machine?

I want:

13"
SSD
8G RAM

Don't care much about the processor, long as it's not a potato.

Air is $1499
Dell XPS $1990

I almost think buying an Apple and sticking Windows on it might be the way to go. Of course, I'd rather kill myself than own an Apple product, so no chance of that actually happening.

What's up with that though? Even the ASUS
XU305 that's reportedly cheaper in the US is more expensive here.

Am I looking in the wrong place or what? I thought Apple crahap was always more expensive, not cheaper!

First off, plus 1 for being against the mighty apple!

In saying that, I find their software to be rubbish, but, their hardware is quite solid to be honest.

If you do find a MAC to be cheaper, go for it. You can always run Windows on it.

One thing to note however, is that if something does fail (which is far less likely than on a windows pc in my opinion) it is quite expensive to buy replacement parts.

Cheers
Jay

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muppet

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#1326148 16-Jun-2015 22:14

My wife has an Air. She loves it. By all accounts it's a great machine.

But they're not for me. I refuse to give Apple any money on principle.

Thanks for the Acer/ÀSUS suggestions, I'll have to check those out tomorrow.

Audiophiles are such twits! They buy such pointless stuff: Gold plated cables, $2000 power cords. Idiots.

OOOHHHH HYPERFIBRE!

muppet

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#1326149 16-Jun-2015 22:16

Just saw your post Bill Gates, thanks, that's probably the answer I needed!

Audiophiles are such twits! They buy such pointless stuff: Gold plated cables, $2000 power cords. Idiots.

OOOHHHH HYPERFIBRE!

gehenna

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#1326151 16-Jun-2015 22:17

Why is giving Apple money any different than giving Acer/ASUS money? They're all commercial entities designed for profit. The idea that one is different than the other is ludicrous.

jaysin

20 posts

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#1326153 16-Jun-2015 22:19

muppet: My wife has an Air. She loves it. By all accounts it's a great machine.

But they're not for me. I refuse to give Apple any money on principle.

Thanks for the Acer/ÀSUS suggestions, I'll have to check those out tomorrow.

Out of curiosity, are the MacBook AIR one's the 'lite' version of Macbooks?

Check out the custom built PBtech machines by the way. I managed to get a desktop with a 19" SSD and 8GB Ram, with GEforce etc. for about $1200. So, surely, they will have a laptop around those specs for a similar price.

Cheers
Jay

gehenna

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#1326154 16-Jun-2015 22:20

MacBook's are the low end version. Then MacBook Air's, then MacBook Pro's.

Though given the newer hardware in the MacBook it's probably on par or slightly better performance than the MacBook Air. At least until there is a MBA revision soon.

The MacBook is the least extensible out of the box.

jaysin

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#1326155 16-Jun-2015 22:21

gehenna: MacBook's are the low end version. Then MacBook Air's, then MacBook Pro's.

Ahhh, ok. My mistake. My apple experience is quite limited. Thanks for the info!

Cheers
Jay

muppet

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#1326177 16-Jun-2015 22:33

gehenna: Giving money to Apple is different to giving money to Acer/ASUS because I hate Apple with the power of 10,000 suns, while I do not hate ASUS or Acer with the power of any suns.

Trying to convince me otherwise just causes the number of sun-hatreds to increase, so please don't waste time trying :)

Audiophiles are such twits! They buy such pointless stuff: Gold plated cables, $2000 power cords. Idiots.

OOOHHHH HYPERFIBRE!

JoshWright

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#1326179 16-Jun-2015 22:35

muppet: gehenna: Giving money to Apple is different to giving money to Acer/ASUS because I hate Apple with the power of 10,000 suns, while I do not hate ASUS or Acer with the power of any suns.

Trying to convince me otherwise just causes the number of sun-hatreds to increase, so please don't waste time trying :)

You seem extremely close minded.

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