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Apple was founded on bringing usable computers to the middle class. Tesla targets a high end niche market. My middle class parents, would never dream of buyin

Apple was founded on bringing usable computers to the middle class. Tesla targets a high end niche market. My middle class parents, would never dream of buying a Tesla but they have purchased Mac computers for as long as I have known them. Honestly I don't see a huge amount of parallels other than they share a common fanbase, tech nerds and these fans want to lump them together, and they are... both businesses competing in the modern economy.

crabasa 11y ago
[Tesla] was founded on bringing [electric cars] to the middle class. Seriously, it seems like commenters either aren't reading this article and/or have a bias against Tesla.
- devsquid 11y ago
  I did read the article. Tesla sells sport/luxury cars. They plan on expanding in the future to 30k+ cars, when it happens then they will be a company that sells mid~high end/sport/luxury cars. I am bias because I label Tesla as a company that sells the products that it sells? I don't get it.
sukulaku 11y ago
Hasn't Musk said his long-term goal is to make electric cars even ordinary people can afford? Weren't the first Macs really expensive too?
- devsquid 11y ago
  A mac("Apple") was significantly less expensive than a 'high-end' computer at the time. At least thats was the feeling, having talked to my parents about it before.
  - greedo 11y ago
    That's a strawman. The Mac was significantly more expensive than the Apple ][, and the PC etc. Not to mention the various Commodore's etc. Don't even get me started on the Lisa. Just because the Mac was cheaper than a minicomputer or a workstation doesn't mean it wasn't expensive. For the demographic it targeted, it was a very expensive machine. The Mac had an MSRP of $2495 compared to the PC at around $1600.
    - devsquid 11y ago
      How was that a strawman? Also I'm sorry I meant the Apple. To me they are the same computer. I understand historically they are not. I never said it wasn't expensive, even the Apple which MSRP ranged from 1,000$ to 2,000$ was still expensive but seems fairly competitive for the time. Cars are also pretty expensive tho lol. But luxury and sports cars are far outside the price-to-use range of a middle class family. A 'Apple' Computer, at least for my family, was worth it for them at that price range. A 20k car functions just as well as a 100k car, the Apple at 1k was pretty phenomenal for my mother from what she has told me. -edit- I don't think I really get what your point is?
      - ant6n 11y ago
        Apple was an expensive car. Just like Tesla is an expensive car. Work stations are not a car, they are more like a big truck. Nowadays Apple is an affordable car. Tesla may one day be an affordable car.
        devsquid 11y ago
        Computers were very expensive back then. I don't think Apple was an expensive computer at the time of its launch and part of what was so compelling about it was a personal computer not a work station. Tesla is an extremely expensive car. Especially if you consider its value-to-price.
        greglindahl 11y ago
        The Lisa and the NEXT cube were extremely expensive when introduced. The Thin Mac had 1/8 the ram of the Lisa, as a cost reduction. And, obviously, different people assign different value to the car. The 97% of owners who'd buy again probably don't agree with you.

crabasa 11y ago

[Tesla] was founded on bringing [electric cars] to the middle class. Seriously, it seems like commenters either aren't reading this article and/or have a bias against Tesla.

devsquid 11y ago
I did read the article. Tesla sells sport/luxury cars. They plan on expanding in the future to 30k+ cars, when it happens then they will be a company that sells mid~high end/sport/luxury cars. I am bias because I label Tesla as a company that sells the products that it sells? I don't get it.

sukulaku 11y ago

Hasn't Musk said his long-term goal is to make electric cars even ordinary people can afford? Weren't the first Macs really expensive too?

devsquid 11y ago
A mac("Apple") was significantly less expensive than a 'high-end' computer at the time. At least thats was the feeling, having talked to my parents about it before.
- greedo 11y ago
  That's a strawman. The Mac was significantly more expensive than the Apple ][, and the PC etc. Not to mention the various Commodore's etc. Don't even get me started on the Lisa. Just because the Mac was cheaper than a minicomputer or a workstation doesn't mean it wasn't expensive. For the demographic it targeted, it was a very expensive machine. The Mac had an MSRP of $2495 compared to the PC at around $1600.
  - devsquid 11y ago
    How was that a strawman? Also I'm sorry I meant the Apple. To me they are the same computer. I understand historically they are not. I never said it wasn't expensive, even the Apple which MSRP ranged from 1,000$ to 2,000$ was still expensive but seems fairly competitive for the time. Cars are also pretty expensive tho lol. But luxury and sports cars are far outside the price-to-use range of a middle class family. A 'Apple' Computer, at least for my family, was worth it for them at that price range. A 20k car functions just as well as a 100k car, the Apple at 1k was pretty phenomenal for my mother from what she has told me. -edit- I don't think I really get what your point is?
    - ant6n 11y ago
      Apple was an expensive car. Just like Tesla is an expensive car. Work stations are not a car, they are more like a big truck. Nowadays Apple is an affordable car. Tesla may one day be an affordable car.
      - devsquid 11y ago
        Computers were very expensive back then. I don't think Apple was an expensive computer at the time of its launch and part of what was so compelling about it was a personal computer not a work station. Tesla is an extremely expensive car. Especially if you consider its value-to-price.
        greglindahl 11y ago
        The Lisa and the NEXT cube were extremely expensive when introduced. The Thin Mac had 1/8 the ram of the Lisa, as a cost reduction. And, obviously, different people assign different value to the car. The 97% of owners who'd buy again probably don't agree with you.