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It’s amusing to still hear “Apple tax” in 2018, as if there is no additional value in better hardware, software and support for many people’s use cases.

by bhj 8y ago

yaseer 8y ago
If anything, the 'Apple tax' is greater in 2018 than it has ever been. I say this as having owned 3 Macs for the last 10 years. 4-8 years ago, the gap between Apple and the rest was so stark, it seemed paying for a premium Apple product was a no-brainer. Even Linus got a Macbook air because the hardware was such a leap ahead. Not only has the gap closed, Apple have been left behind, with inferior build quality in key areas (keyboards). This has coincided with raising prices further. The 'Apple tax' is now a real phenomenon, not just the price of premium.
- lern_too_spel 8y ago
  Linus hasn't used a MacBook Air for several years now. Apple's devices are now inferior in every category.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
mrob 8y ago
The tax isn't just the higher price, it's the loss of useful features like the headphone jack, the SD card slot, and USB OTG.
bartread 8y ago
I know. The choice of Apple vs. Android is a trade-off, as is the choice of Apple vs. Microsoft/Windows 10. It all depends on what's most important to you and what makes most sense. For me, at the moment, in my personal life Apple makes more sense. I wish it made more sense at work because Windows 10 drives me nearly crazy, but it doesn't, so I stick with Microsoft's offering for now.
grigjd3 8y ago
I always thought of the apple-tax not as the cost of the product but the additional costs, like fifty dollar dongles because the new version doesn't use the same connectors as the old, or being forced to use iTunes, itself a montrosity of painful design, to put some mp3s on your mp3 player. As far as I can tell, Apple still charges $50 for a $2 wire dongle.
wolfgke 8y ago
> It’s amusing to still hear “Apple tax” in 2018, as if there is no additional value in better hardware, software and support for many people’s use cases. Being a golden cage, I would not argue that it is better software.
asdff 8y ago
Is another 8gb of RAM or 128gb of storage worth $200 each? I guess it is when you have no option to upgrade it after purchase. Apple doesn't do the decency to give you proper hardware either, opting for previous generation processors and a keyboard who's reliability is still up in the air even after their third attempt. Apple is further undermining their lofty pricepoint each product release.

It’s amusing to still hear “Apple tax” in 2018, as if there is no additional value in better hardware, software and support for many people’s use cases.

by bhj 8y ago

It’s amusing to still hear “Apple tax” in 2018, as if there is no additional value in better hardware, software and support for many people’s use cases.

yaseer 8y ago

If anything, the 'Apple tax' is greater in 2018 than it has ever been. I say this as having owned 3 Macs for the last 10 years. 4-8 years ago, the gap between Apple and the rest was so stark, it seemed paying for a premium Apple product was a no-brainer. Even Linus got a Macbook air because the hardware was such a leap ahead. Not only has the gap closed, Apple have been left behind, with inferior build quality in key areas (keyboards). This has coincided with raising prices further. The 'Apple tax' is now a real phenomenon, not just the price of premium.

lern_too_spel 8y ago
Linus hasn't used a MacBook Air for several years now. Apple's devices are now inferior in every category.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]

mrob 8y ago

The tax isn't just the higher price, it's the loss of useful features like the headphone jack, the SD card slot, and USB OTG.

bartread 8y ago

I know. The choice of Apple vs. Android is a trade-off, as is the choice of Apple vs. Microsoft/Windows 10. It all depends on what's most important to you and what makes most sense. For me, at the moment, in my personal life Apple makes more sense. I wish it made more sense at work because Windows 10 drives me nearly crazy, but it doesn't, so I stick with Microsoft's offering for now.

grigjd3 8y ago

I always thought of the apple-tax not as the cost of the product but the additional costs, like fifty dollar dongles because the new version doesn't use the same connectors as the old, or being forced to use iTunes, itself a montrosity of painful design, to put some mp3s on your mp3 player. As far as I can tell, Apple still charges $50 for a $2 wire dongle.

wolfgke 8y ago

> It’s amusing to still hear “Apple tax” in 2018, as if there is no additional value in better hardware, software and support for many people’s use cases. Being a golden cage, I would not argue that it is better software.

asdff 8y ago

Is another 8gb of RAM or 128gb of storage worth $200 each? I guess it is when you have no option to upgrade it after purchase. Apple doesn't do the decency to give you proper hardware either, opting for previous generation processors and a keyboard who's reliability is still up in the air even after their third attempt. Apple is further undermining their lofty pricepoint each product release.