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11 years ago I bought a 15” MacBook Pro, the first model year with the unibody design. I’m still using it almost every day for web browsing, watching videos, ed

11 years ago I bought a 15” MacBook Pro, the first model year with the unibody design. I’m still using it almost every day for web browsing, watching videos, editing documents, etc. In 2008, it cost $2,400. The new 16” released today costs... $2,400.

tristor 7y ago
Which means they took a reduction in margin to keep the price the same. Prices otherwise have risen, because of inflation. Check an inflation calculator and then you’ll be overjoyed Apple has a commitment to maintaining pricing standards for its products.
- lm28469 7y ago
  Meh, it's just a matter of efficiency, the bulk prices they get from manufacturers, the fact that they're basically using the same assembly lines for 10 years, with the same suppliers &. TV got much much cheaper in the last 10 years too and that's not because manufacturer cut their margins, mass production + mature tech + price/perf going down = price stagnates or drops.
  - vuln 7y ago
    TV's became a lot cheaper because they are 'Smart" all these companies are now subsidizing the TV cost because they are data mining and selling off your information.
    - lm28469 7y ago
      Ok, then let's say, GPUs, CPUs, screen panels, hdd/ssd &c. I mean, does anyone believe apple is giving up margin to absorb inflation ?
      - tristor 7y ago
        Yes, I stated as such. I don’t work at Apple, but I am a Product Manager. Pricing is a critical part of product market segmentation. Apple’s pricing is a deliberate choice, not an accident, and they absolutely give up margin for volume.
    - mikestew 7y ago
      The first plasma TV I bought was 42" and $2400. It was replaced a few years ago by a 62" plasma that has a tenth of the bezel, weighs at least half as much, and cost $800. There is no network hardware in either device.
      - dijit 7y ago
        Name please. I’ve been looking for such a device.
        mikestew 7y ago
        A Samsung from Costco that I am sure is no longer available, which is why it was probably at Costco. Costco's order archive doesn't go back far enough for me to find the model #, sorry.
LUmBULtERA 7y ago
So after inflation, the new version is about 20% cheaper and a lot more powerful? Yes, I get that you can do every day web browsing/watching videos/document editing, but that's not really the point of this machine.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
mcv 7y ago
Yeah, but that extra inch, man! I agree, though. My old 2011 MBP was fantastic. A few months ago the video card finally died, otherwise I'd still be using it. Modern macbooks barely seem to have any keyboard keys anymore.
- usertrjx 7y ago
  Also have a 17 in. 2011 mbp, There is a workaround to get it working with the on board video bypassing the failing video card, but it doesn't seem like a long term fix.
  - mcv 7y ago
    Sounds interesting. Do you have a link where this is explained? A friend claims I can temporarily fix my video card by 'baking' it, whatever that is.
    - usertrjx 7y ago
      https://gist.github.com/cdleon/ae1542279598fe80f527400cc354a956 https://gist.github.com/cdleon/ae1542279598fe80f527400cc354a... is a pretty good exlanation.
ebg13 7y ago
And my Quadra 950 cost three times that in 1992 dollars.
izolate 7y ago
I have the same 15” from late 2008 sitting in storage at home. Surprised you’re still using it! What OS version? Sometimes I like to look at the price of Apple stock in 2008 and wonder how much money I would have today if I had instead bought 2.5k USD worth of shares in 2008 instead of the laptop - it’s depressing.
- twobat 7y ago
  Give or take: it's x10 today.
- yoz-y 7y ago
  I'm using a 15" from mid 2009 every day still, it's on Mojave (with dos1dude's patch). Some software starts to flake out but it's still perfectly usable. (i need a custom homebrew patch because all new binaries require architecture beyond Penryn)
dpedu 7y ago
This isn't correct. The late 2008 Macbook Pro base price was $1,999 [1]. The new 16" base price is $2,400 [2]. [1] https://lowendmac.com/2008/15-macbook-pro-late-2008/ https://lowendmac.com/2008/15-macbook-pro-late-2008/ [2] https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/16-inch https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/16-inch
- snowwrestler 7y ago
  My processor speed is 2.53, so based on your [1], I must have bought the $2,500 model. But I remember getting some kind of Black Friday deal on it; that's how I know it's about 11 years old.
woutr_be 7y ago
I recently threw my 2010-2011 15" MacBook Pro out of the door, I actually couldn't believe how chunky and heavy it was, it was super weird to hold it. I actually still worked, although a bit slow, and the battery would only last for about 30 minutes, but still worked.
TMWNN 7y ago
>11 years ago I bought a 15” MacBook Pro, the first model year with the unibody design. I’m still using it almost every day for web browsing, watching videos, editing documents, etc. You are very fortunate; mine got hit with the EM209 issue twice. An AASP told me that it almost inevitably affects the 2008 and 2009 models. Apple did improve the model, though. The mid-2012 non-Retina model I'm typing on is seven years old and going strong, albeit with one keyboard repair (something that also affected my 2008 model twice).

tristor 7y ago

Which means they took a reduction in margin to keep the price the same. Prices otherwise have risen, because of inflation. Check an inflation calculator and then you’ll be overjoyed Apple has a commitment to maintaining pricing standards for its products.

lm28469 7y ago
Meh, it's just a matter of efficiency, the bulk prices they get from manufacturers, the fact that they're basically using the same assembly lines for 10 years, with the same suppliers &. TV got much much cheaper in the last 10 years too and that's not because manufacturer cut their margins, mass production + mature tech + price/perf going down = price stagnates or drops.
- vuln 7y ago
  TV's became a lot cheaper because they are 'Smart" all these companies are now subsidizing the TV cost because they are data mining and selling off your information.
  - lm28469 7y ago
    Ok, then let's say, GPUs, CPUs, screen panels, hdd/ssd &c. I mean, does anyone believe apple is giving up margin to absorb inflation ?
    - tristor 7y ago
      Yes, I stated as such. I don’t work at Apple, but I am a Product Manager. Pricing is a critical part of product market segmentation. Apple’s pricing is a deliberate choice, not an accident, and they absolutely give up margin for volume.
  - mikestew 7y ago
    The first plasma TV I bought was 42" and $2400. It was replaced a few years ago by a 62" plasma that has a tenth of the bezel, weighs at least half as much, and cost $800. There is no network hardware in either device.
    - dijit 7y ago
      Name please. I’ve been looking for such a device.
      - mikestew 7y ago
        A Samsung from Costco that I am sure is no longer available, which is why it was probably at Costco. Costco's order archive doesn't go back far enough for me to find the model #, sorry.

LUmBULtERA 7y ago

So after inflation, the new version is about 20% cheaper and a lot more powerful? Yes, I get that you can do every day web browsing/watching videos/document editing, but that's not really the point of this machine.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

mcv 7y ago

Yeah, but that extra inch, man! I agree, though. My old 2011 MBP was fantastic. A few months ago the video card finally died, otherwise I'd still be using it. Modern macbooks barely seem to have any keyboard keys anymore.

usertrjx 7y ago
Also have a 17 in. 2011 mbp, There is a workaround to get it working with the on board video bypassing the failing video card, but it doesn't seem like a long term fix.
- mcv 7y ago
  Sounds interesting. Do you have a link where this is explained? A friend claims I can temporarily fix my video card by 'baking' it, whatever that is.
  - usertrjx 7y ago
    https://gist.github.com/cdleon/ae1542279598fe80f527400cc354a956 https://gist.github.com/cdleon/ae1542279598fe80f527400cc354a... is a pretty good exlanation.

ebg13 7y ago

And my Quadra 950 cost three times that in 1992 dollars.

izolate 7y ago

I have the same 15” from late 2008 sitting in storage at home. Surprised you’re still using it! What OS version? Sometimes I like to look at the price of Apple stock in 2008 and wonder how much money I would have today if I had instead bought 2.5k USD worth of shares in 2008 instead of the laptop - it’s depressing.

twobat 7y ago
Give or take: it's x10 today.
yoz-y 7y ago
I'm using a 15" from mid 2009 every day still, it's on Mojave (with dos1dude's patch). Some software starts to flake out but it's still perfectly usable. (i need a custom homebrew patch because all new binaries require architecture beyond Penryn)

dpedu 7y ago

This isn't correct. The late 2008 Macbook Pro base price was $1,999 [1]. The new 16" base price is $2,400 [2]. [1] https://lowendmac.com/2008/15-macbook-pro-late-2008/ https://lowendmac.com/2008/15-macbook-pro-late-2008/ [2] https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/16-inch https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/16-inch

snowwrestler 7y ago
My processor speed is 2.53, so based on your [1], I must have bought the $2,500 model. But I remember getting some kind of Black Friday deal on it; that's how I know it's about 11 years old.

woutr_be 7y ago

I recently threw my 2010-2011 15" MacBook Pro out of the door, I actually couldn't believe how chunky and heavy it was, it was super weird to hold it. I actually still worked, although a bit slow, and the battery would only last for about 30 minutes, but still worked.

TMWNN 7y ago

>11 years ago I bought a 15” MacBook Pro, the first model year with the unibody design. I’m still using it almost every day for web browsing, watching videos, editing documents, etc. You are very fortunate; mine got hit with the EM209 issue twice. An AASP told me that it almost inevitably affects the 2008 and 2009 models. Apple did improve the model, though. The mid-2012 non-Retina model I'm typing on is seven years old and going strong, albeit with one keyboard repair (something that also affected my 2008 model twice).