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A little markup like this is not unusual, especially considering the USD-AUD exchange rate is weak and volatile. Plus the labour for someone to install the driv

A little markup like this is not unusual, especially considering the USD-AUD exchange rate is weak and volatile. Plus the labour for someone to install the drive is not free. At least it's not the Apple markup. To go from 256G to 512G in an M2 Air is an extra AU$450.

chrismorgan 4y ago
That's where the DIY aspect makes it more interesting: you're putting it together anyway, so the labour aspect is removed and it's pure markup. And I wouldn't call 30-60% a little, though it's not dissimilar from other non-Apple OEMs (Apple being in a league of their own). (I didn't sample any but those two items. Others may vary.)
- tuatoru 4y ago
  Not exactly pure. There's labor involved in getting things packaged up nicely for a good DIY experience. And possibly testing/qualifying them beforehand.
  - chrismorgan 4y ago
    From a quick glance at someone’s unboxing video, they’re shipping these components in their original, unopened packaging for the DIY edition. I therefore reaffirm pure, because what they’re doing is part of standard retail markup and equivalent to what’s other retailers provide.
- esperent 4y ago
  > the labour aspect is removed It's worth pointing out that for Apple the labor cost is essentially zero. The factory workers in India/China/Vietnam are being paid around $2 an hour¶, and they would be installing RAM anyway. So charging $450 for an extra 256gb of RAM that probably costs Apple around $100 to $150 has zero relationship with the labor cost. It's pure profit. ¶I live in Vietnam and I know Samsung factory workers are paid about $200 a month here. I assume it's similar for Apple. China wages are a bit higher.
threeseed 4y ago
> To go from 256G to 512G in an M2 Air is an extra AU$450. It's an extra AU$300 = US$200 for just the storage. Your upgrade includes extra 2 GPU cores + better power adapter.
- suprjami 4y ago
  Still a ripoff. A Samsung 980 Pro 1T is AU$209. That's not an upgrade, that's the entire new device, double the size.

chrismorgan 4y ago

That's where the DIY aspect makes it more interesting: you're putting it together anyway, so the labour aspect is removed and it's pure markup. And I wouldn't call 30-60% a little, though it's not dissimilar from other non-Apple OEMs (Apple being in a league of their own). (I didn't sample any but those two items. Others may vary.)

tuatoru 4y ago
Not exactly pure. There's labor involved in getting things packaged up nicely for a good DIY experience. And possibly testing/qualifying them beforehand.
- chrismorgan 4y ago
  From a quick glance at someone’s unboxing video, they’re shipping these components in their original, unopened packaging for the DIY edition. I therefore reaffirm pure, because what they’re doing is part of standard retail markup and equivalent to what’s other retailers provide.
esperent 4y ago
> the labour aspect is removed It's worth pointing out that for Apple the labor cost is essentially zero. The factory workers in India/China/Vietnam are being paid around $2 an hour¶, and they would be installing RAM anyway. So charging $450 for an extra 256gb of RAM that probably costs Apple around $100 to $150 has zero relationship with the labor cost. It's pure profit. ¶I live in Vietnam and I know Samsung factory workers are paid about $200 a month here. I assume it's similar for Apple. China wages are a bit higher.

threeseed 4y ago

> To go from 256G to 512G in an M2 Air is an extra AU$450. It's an extra AU$300 = US$200 for just the storage. Your upgrade includes extra 2 GPU cores + better power adapter.

suprjami 4y ago
Still a ripoff. A Samsung 980 Pro 1T is AU$209. That's not an upgrade, that's the entire new device, double the size.