5 ms·

> don't want to pay the Apple hardware tax It's called the "price". Unlike taxes, you can choose to not buy it and not pay it.

pxc 3y ago
You can also avoid sales taxes by not buying. Like a sales tax, it's a tax you have to pay it you really want to buy the thing
- nosefurhairdo 3y ago
  You're making a silly point. There are not legal substitutes for paying taxes (inb4 loopholes for wealthy and corporations), while there are plenty of more affordable substitutes for Apple products.
  - Taywee 3y ago
    What are the affordable substitutes for the M2 Ultra?
    - the_watcher 3y ago
      If there are no substitutes, a high price is extremely justified.
      - alpaca128 3y ago
        I get that lack of competition explains the price, but I don't think that means it's justified.
        sib 3y ago
        If there is no competition (substitute, for given use cases and/or customers) and customers are willing to pay for it, then that is pretty much the definition of its being justified.
        paulryanrogers 3y ago
        Or a monopolist is buying up all the limited supply of that semiconductor tech, so no one can compete.
- seanmcdirmid 3y ago
  You can also avoid sales tax by buying at the Apple store in Portland Oregon. But I'm not sure what the point is here.
  - midoridensha 3y ago
    Legally, this isn't true. You're obligated to pay "use tax" (same as sales tax) to your state of residence when you bring it home if you aren't an Oregon resident, for most states. (Of course, almost no one does...) If you live outside the US, however, you can probably get away with this as the total value is likely under the customs exemption threshold, or if you use the device for a bit before you get on the plane, you can claim it's "used".
    - seanmcdirmid 3y ago
      Yes of course, I wasn’t encouraging anyone to evade taxes. However, if you are an Oregonian or Alaskan, you are good to go. Not sure how it works if you are from BC, maybe it’s covered under your tax free import allowance. As a Washingtonian, I would always list and pay use taxes on my purchases from the Portland Apple Store cough if I ever shopped there before.
Taywee 3y ago
A sales tax of any sort can be avoided by not buying the product. I assumed nobody would misinterpret the common colloquial term "Apple tax" (meaning "Apple's much higher than typical profit margin"), which I didn't invent and has been used widely for a very long time.
jchw 3y ago
I am surprised multiple commenters seem to not know about the (as far as I know, extremely common) euphemism "brand tax". https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=brand%20tax https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=brand%20tax It's not meant to imply that it's exactly the same thing as a tax. It's meant to suggest that e.g. Apple hardware is significantly higher margin than alternatives, an affordance allowed due to the reputation conveyed by the brand. Like all analogies and metaphors, it does not imply equality, so showing how the two things are actually different isn't very interesting or constructive unless the statement being made hinges on wrongly comparing aspects that don't line up (doesn't seem to.)
- jonny_eh 3y ago
  > an affordance allowed due to the reputation conveyed by the brand Calling it a tax implies there's no added value, which is entirely false. If their products are more expensive for a similarly capable device from another manufacturer (that's a big if), it's because Apple's products have a reputation for being higher quality. Many people will always be willing to pay a lot more for a little more quality, in the least.
  - jchw 3y ago
    I'm not even trying to argue that it's necessarily true, I'm just saying that arguing about semantics would simply be showing ignorance to what a brand tax is. One can argue if the prices are actually justified by some tangible value or not, it's neither here nor there. That said, the evidence that Apple has difficult to justify prices is definitely present in their product line. Love it or hate it, it's extremely difficult to justify a $1,000 monitor stand; even if it's actually not a result of high margins, it's really hard to see how they can add so much value into the concept of a reticulating monitor stand that it would be worth such a price tag. Or perhaps the $700 caster kit for the Mac Pro (a price that hasn't changed: I looked!) They may be the nicest casters ever made, but if it's an option you happen to want, the price from Apple is $700. They don't offer a cheaper option, so that's what you get with Apple. You may want it anyways, because well, it's just so nice and you don't care. That's fine, but that's definitely what most people call the "Apple Tax".

pxc 3y ago

You can also avoid sales taxes by not buying. Like a sales tax, it's a tax you have to pay it you really want to buy the thing

nosefurhairdo 3y ago
You're making a silly point. There are not legal substitutes for paying taxes (inb4 loopholes for wealthy and corporations), while there are plenty of more affordable substitutes for Apple products.
- Taywee 3y ago
  What are the affordable substitutes for the M2 Ultra?
  - the_watcher 3y ago
    If there are no substitutes, a high price is extremely justified.
    - alpaca128 3y ago
      I get that lack of competition explains the price, but I don't think that means it's justified.
      - sib 3y ago
        If there is no competition (substitute, for given use cases and/or customers) and customers are willing to pay for it, then that is pretty much the definition of its being justified.
        paulryanrogers 3y ago
        Or a monopolist is buying up all the limited supply of that semiconductor tech, so no one can compete.
seanmcdirmid 3y ago
You can also avoid sales tax by buying at the Apple store in Portland Oregon. But I'm not sure what the point is here.
- midoridensha 3y ago
  Legally, this isn't true. You're obligated to pay "use tax" (same as sales tax) to your state of residence when you bring it home if you aren't an Oregon resident, for most states. (Of course, almost no one does...) If you live outside the US, however, you can probably get away with this as the total value is likely under the customs exemption threshold, or if you use the device for a bit before you get on the plane, you can claim it's "used".
  - seanmcdirmid 3y ago
    Yes of course, I wasn’t encouraging anyone to evade taxes. However, if you are an Oregonian or Alaskan, you are good to go. Not sure how it works if you are from BC, maybe it’s covered under your tax free import allowance. As a Washingtonian, I would always list and pay use taxes on my purchases from the Portland Apple Store cough if I ever shopped there before.

Taywee 3y ago

A sales tax of any sort can be avoided by not buying the product. I assumed nobody would misinterpret the common colloquial term "Apple tax" (meaning "Apple's much higher than typical profit margin"), which I didn't invent and has been used widely for a very long time.

jchw 3y ago

I am surprised multiple commenters seem to not know about the (as far as I know, extremely common) euphemism "brand tax". https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=brand%20tax https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=brand%20tax It's not meant to imply that it's exactly the same thing as a tax. It's meant to suggest that e.g. Apple hardware is significantly higher margin than alternatives, an affordance allowed due to the reputation conveyed by the brand. Like all analogies and metaphors, it does not imply equality, so showing how the two things are actually different isn't very interesting or constructive unless the statement being made hinges on wrongly comparing aspects that don't line up (doesn't seem to.)

jonny_eh 3y ago
> an affordance allowed due to the reputation conveyed by the brand Calling it a tax implies there's no added value, which is entirely false. If their products are more expensive for a similarly capable device from another manufacturer (that's a big if), it's because Apple's products have a reputation for being higher quality. Many people will always be willing to pay a lot more for a little more quality, in the least.
- jchw 3y ago
  I'm not even trying to argue that it's necessarily true, I'm just saying that arguing about semantics would simply be showing ignorance to what a brand tax is. One can argue if the prices are actually justified by some tangible value or not, it's neither here nor there. That said, the evidence that Apple has difficult to justify prices is definitely present in their product line. Love it or hate it, it's extremely difficult to justify a $1,000 monitor stand; even if it's actually not a result of high margins, it's really hard to see how they can add so much value into the concept of a reticulating monitor stand that it would be worth such a price tag. Or perhaps the $700 caster kit for the Mac Pro (a price that hasn't changed: I looked!) They may be the nicest casters ever made, but if it's an option you happen to want, the price from Apple is $700. They don't offer a cheaper option, so that's what you get with Apple. You may want it anyways, because well, it's just so nice and you don't care. That's fine, but that's definitely what most people call the "Apple Tax".