3 ms·
> It's a big part of why Apple is so fucking rich. Should only Apple be permitted to make real money? I don't think so. Apple is rich because they've optimized
by miffy900 2y ago
> It's a big part of why Apple is so fucking rich. Should only Apple be permitted to make real money? I don't think so.
Apple is rich because they've optimized the hell out of their supply chain and through some clever marketing have convinced (rightly or wrongly) people that it's somehow reasonable to charge $200 for 64GB flash storage upgrades on their devices that only cost them ~$20. They are probably the only company in the world that have consistently run 20%+ profit margins on selling hardware ALONE. Their services revenue from streaming and arcade are puny in comparison. Even throw in the cut they take from app store sales, compared to hardware it's relatively small.
- BobAliceInATree 2y agoI don't think anyone, even the diehardest fans of Apple, thinks that Apple's RAM upgrade prices are reasonable. But we pay it for the same reason that people pay Porsche an extra $10k for a trim package — because you accept the high-margin upgrade as the cost of the item itself.
- LouisSayers 2y agoYou pay because they started glueing them in... Back in 2012 you could upgrade the RAM yourself. Now there's no real alternative.
- doctorpangloss 2y agoThis is what I am talking about. "There's no [practicable] alternative" is possible with the level of lock in and vertical integration that Apple has. Whereas PC manufacturers cannot really charge so much for storage and RAM, because you can upgrade.