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Sweet Christ, even discounted that's way too damn much.

You are right Apple is way overpriced with these laptops now.
 

Yeah, even when you compare the old MBP to an equivalent spec PC, the price seems very high:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834310660

The entry 2.3GHz Macbook Pro is $1799 for a lower spec than the $899 Lenovo so for comparable components, that's half the price. Again though, it's not so much that Apple is too expensive but PCs are too cheap.

Lenovo's gross margin is less than Dell's at 12%:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/16/us-lenovo-results-idUSBRE87E1BV20120816

Apple's is 40%:

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2012/10/25Apple-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-Results.html

While 40% seems excessive, the net is what's important as that's their actual profit. Lenovo generates $141m profit on sales of $8.2b - their net margin is under 2% and Dell's is around 3-5%. Apple's net is around 23%, which is healthy. You can see the net margins in the following links on the right:

http://www.google.co.uk/finance?client=ob&q=NASDAQ:AAPL
http://www.google.co.uk/finance?q=HKG%3A0992&sq=lenovo&sp=2&ei=LCfoUOjjC8WCwAOFvwE
http://www.google.co.uk/finance?q=dell&ei=SifoUODFCOOZwQPGhAE

If you work out rough build/bundle costs from the gross margins, you get:

Lenovo: $791
Apple: $1079

I could believe Apple's computers and software cost 36% more to put together - they definitely have a higher build quality. Now say Apple used around 30% gross margin, you'd get maybe $1599. It's hard to link it all together but the Mac line accounts for a smaller portion of the profits now so $200 average off the Mac line would only affect their profits by $1b per quarter (4.9m Macs x $200 = ~$1b). Their net profit would be $7.2b per quarter = 20% net. Obviously they don't want to push it too much so that the Mac line starts dragging down profits from the iOS line but it would make them seem much more reasonable.

The entry 15" Retina MBP would then be $1885, which is pretty much what you see here. This is still a healthy profit. But if Apple sold at that price, resellers then have to sell at margins which might not be so healthy.

The other way for the price to come down of course is for Apple to cut some costs but that could have been what happened with Browett trying to cut costs with the retail stores.

I'd quite like to see them cut the Mac prices a bit as I think they'd still make a healthy profit but it's really up to them what they want to do. The way I see it is that while the iOS devices are expensive, they are still very competitive - there's only at most $100-200 difference between a competing brand, sometimes they cost the same. When you see a $900 difference on the Mac side, that's a big disincentive to buy for people. A $500-700 difference isn't going to resolve that but it's a big improvement.

I actually wonder if they are doing this to prepare for the switchover to the Retina models. That $1885 price is not far off the $1799 price on the old model. Having these comfortable margins will allow them to shuffle prices around as they please and not worry about it. They could sell the Retina model at the same prices as the old model tomorrow and still make more profit than anyone in the industry but I suspect we will see a more gradual switchover.

I imagine the next step that we'll see in April is to eliminate the top-end old-style model from the lineup and bring the entry Retina model down to $1999 and the top-end Retina to $2499. Similarly with the 13" but $1499 and $1699 for those.

I'm happy with my one I got on Craigslist for $1550.
Great deal here though. The rMBP is amazing

The discount is probably so high because Apple had to break apart the machines to 'refurbish' them. I'm not sure I'd trust one that Apple technicians had repaired; these are disposable machines.
 

 

Yes, let's trust iFixit, who has no access to Apple's tools or means of repair, and who exists for the sole purpose of selling you spare parts, to give a fair and unbiased assessment of anything whatsoever. 

 

?

Perhaps you should actually read the teardown. Or do you think Apple's tools include magic?

 

I did.

 

Here's a g-word for them: Grow up. You want to build your own magical computer where if so much as a loose hair from a fly touches it, it'll fall apart instantaneously? Be Apple's frigging guest. They owe you absolutely nothing, you deserve absolutely nothing from them, and if you want to sell parts so much go sell PC parts, because they're DESIGNED TO BE TORN APART because they're NOT BUILT TO LAST.

 

 

This isn't a step. This is an advertisement. And yet they literally treat it as a "step", incrementing by one more every further step in the teardown.

Grow up? How sophomoric of you. Too bad there aren't moderators for this kind of inflammatory language.

 

Part of "built to last" is being able to repair and upgrade a machine. iFixit is a great resource for this, and you're not obligated to buy parts from them. iFixit, in my opinion, is both egalitarian and unbiased. If iFixit is biased because they sell parts, why would they tell you to not attempt to repair a machine?

 

I've repaired replaced, or upgraded the following (that I can think of) in Apple Laptops: fan, hard drive, DVD drive, memory, screen, screen hinge, video cable, battery, power connector, timekeeping battery and done cleanups after accidental liquid spills. The new machines aren't immune from the need for these.

 

As for Windows laptops, I'll admit to having very limited experience, but there certainly is a range of ruggedness. I suspect the ToughBook in your local police cruisers are much more robust than any Apple laptop.