this is outrageous

[Alfa989]

maybe you could explain me in detail what Apple does. and yes, I have used an Apple computer (seems that Apple fans are alergic to the word "PC"). do you think that OEM have a different pile of chips just for Apple? (when they were using their in house PowerPC, maybe this was the case, but since the Intel transition it's not anymore)
and I suppose a Mac doesn't even use the von Neumann architecture

Well, they design the motherboards and work very closely with Intel (The MBA is an example). And they certainly don't just envelop components in a "shinny" case. Apple designes the cases so that they are durable, well-made and work according to what they want their computers to be. Macs, when on, make almost no noise, up to the point when you don't know whether it's on or off. They come with the right ports (Although Apple seems to have a problem with the number of USBs ), throwing in necessary things like FireWire and eliminate WTF ports such as serial or parallel. They are well thought out (magnesium hinges in laptops (white iBook G3), handles (iBook G3), big trackpad (laptops), super easy upgrading (Mac Pro), space saving design (iMac), integrated webcams (Apple started the frenzy), etc...

They come up with good solutions and well-thought products. Something the vast majority of PC manufacturers don't, with a few exceptions (Lenovo, Sony...)

[karellen]

Well, they design the motherboards and work very closely with Intel (The MBA is an example). And they certainly don't just envelop components in a "shinny" case. Apple designes the cases so that they are durable, well-made and work according to what they want their computers to be. Macs, when on, make almost no noise, up to the point when you don't know whether it's on or off. They come with the right ports (Although Apple seems to have a problem with the number of USBs ), throwing in necessary things like FireWire and eliminate WTF ports such as serial or parallel. They are well thought out (magnesium hinges in laptops (white iBook G3), handles (iBook G3), big trackpad (laptops), super easy upgrading (Mac Pro), space saving design (iMac), integrated webcams (Apple started the frenzy), etc...

They come up with good solutions and well-thought products. Something the vast majority of PC manufacturers don't, with a few exceptions (Lenovo, Sony...)

a shinny durable case, eliminating some ports (which I don't think it's something useful), metal handles, new trackpads and a webcam does not justify the overpricing. for me, at least

[mikewhatever]

Apple doesn't *think* Romania is an important market, therefore, they don't care about it. They don't care if people buy Macs in Romania. Apple is like that... :S

One of Apple's bad things, they think the north american market is the most important in the world, when it clearly isn't...

That sounds like total BS. You've had a much better shot with post #11.

[Alfa989]

That sounds like total BS. You've had a much better shot with post #11.

What's BS about it?

[Alfa989]

well I've always felt that almost everything is cheaper in the US (for example we pay here 1 euro for a liter of petrol); maybe except the medical care, which from what I've heard, it's pretty expensive

That's because they have their own oil fields and such... Here, only Norway (I think) is a major oil producer. And, God knows why, they are so stubborn they don't want to be in the Union... Anyway, worse for them...

And I still don't understand why there's no free health care there... I mean, we're in the XXI century and you still get things like that...

Anyway, a little off topic

[karellen]

That's because they have their own oil fields and such... Here, only Norway (I think) is a major oil producer. And, God knows why, they are so stubborn they don't want to be in the Union... Anyway, worse for them...

And I still don't understand why there's no free health care there... I mean, we're in the XXI century and you still get things like that...

Anyway, a little off topic

Norway doesn't want to be in the EU because of the common european fishing policies , which Norway should obey if wants to be a member
or at least that the official stance

and on topic, do you own a Mac? (I'm pretty pissed off by Apple pricings in my country)

[hanzomon4]

I own a mac and I love it, it's just a really nice PC... Get over it already. The price is up there but it's worth it. You could also look at it this way: Macs are specially designed pcs made by one company. Regular pcs that run windows are a dime a dozen. Macs are not competing with other mac oems so they really have no reason to be super competitive in regards to price. But the level of care and design that you get when you buy a mac does make the price competitive when compared to PC manufactures that offer the same level of care and design. If you just compare the components Macs are probably over priced, but you're not just paying for components. If that's all you care about you really don't want a Mac.

[Alfa989]

Norway doesn't want to be in the EU because of the common european fishing policies , which Norway should obey if wants to be a member
or at least that the official stance

and on topic, do you own a Mac? (I'm pretty pissed off by Apple pricings in my country)

Yeah I do own a Mac apart from the PC... It hasn't given me any problems yet... Leopard works fine... So far...

I bought it in 2005, so the €-$ difference wasn't as hight as it is today...

[karellen]

Yeah I do own a Mac apart from the PC... It hasn't given me any problems yet... Leopard works fine... So far...

I bought it in 2005, so the €-$ difference wasn't as hight as it is today...

well I'm considering buying one this year (maybe for Christmas ) as I need a laptop besides my regular desktop pc and I was very dissapointed by the price. that's why I'll probably order one from US

[Alfa989]

well I'm considering buying one this year (maybe for Christmas ) as I need a laptop besides my regular desktop pc and I was very dissapointed by the price. that's why I'll probably order one from US

Bear in mind that you can't order items from the US store and get them shipped to Europe.