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Infinite Loop / The Apple Ecosystem

Apple rebuts Microsoft criticisms that Macs are overpriced

An Apple spokesperson has an answer to Microsoft's recent ads and "white paper …

Apple is unfazed by Microsoft's recent attempts to make Macs out to be a bad value. "A PC is no bargain when it doesn't do what you want," Apple spokesman Bill Evans recently told BusinessWeek. "The one thing that both Apple and Microsoft can agree on is that everyone thinks the Mac is cool. With its great designs and advanced software, nothing matches it at any price." 

Microsoft has tried to make the case that Macs are more expensive than comparable Windows laptops with a series of "Laptop Hunter" ads and a recent—though dubious—"white paper" suggesting Mac owners even pay an extra "Apple tax" to own Macs over a five year period.

The "Laptop Hunter" ads have been highly criticized because the PC hardware that buyers end up with does not typically compare to the Mac shown in the commercial. Instead, buyers end up with clunky, heavy laptops with poor battery life and low-quality displays. And, of course, none have the same bundle and quality of software that come included with Mac OS X and iLife.

Likewise, Microsoft's attempt to show that Macs come with an additional hidden "Apple tax" was roundly rejected for being poorly researched and making tenuous comparisons designed to make Mac ownership out to cost far more than it does. "The Mac is a premium product, one that customers choose to pay for," Ezra Gottheil, an analyst at Technology Business Research Inc, told Computerworld recently. "Microsoft is arguing that people pay this 'Apple tax' for the [Apple] logo or a certain styling, but in fact, the experience is quite a bit different on the Mac. The Mac OS is, day-to-day, hour-to-hour, far less taxing, as it were, to use."

It's true that Apple doesn't have a Mac model for every price point, nor every possible combination of specs. But the company's offerings generally address the needs of a wide cross-section of consumers out there. The fact is that Macs take a different approach to how computers should work beyond just the hardware, too. That extends to Apple's accessories like keyboards and Airport base stations, as well as Mac OS X, iLife, iWork, Apple's pro applications, and even Mac software in general.

Those differences have value that is difficult to put a number on, but consumers can still perceive it. Even long-time Windows users can see the benefit. "Overall, Mac OS X beats Windows. There, I've said it," said Computerworld's Preston Gralla after using Mac OS X on a MacBook Air for two weeks. "[T]here's no doubt that you often pay extra for a Mac. But after living with a Mac, I can understand why people would be willing to pay [extra]."

So yes, Mac hardware can cost more than PC hardware, especially the kind of bargain, low-end spec'd stuff that Microsoft's "Laptop Hunters" end up buying. But that doesn't mean Macs aren't a good value. If cheap is what you want, by all means go for it. If value is what you want, though, Apple is an option worth considering.

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