Are you a PC, Mac, or Linux user? What version and why. — Page 2

ChainsawAsh said:

I assumed that ferris was talking about a MacBook Pro (which is what I have, and the $3,200 comment fits with that), for which his statement is pretty much accurate.  You can get a more-or-less equivalent HP laptop for about half to two-thirds the cost of the comparable MacBook or MacBook Pro.

People tend to play it a bit fast and loose with the whole "more or less equivalent" thing when comparing Apple laptops to the rest of the industry. A laptop from HP's Envy line, which is pretty much a ripoff of Apple's Macbook Pro with its slim profile, aluminum case, clickable trackpad, and LED screen, will cost just as much as a similarly configured MacBook Pro.

Sure, you could go with HP's "performance" line for something more powerful and less pretty, but that's a completely different product with a different market. There is no comparison because Apple doesn't do ugly, cheap, and fast.

When Apple products are compared to truly equivalent PC products--including both hardware specs and form factor--the Apple premium, if there is one, is insignificant.