Is the MacBook Air overpriced at $2,499 fully loaded? Seventy percent of us here at CrunchGear think so—Apple worshiper Biggs calls it a “great machine,” however—but what do we know? Nothing, apparently, if we’re to believe CNet, which comes to the conclusion that the MacBook Air, compared to other ultraportables, isn’t overpriced at all.
The argument goes: ultraportables writ large are expensive, so to single out the MacBook Air is unfair. The similarly spec’d Dell Latitude E4200, for example, costs $2,495. Same thing with the Toshiba Portege R600, which is even more expensive at $2,999.
That’s pretty much it. Because all these ultraportables, when more or less similarly spec’d, are $2,500 or more, to call the MacBook Air overpriced is dishonest.
But maybe there’s more to it than that. What I think is happening is that we’re confusing the words “overpriced” with “expensive,” using them interchangeably when they have wholly separate meanings.
To some people, say, people with money, the MacBook Air isn’t expensive, but it could still be overpriced. No, $2,500, in and of itself, may not be a lot of money—that is, it’s inexpensive—but you’re still paying a lot for what you’re getting. Plainly, you’re getting a slighter lighter laptop than the less expensive MacBook, but you’re getting less for more money. That makes it overpriced. You’re paying more money for less computer.
That, of course, assumes you put any sort of premium on the portability of your laptop. Let’s say you’re a desktop replacement kind of guy—there’s no way you’d pay $2,500 for a MacBook Air when you can buy, say, an Alienware for that amount of money. Or maybe you’re like me and hate laptops of all shapes and sizes. In that case, not only is the MacBook Air overpriced but it’s also expensive.
They’re all over priced, in my opinion. The trade-off in portability is nowhere near enough to justify such a hefty investment. Is it really so inconvenient to carry a Macbook, or even a Macbook Pro? Enough to spend that much more money?
On the other side, I’m glad some people are making the investment. It means the rest of us will see the benefits from manufacturers learning how to build better, thinner computers. The more they push the envelop and fund this by a niche device (or devices), the more everyone benefits.
The markup on these things is ridiculous.
I’m no fan of these things. I really tend to buy pretty cheap computers, and because of that, I don’t buy Macs anymore.
However, they’re only overpriced if they can’t sell them at the set price. As long as Apple can get what they price them at, I say, more power to ‘em.
Apparently, there are people that see the value of these things, or they wouldn’t exist. I’m just not one of them.
So what’s the point of this article? That some things are overpriced and other things are just expensive? So???
In a free market economy certain things have value. The things with more value usually cost more money. That value can be actual or perceived. In the case with the MacBook Air, as the author stated, it’s not more expensive (than the other products in its class). Is it overpriced? Only if you want/need one and don’t have the money.
Yes, the trade-off in portability of a MacBook Air is BY ITSELF enough to justify the higher price.
Is it really so inconvenient to carry a Macbook, or even a Macbook Pro? Enough to spend that much more money? YES, somehow the MacBook Air has crossed a boundary. I would always think twice before putting my MacBook in my backpack – do I need this for meetings today? because you do notice the weight. In the weeks between when I bought the MacBook Air and when I gave it to my wife for her birthday, I carried it all the time, without a thought.
How does it compare with a $2,500 laptop from makers such as Alienware or Dell? No idea. This MacBook Air was an $1,800 model. Still expensive compared to a $400 EeePC, but for less than 5 times the price you get 7 times the screen size. If I wanted a tiny screen I would get a $200 iPhone.
Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Hell Yes!!!
And that applies to the MacBook Air, as well as my wife!
P.S.,
My wife loves her MacBook Air!
When I got it, she needed a Windows laptop for work, so I got the MacBook Air to run Windows XP. By the time of her birthday, she had been sacked and had the time to learn the Mac OS X rather than install anti-virus software for Windows.
Then she had to do some intensive work with Microsoft Office, and it kept crashing. I suggested it might be an overheating problem, she got some gel cooling packs from the fridge, sat her MacBook Air on them and it worked.
Then she said, “I love my computer. Even if it has problems you cannot take this away from me.”
How much is that worth?
When the Air hit last year, I think it was a better value then than it is now. It was quite unique to see something manufactured with that level of quality and density.
Since October, though, even right within Apple that game has changed. The new Macbook is essentially an Air with all the missing pieces put back in and then a slight discount. At this point, most of the “thinnovation” of the Air has been spread to other cheaper products, so it would make quite a bit of sense for the Air to now be priced down to, say, $1199.
Macbooks in general: Expensive.
Macbook Air: Overpriced, regardless of the fact that all its competitors are also overpriced.
Per supply and demand, more of these things would sell if they were cheaper, nee Netbooks. But my air-inspired Macbook is plenty thin and light enough for me and most everyone I know.
i think that the macbook air is not overpriced at all. you can go look at competitors, which offer different, slower machines running windows. there are a lot of reasons the macbook air is better. and now that it has nvidia graphics, it is possible to be used as a light gaming machine, for WoW even. and it is not 0.7 inces thin exactly. it goes down to 0.2 inches. just research it. there are a lot of things better about this vs the competition. but, with the aluminum macbook weighing 5 lb and less than an inch thin, there is not much more your getting with the air. you must also factor in that the macbook has things like an optical drive and a bigger HD and stuff. so maybe the air is a good choice against competition, but only OK against the other models?…