Why do people buy Apple products?

[Fade]

Are you kidding? You came into this thread with guns blazing and posted an entire thesis about Apple, claiming their products are far superior than anything else.

I've seen tons of people that swear by Apple. That's great, but it doesn't mean other brands are shit. From what you outlined, Apple has some great tech but they're not the end-all either. Not everyone needs an ecosystem, that's why I asked this question. Some people don't want to be locked into an all-in-one company, but it seems like the average user feels they need to get an Apple product when in fact they don't.

Plus their products are mad expensive. In Canada, the iPhone 13 Pro is $1399 and Max is $1549!!!! For a phone! I think their Macbook pro is starting at $2499. Maybe I'm cheap, maybe I'm out of the loop, but that's A LOT.

I tried Apple for a while but I just didn't care for it. It's not for me. Besides, they have plenty of shitty practices over the years, just look at any Louis Rossmann video lol. I remember a few years ago they tried everything to block him from importing the parts needed to fix products. I think they even sued him?

Anyway, I didn't mean for my curiosity to turn into a whole debate.

 

[thedreampolice]

Ok take the challenge then fade, price out a Dell laptop right now with the exact same specs as a MacBook Pro and get back to me on the price. You will find them to be about the same price and the Dell will have worse build quality. And knowing the mac will likely last years longer makes it much cheaper. The TOTAL cost of ownership of Apple products are significantly less then windows counterparts. Again even IBM in their massive cost study found this to be true. Literally the pixel 6 pro is around 899 and I just priced out an iPhone 13 pro at 1k, so again within 10%ish the reality is for some reason you just don’t like Apple and want to hate them irrationally.

 

[thedreampolice]

Imho the IPhone works significantly better then any android I have ever used, and I have used a lot. Isn’t that reason enough fade? Why wouldn’t someone use a better product that’s within 10% in price of something else? Then when you factor in that iPhones are supported YEARS longer then android they become waaaay cheaper in the long run.

 

[2GooD Productions]

I literally posted no less the four criticisms of apple in my first post. Trying to claim its cult to me kinda shows you are out of decent arguments. I don’t give too shits what tech anyone uses. But don’t point at Apple users and say they are dumb or it’s just a fashion thing. Because Apple products have real and tangible benefits which I outlined. There are great reasons to use mac products and great reasons for an average consumer. Don’t you think the average person wants to save money for example? Don’t you think people like their tech working reliability?

Certainly there are plenty of great windows computers, or course. But this notion that Apple is overpriced junk is nonsense.

4 grand for a good mac studio lmao "overpriced junk is nonsense"
Yeah until you try to get it repaired and cant. Fuck apple, fuck their greedy business practices, fuck their slave labour, and I feel sorry for them being kept as slave labour so Apple fan boys and girls, who are more susceptible to the appeals to emotion in advertising, can satisfy their cultism.

 

[thedreampolice]

4 grand for a good mac studio lmao "overpriced junk is nonsense"
Yeah until you try to get it repaired and cant. Fuck apple, fuck their greedy business practices, fuck their slave labour, and I feel sorry for them being kept as slave labour so Apple fan boys and girls, who are more susceptible to the appeals to emotion in advertising, can satisfy their cultism.

The Mac studio starts at 2k and again, go price out a dell or hp with similar performance. You will find the Mac to be cheaper. Right now the Mac Studio is the cheapest way to get that level of performance.

And yes slave labor is a problem in the tech industry as a whole. It sucks. But Apple is one of the best at getting it out of their supply chain when they find it. Who does a better job with not using slave labor? Im all ears man. I have been looking and can't find anyone. Because HP, Dell, Intel, Lenovo, Acer, AMD use substantially more slave labor than Apple. So are you not using any of those products either? I will literally switch if you can find a company that uses significantly less child labor then Apple. I have been looking for years.

 

[2GooD Productions]

The Mac studio starts at 2k and again, go price out a dell or hp with similar performance. You will find the Mac to be cheaper. Right now the Mac Studio is the cheapest way to get that level of performance.

And yes slave labor is a problem in the tech industry as a whole. It sucks. But Apple is one of the best at getting it out of their supply chain when they find it. Who does a better job with not using slave labor? Im all ears man. I have been looking and can't find anyone. Because HP, Dell, Intel, Lenovo, Acer, AMD use substantially more slave labor than Apple. So are you not using any of those products either? I will literally switch if you can find a company that uses significantly less child labor then Apple. I have been looking for years.

I would never buy a Dell. Bought a HP once, couldnt upgrade the onboard graphics, never again. I build my own computers when building a Tower, and bought an ASUS laptop, based on past experience with ASUS, even they arent guilt free.
I made a point of saying in the Linux thread that Apple is certainly NOT the ONLY bad guy. Microsoft is far worse, but that doesnt make Apple any less guilty. The problem is business that becomes too big, too powerful and a monopoly. We were supposed to have had laws preventing monopolies, but they havent worked at all.
The same disdain I have for Apple I have for practically every big tech company. Im not singling out Apple, but they are certainly not anything resembling a paragon of virtue that people like yourselves are painting them as.

For the record, I will never spend 2 grand on a computer. Mac or otherwise. £1600 for the laptop is the closest I think I will ever get to £2000, and to think an iPhone isnt much cheaper. People come up with all sorts of weird Stockholm Syndrome reasons for why they allow themselves to be ripped off.
If I get ripped off, I will admit it firstly to myself, to try and stop it ever happening again, hence me never buying a Dell ever or HP ever again.

I can build a very capable tower for around £1500, and if you sacrifice an expensive graphics card for a better processor, you can get quite a beast of a pc for music production.

 

[thedreampolice]

I would never buy a Dell. Bought a HP once, couldnt upgrade the onboard graphics, never again. I build my own computers when building a Tower, and bought an ASUS laptop, based on past experience with ASUS, even they arent guilt free.
I made a point of saying in the Linux thread that Apple is certainly NOT the ONLY bad guy. Microsoft is far worse, but that doesnt make Apple any less guilty. The problem is business that becomes too big, too powerful and a monopoly. We were supposed to have had laws preventing monopolies, but they havent worked at all.
The same disdain I have for Apple I have for practically every big tech company. Im not singling out Apple, but they are certainly not anything resembling a paragon of virtue that people like yourselves are painting them as.

For the record, I will never spend 2 grand on a computer. Mac or otherwise. £1600 for the laptop is the closest I think I will ever get to £2000, and to think an iPhone isnt much cheaper. People come up with all sorts of weird Stockholm Syndrome reasons for why they allow themselves to be ripped off.
If I get ripped off, I will admit it firstly to myself, to try and stop it ever happening again, hence me never buying a Dell ever or HP ever again.

I can build a very capable tower for around £1500, and if you sacrifice an expensive graphics card for a better processor, you can get quite a beast of a pc for music production.

Right but building your own computer can't be compared to pricing on an HP or Dell. That's why I say compare Apple to HP or Dell and you will find they are all around the same price give or take 10%. So that's not GROSSLY higher than the compition. You know the internal profit margin on hardware is razor thin for these companies right? Like if you buy a 1k product from Apple they are lucky to make $50 on it. They just sell millions of them. Microsoft actually has a high profit margin on their products because it's mostly software. For what I do for a living I regally spend 30K on servers, and I don't feel like that's a rip off. I think the most expensive server I have ever bought was like 80k and I thought that was a great deal. I think Apple has some of the most ethical business practices of any big company, but no they are not a picture of virtue, of course not. But if you have to deal with the big guys, I will pick them when possible because they seem to at least be making an effort to do the right thing most of the time. Not always. You guys paint people that use Apple products like they are some dumbasses and I have shown that its just not the case. You really think 1 billion people are just dumb and buy Apple out of ignorance? That's pretty egotistical IMHO. I also don't think Apple is some evil empire and you guys seem too. Which is weird. Companies get more inefficient as they get larger. So more dumb stuff happens. Unless you are Nestle. That IS an evil company in every way.

Also look up ASUS and slave labor, they are one of the absolute WORST offenders. If you use ASUS products you can't throw shade at ANYONE else.

 

[2GooD Productions]

Right but building your own computer can't be compared to pricing on an HP or Dell. That's why I say compare Apple to HP or Dell and you will find they are all around the same price give or take 10%. So that's not GROSSLY higher than the compition. You know the internal profit margin on hardware is razor thin for these companies right? Like if you buy a 1k product from Apple they are lucky to make $50 on it. They just sell millions of them. Microsoft actually has a high profit margin on their products because it's mostly software. For what I do for a living I regally spend 30K on servers, and I don't feel like that's a rip off. I think the most expensive server I have ever bought was like 80k and I thought that was a great deal. I think Apple has some of the most ethical business practices of any big company, but no they are not a picture of virtue, of course not. But if you have to deal with the big guys, I will pick them when possible because they seem to at least be making an effort to do the right thing most of the time. Not always. You guys paint people that use Apple products like they are some dumbasses and I have shown that its just not the case. You really think 1 billion people are just dumb and buy Apple out of ignorance? That's pretty egotistical IMHO. I also don't think Apple is some evil empire and you guys seem too. Which is weird. Companies get more inefficient as they get larger. So more dumb stuff happens. Unless you are Nestle. That IS an evil company in every way.

Also look up ASUS and slave labor, they are one of the absolute WORST offenders. If you use ASUS products you can't throw shade at ANYONE else.

I can throw shade all day, Im not a fan boy of any of them, neither do I recommend one over the other.

10 Ways Apple Is 'Overpriced'

While market pundits argue over Apple's stock price, there's one area in which Apple is clearly expensive: its accessories lineup.

www.thestreet.com

Why Is Apple So Expensive? (Top 10 Reasons)

You may wonder, why is Apple so expensive? We give you the top 11 reasons and cover much more in our complete guide.

www.thecoldwire.com

The new iPhones will be way overpriced. It doesn't matter

New iPhones are on their way but even Samsung's, Google's and Huawei's best efforts won't dent Apple's crazy profit margins

www.wired.co.uk

Its no secret that Apple is grossly overpriced, no conspiracy theory. Its public knowledge. To say otherwise, especially given your "expertise", is wilfully ignorant IMO.

The right to repair is one of the most fundamental things you should be able to have to something you OWN.
The way Apple has treated its customers by not offering repair or letting anybody else repair faulty mac's leaving the customer no option but to have to buy a whole new mac, or go somewhere else, thats disgusting.

I tried to get the point across before that I dont trust ANY OF THEM, once companies get to a certain size, they become beasts that put profits over people, every single time.

 

[thedreampolice]

I can throw shade all day, Im not a fan boy of any of them, neither do I recommend one over the other.

10 Ways Apple Is 'Overpriced'

While market pundits argue over Apple's stock price, there's one area in which Apple is clearly expensive: its accessories lineup.

www.thestreet.com

Why Is Apple So Expensive? (Top 10 Reasons)

You may wonder, why is Apple so expensive? We give you the top 11 reasons and cover much more in our complete guide.

www.thecoldwire.com

The new iPhones will be way overpriced. It doesn't matter

New iPhones are on their way but even Samsung's, Google's and Huawei's best efforts won't dent Apple's crazy profit margins

www.wired.co.uk

Its no secret that Apple is grossly overpriced, no conspiracy theory. Its public knowledge. To say otherwise, especially given your "expertise", is wilfully ignorant IMO.

Well first off their accessories are a place that they do try and make up their margins, no doubt. But your second article basically got everything way wrong. When people say "Windows computers are half price" they have no clue how to price technology. Again if you go to the Dell site and make a computer that's identical in every way to a similar Mac they will be within 10% of each other. In fact sometimes the Dell is more than Mac and sometimes less. Prices change all the time. Try it If you don't believe me. Also most people have no clue whatsoever on how to price out technology products. Including people that wrote those articles.

High margin items are accessories (this is true of everyone, EVERY company tries to make high margins on accessories) and apps in the App Store. App Store apps are a very high margin item for Apple. Apple makes VERY little profits on items like Mac's and iPhones. Apple literally has to report their internal margins in their financial reports, which I have read https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/AAPL?p=AAPL&.tsrc=fin-srch have you? So no im not the ignorant one here. Its a myth that Apple is grossly overpriced, in fact over the life of the product Apple actually comes out MUCH cheaper. Many MANY companies over the years have found this out. Here is once again a link to the recent IBM study showing that over the life of the computer Macs are about $543 cheaper then their Windows counter parts. Buying all Macs would save 57 million over the life of the computer for IBM. So are Windows machines grossly over priced then?

For people in the back THE INITIAL COST OF THE PRODUCT IS NOT THE TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP. Over the life of the computer Mac's are SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper.

 

[Fade]

Ok take the challenge then fade, price out a Dell laptop right now with the exact same specs as a MacBook Pro and get back to me on the price. You will find them to be about the same price and the Dell will have worse build quality. And knowing the mac will likely last years longer makes it much cheaper. The TOTAL cost of ownership of Apple products are significantly less then windows counterparts. Again even IBM in their massive cost study found this to be true. Literally the pixel 6 pro is around 899 and I just priced out an iPhone 13 pro at 1k, so again within 10%ish the reality is for some reason you just don’t like Apple and want to hate them irrationally.

Imho the IPhone works significantly better then any android I have ever used, and I have used a lot. Isn’t that reason enough fade? Why wouldn’t someone use a better product that’s within 10% in price of something else? Then when you factor in that iPhones are supported YEARS longer then android they become waaaay cheaper in the long run.

LOL. It's amazing how defensive and aggressive you are over Apple. Just because you think Apple is amazing, it doesn't mean it is. Everyone has their right to an opinion, but I guess not when discussing it with you.

Anyone: "I think Apple is..."

Here's you:

You're twisting what I'm saying about price. Dell is shit, I know that. And I know that if you want a computer with those specs that it will cost that much. I'm saying that's expensive. If you're in the market for top of the line anything it will cost you.

You're obviously very opinionated when it comes to Apple so there's no point in anyone trying to have a civil discussion with you. Plus, I know when someone's mad when they keep saying my name.

Anyway, it's obvious you don't care about anyone else's perspective about Apple.

 

[thedreampolice]

oh im not mad whatsoever. Like at all, but I feel I gave a logical and factually correct essay of why Apple products are great in some situations and basically I got back "nuh uh you are dumb" if you don't like Apple fine, but don't act like people that use Apple products are dumb.

 

[2GooD Productions]

oh im not mad whatsoever. Like at all, but I feel I gave a logical and factually correct essay of why Apple products are great in some situations and basically I got back "nuh uh you are dumb" if you don't like Apple fine, but don't act like people that use Apple products are dumb.

Also most people have no clue whatsoever on how to price out technology products. Including people that wrote those articles.

Whose calling who dumb?

 

[Fade]

Again, twisting words. And of course you're all mad and defensive. Right, @thedreampolice? How's that @thedreampolice?

 

[2GooD Productions]

why would people criticising Apple make you feel like people are calling you dumb?
Guilty conscience?

 

[YannFer]

When I first saw the thread's title, I thought "and here we go again"... but it's actually a fun read... you guys...

 

[2GooD Productions]

I've used Apple and many other brands and I must say the quality of Apple products really stand out. It's not just a marketing thing as many people believe it to be.

It's like choosing a leather jacket over a fabric one. It's way more expensive but it's well worth the money.

If there is a minus to Apple, it's the edges of my MacBook that are vulnerable to damages and the original apple accessories for it are $$$.


if (MacOS > Windows && iOS > Android) {
return toUpperCase("buy apple");
}

This is the thing, if you are a fan of mac gear, thats fair enough, its a free world. Its a premium brand, and you pay a premium just for the logo. The fact that its a premium brand means people will pay more for the same thing. Same with any brands, you pay more for the t shirt with a logo on it than one without. If you can afford it, great, if it does what you want it to do, great. But you can get the same performance cheaper elsewhere. If Im a fan of something and if I was a fan of macs, I would happily say so, I would be well aware that Im paying more for the premium brand knowing that I can get the same performance elsewhere. I wouldnt try to pretend otherwise, and neither have you.
In your opinion you think its well worth the money, who am I to argue with that. You didnt try to convince me it was anything other than what it is, a premium product with a premium price tag.

 

[thedreampolice]

Yet I still see so many people buying their products. Why? Why not just get something else?

I dont get it either. Its like a cult.

I seriously don't understand why everyone wants an iphone. Why?

- because they're girls by fact.
- because they're girls by nature.
- because they want to be girls.

Well, for iPhones at least.

The rest is brainwashing.

I get all of that, but I'm just wondering why people in general buy Apple. I guess it's just the stylish brand, but I just don't know why the average person sticks to Apple when they know there's other stuff out there.

I think the average Apple user is not tech-savvy and just goes with Apple for being stylish.

Most people buy Apple for the exact same reason they buy Air Jordans.

Fuck apple, fuck their greedy business practices, fuck their slave labour, and I feel sorry for them being kept as slave labour so Apple fan boys and girls, who are more susceptible to the appeals to emotion in advertising, can satisfy their cultism.

Yea you guys aren't bashing Apple users at all lmao.

@2GooD Productions Me saying that the average person doesn't have the tech skillset to properly price out and compare technology products is not saying someone is dumb at all. You can always learn a skillset. The average consumer does not have the tech knowledge to compare Apple's to Apple's. That's it, it's not an insult.

Im also not mad at anyone whatsoever, I was just baffled because I think I posted some pretty good points and I still got back "But yea, I still don't get it" and i'm like well what haven't I explained in depth? I seriously was just trying to properly answer your question once and for all.

This whole thread reminds of this article about how facts don't change peoples minds. I was just trying to give a very good in depth explanation and no one really wanted to read it and understand the why. Even after the information and studies were presented. Im literally discussing facts as this is an industry I have been a part of for 20 years, so I do know a thing or two and I use these products everyday. I also own stock in both Microsoft and Apple and I spent a lot of time learning HOW those companies make money and where their profits actually come from. How many people have done that? Im pretty informed on it all. But personally I don't care one bit what tech people use. It just seems weird to bash Apple users for no good reason when Apple has absolutely stellar products that work amazingly well and in some cases are MUCH cheaper. Like what is hard to understand about that?

 

[2GooD Productions]

Yea you guys aren't bashing Apple users at all lmao.

@2GooD Productions Me saying that the average person doesn't have the tech skillset to properly price out and compare technology products is not saying someone is dumb at all. You can always learn a skillset. The average consumer does not have the tech knowledge to compare Apple's to Apple's. That's it, it's not an insult.

Im also not mad at anyone whatsoever, I was just baffled because I think I posted some pretty good points and I still got back "But yea, I still don't get it" and i'm like well what haven't I explained in depth? I seriously was just trying to properly answer your question once and for all.

This whole thread reminds of this article about how facts don't change peoples minds. I was just trying to give a very good in depth explanation and no one really wanted to read it and understand the why. Even after the information and studies were presented. Im literally discussing facts as this is an industry I have been a part of for 20 years, so I do know a thing or two and I use these products everyday. I also own stock in both Microsoft and Apple and I spent a lot of time learning HOW those companies make money and where their profits actually come from. How many people have done that? Im pretty informed on it all. But personally I don't care one bit what tech people use. It just seems weird to bash Apple users for no good reason when Apple has absolutely stellar products that work amazingly well and in some cases are MUCH cheaper. Like what is hard to understand about that?

So you have stock in Apple and Microsoft? lol
You literally depend on Apple making more money. And you personally are profiting from their business practices.

Am I the only one detecting a conflict of interest here? lmao

 

[thedreampolice]

So you have stock in Apple and Microsoft? lol
You literally depend on Apple making more money.

uh that's the point of an investment yes.

I have stock in Berkshire Hathaway (I actually go to the Berkshire shareholders meetings), Disney, GE, Kraft Heinz, Coke, Pfizer (as we discussed elsewhere), Target and WD-40 to name a few others. But if you are suggesting that me posting about Apple products in a niche hip hop forum is a way to make more money, I would say that's pretty laughable. I don't depend on any of them for income at all currently, but maybe someday. That's the goal right? To have your money make more than you.

Also notice that I trash Windows pretty hard, while also saying they have the business ecosystem on total lockdown and I have Microsoft stock. sooooooo

Would you like a list of things I think Apple got wrong? Because I have a long list of those too.

 

[2GooD Productions]

well when you are literally making a profit from slave labour, I suppose you will tell yourself all sorts of things to justify it.
I personally couldnt invest in a company that profits from slave labour, I have integrity and have lines I wont cross, which is why I dont have the money to work for me in the first place. I want to die on my deathbed knowing I never fucked anybody over for my own benefit, if I cannot say that on my deathbed then I failed at life. Thats the way I see it.
I would love to make loads of money and could if I wanted to fuck people over, but thats just not who I am. Im the guy that got fucked over one too many times. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me"