On a price tag basis I also don’t recall Apple’s cheap days, and I’ve been here from the start. However on a value basis there has always been a good case that their excellent usability and build quality means you get more out of their products for much longer, therefore your money is stretched. In simpler terms: everyone is always out with pitchforks over the new iPhone’s cost, meanwhile tons of people are still on their iPhones from 6 generations back with no need to upgrade.
The last Apple I purchased was the Apple IIc. Has much changed since then? Do we still need to flip the floppy disk or can they do that with a robot now?
Crazy, I could have sworn that they announced it with 16Gb… I thought I remember that was the main selling point back then, didn’t know they went with the 8Gb as well.
I can say that around 2010, the value proposition was there. Longer lifespan, held their value for resale, better built in software. iLife and iWork were a crazy value compared to what you got from Office and whatnot. New versions of the OS were way cheaper. Wasn’t snow leopard like $60?
I’m no spring chicken anymore and I don’t remember Apple ever costing less.
And their software has always been anti-intuitive.
On a price tag basis I also don’t recall Apple’s cheap days, and I’ve been here from the start. However on a value basis there has always been a good case that their excellent usability and build quality means you get more out of their products for much longer, therefore your money is stretched. In simpler terms: everyone is always out with pitchforks over the new iPhone’s cost, meanwhile tons of people are still on their iPhones from 6 generations back with no need to upgrade.
The last Apple I purchased was the Apple IIc. Has much changed since then? Do we still need to flip the floppy disk or can they do that with a robot now?
Nowadays, apple computers come with a security enhanced CC slot and will not turn on until you insert a valid credit card in it.
What about right now? Isn’t the MacBook Neo reasonably priced (compared to the competition) for a 16Gb RAM laptop?
Edit: I was wrong, it has only 8Gb
Don’t think Apple offers a 16gb Neo. It’s also $600 USD and there are many cheaper options from other manufacturers.
The Neo is basically sitting in the middle between the newer iPad Airs and the iPhone 17 in terms of computing power.
I personally don’t think the Neo is worth it, but if you think you need a mac device, then it’s a decent ‘budget’ option.
Just checked:
8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD: 799€
8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD: 899€
https://www.apple.com/de/macbook-neo/specs/
They don’t even offer 16 GB in 2026
Crazy, I could have sworn that they announced it with 16Gb… I thought I remember that was the main selling point back then, didn’t know they went with the 8Gb as well.
Thanks for checking!
To be fair, iPhones, when not buying the newest one, are quite reasonably priced too. Friend got an Iphone 16 50% cheaper than I got my Android.
I can say that around 2010, the value proposition was there. Longer lifespan, held their value for resale, better built in software. iLife and iWork were a crazy value compared to what you got from Office and whatnot. New versions of the OS were way cheaper. Wasn’t snow leopard like $60?
Macs were a premium then, so were iPhones.
yeah until apple silicon came, macs were hot garbage with a ludicrous price tag.