[Three of Seven]

Is it a desktop or a laptop?

Desktop, which is what the new Mac cheese grater is. As for my laptop, not upgraded that or replaced at all, it's not for gaming it's for doing basic bits like web browsing and writing. If I was going to change anything about it, I'd probably just put Linux on it.

[Enlistednut09]

You could do that, or you could just buy what works for you now instead of having to support a completely separate OS.

All you have to do is install a linux distro...nothing to do with hardware and pricing. Just switch to a better OS, and that point is null and void.

[Lars2510]

You could do that, or you could just buy what works for you now instead of having to support a completely separate OS.

Yeah, just pay 35000 to get an OS...or learn to use something better and more customisable for PC prices. I know which I would do.

[aceman67]

I know that the Apple Tax has gone down over the years and their prices are starting to get in line with off the shelf components (in the prosumer and professional market that is, their Macbooks and Macbook pros for every day chumps are still overpriced AF, with similar alternatives being almost $1000 cheaper in some cases), and you can kit out a similarly spec'd system yourself and be +/- a few hundred dollars.

But what gets me is the Monitor stand. Would have loved to be a fly on the wall during the meeting that birthed that idea, because the bull ♥♥♥♥ is strong with this one. It's insane.

[Lars2510]

Actually, I must apologise. Given bridgers post, I did some more research. Turns out the top spec also includes an accelerator card or similar, for proprietary accelerarion of certain video sources. And knowing the price of the cards made by red for the 8k stuff, that's probably around the 10 to 15k mark. So yeah that'll be what costs the money. My mistake, sorry guys

[Three of Seven]

You could do that, or you could just buy what works for you now instead of having to support a completely separate OS.

Linux is free though, and will run on my laptop, so there's no point in buying something new, I don't have money to burn, and especially not on an Apple product, where a lot of the money is for the name, not the product.

[Sul-Matuul]

Who in seven hells would willingly pay that much for a machine like that, unless they were just being a full-on 110% Apple fanboy?

For the price of that machine (plus the ludicrous stand) you could build and insane custom PC that would be more than capable of video editing, film editing and a bazillion other things.
There's just zero justification for that sort of price for computer; especially when it could be build for way less by anyone seriously interested in that much powerful tech anyway.

The only person who would buy that thing is some trendy hipster indie movie producer working out of a studio apartment in Soho or something equally daft. It's more about the looks that a serious piece of machinery.

[Rellimie]

Intel 28 Core Xeon Platinum 8180 Server/Workstation CPU/Processor - $9699 = £8600
Crucial 64GB RAM sticks X 6 (to get the 768GB ) - 2538
1.6kW PSU EVGA - £310
Samsung 970 EVO V-NAND M.2 2TB SSD X2 (to get the 4TB spec) - £860
AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo - Unknown pricing, as not yet released. Highly unlikely to approach £6000, much less excede it. For demo purposes, £6000
Standard Server Motherboard to accomodate all these parts - <£500

Answer:

The lower spec may well be ok price wise, but this system i quickly specced out is the equivalent of the max spec mac pro listed. My system cost £18808, vs £35000. That's a difference of £16192, or in other words, you could almost get two systems like this. And bear in mind this is not shopping around and looking for best prices. That's a horrific price. Add in the mac OS and it's poor performance and flexibility, and you get a horrendous package in comparison. The only thing it adds to the mix is the security chip directly on the motherboard. That is it. And you can't upgrade any of this once it gets old and dies. You will have to buy a new one, because good luck breaking into anything apple. Obviously I haven't seen inside. But I have never at all seen a apple device that can be fully upgraded the way a PC can be. Even the old mac pro was hideously outshone because of this, and you could upgrade some of its components (just not enough of them).

So...I agree that the lower end may be an ok buy. But as soon as you go high end, the apple tax becomes almost 50%.

i'm curious where you found the three 28-core Intel Xeon Platinum 8180 for less thank 10,000 USD, that is a 20,000 USD chip new.

[WelshAvenger]

I think that's the point Sul, Apple aren't aiming it at Joe Blow who only has $1000 for a new computer. They're aiming it at Industry professionals who already use Apple products. Those guys have already bought into the Apple 'ecosystem' as they're now calling it.

Many years ago (2001), I was a Web Designer and a client asked us to create some enormous posters to go in their store front windows (we had a large format printer). My PC at the time struggled to edit such large files in Photoshop, but the one Mac we had in the office did it with minimal fuss. PCs in our office were for gaming after work and the coding of websites, while the Mac became the graphics workhorse and the go to machine for large print files.

But, each to their own preference. Some Mac owners will be hipsters while some PC owners will be Windows fanbois. It doesn't really matter what people buy as long as they're happy with it. If someone chooses to blow a tonne of money on a new mac, it's none of my business. I'll be happy with my middle of the road setup that plays the games I like at a decent level of detail.

[Rellimie]

Who in seven hells would willingly pay that much for a machine like that, unless they were just being a full-on 110% Apple fanboy?

For the price of that machine (plus the ludicrous stand) you could build and insane custom PC that would be more than capable of video editing, film editing and a bazillion other things.
There's just zero justification for that sort of price for computer; especially when it could be build for way less by anyone seriously interested in that much powerful tech anyway.

The only person who would buy that thing is some trendy hipster indie movie producer working out of a studio apartment in Soho or something equally daft. It's more about the looks that a serious piece of machinery.

So I just configured similar machines on the HP and the Dell websites, they both came out above the MacPro and they have less expansion slots.

[Lars2510]

yeah, system builders always charge a huge commision. You have to build it yourself, or get a 1 man band to do it, and pay him a few hours labour

[Rellimie]

yeah, system builders always charge a huge commision. You have to build it yourself, or get a 1 man band to do it, and pay him a few hours labour

I'm not arguing that building a PC on your own is cheaper, it is and always has been. That is not Apples to Apples, no pun intended LOL

Comparing Apple to other main stream manufacturers though, they are right on target with the price.

[Lars2510]

I suppose so, much as it pains me to admit it

I'll always hate on apple I think, but I'll give them this one

Particularly given the accelerator card. If that wasn't there, I'd say out and out no. But that card costs so much I would expect, it evens it out pretty well anyway.

[Rellimie]

I suppose so, much as it pains me to admit it

I'll always hate on apple I think, but I'll give them this one

Particularly given the accelerator card. If that wasn't there, I'd say out and out no. But that card costs so much I would expect, it evens it out pretty well anyway.

I have issues with Apple laptops. Particularly with sacrificing cooling for looks. I really love macOS though and it's my sole reason for being an Apple guy.

I have no issues with their mobile devices however because regardless of the "specs" I have always found iOS to be snappier and smoother than Android.

[Sylveria]

I must have missed this gem of a discussion while I was sleeping...

I worked as a media producer years ago, used mainly Apple ecosystem products for video/web/print production. I can tell you that most in the industry who do so aren't really looking at costs, they're looking at the machine's performance and reliability relative to the cost.

I'm also very familiar with PC's and actually prefer them personally- but I'm very aware that PC's aren't anywhere near as reliable as Macs for professional production needs. It's not because the hardware isn't available- it's mainly due to the standards and ecosystems that have existed for years now. Adobe, for example- offers their software suites for both platforms- but can you guess which one's more popularly and widely used? (hint: it's not PC's....)

For general business and personal application (gaming, etc.)- I've always recommended PC's. I only ever recommend Apple products for those who can afford the price tag without flinching. I don't have an iPhone, and wouldn't considering what you're paying for you could have bought a laptop and have a much more enjoyable experience without worrying if the screen is going to break if it gets dropped. I get on just fine with my $200-300 phone, and spend all my "extra" money on my PC instead. Just popped a nice 1000 watt PS and Radeon Vega 64 in it, too... with all that money I saved being practical instead of trendy.