[ebbv]

Apple has always commanded a premium for their laptops. Yes there’s competing specs out there for less but there always have been. I paid $3k for my Retina MBP in 2012 and it still works great for me today. It was a good buy for me.

If the MBPs available don’t seem worthwhile to you, no need to get upset about it, just don’t buy one.

[jdpedrie]

I've always been happy (well, happy isn't the right word -- accepting perhaps) to pay what I know is a 25-40% premium for apple computers over a roughly equivalent PC, because I know what I'm getting in terms of quality, and the software is far superior.

I'm far less accepting of a 100% price premium while I watch the advantages which caused me to love Apple have been diminished. Seemingly every move in the pro line over the last several years have been to take away things that matter to me (replaceable parts, good keyboard, physical keys).

[nstart]

I for one welcome Apple's premium on hardware in general. It seems to make for a company that keeps its business model based on just their hardware. This is off topic so I apologise, but I've become rather disillusioned with how many better priced companies seem to be surreptitiously inserting constant tracking into their software and hardware.

[sigi45]

Like what? Where does Lenovo, Samsung, HP, Dell, Microsoft or x other companies track way more with software and hardware than apple?

[eksemplar]

I work in the public sector, we’re not allowed to use Chinese hardware and we get a special version of Windows 10 that has had it’s tracking disabled by Microsoft and verified/reviewed by our version of the NSA.

The only smartphones we’re allowed to use are iPhones that are enrolled into our enterprise program.

I can’t tell you if that means Apple tracks you less than Lenovo or Microsoft, but you can be pretty sure that someone is tracking you if you use unmodified hardware/software.

[llampx]

Apple is not doing you any favors by charging more.