[ptico]

Author stated: “And there isn't much left to account for, just the case, the motherboard, and the cooling. None of those come close to explaining away all the additional cost”

Okay: - Xeon W compatible motherboard: ~$700-750 - E-ATX case with a good airflow: ~$200-300 - Quiet cpu fan (not server one): ~$70 - Keyboard/Mouse: ~$50-100 - OS: $199

After some simple calculation we may see a little bit increased estimated price about $3000 which is not so impressive as $1739 right?

This is a “budget” setup compared to Apple’s “luxury” components like highly extensible custom motherboard with T2, Thunderbolt 3 etc., large, beautiful aluminum case with an excelent airflow and so on.

Had Apple a leeway space to lower the price? Of course yes, but it’s definitely not $4200, i’d say like $500-1000. Should Apple do this? No. I see no reason for price drop, while competitors like Dell and Asus offers more expensive and less featured workstations.