NewsOverpriced MacBooks Claim 20% of Notebook Market, Foolish Hipsters' Money

By our own admission, MacBooks aren't half bad. In Maximum PC's Apple's Notebooks Take On the PC Competition, Apple's MacBook walked away as best-in-class in the professional segment, much to the dismay of the PC faithful. But that doesn't mean we're willing to squeeze our wallet dry to own one.

On average, you can expect to pay twice as much on an Apple PC versus a Vista computer. And people are doing just that. Windows PCs still dominate the lion's share of the market at 80 percent, but Apple continues to cling to a respectable 20 percent slice of the pie. Making its piece even more savory, Apple's making over 35 percent of the revenue share. Think about that. Despite claiming one-fifth of the market, Apple's cashing in on over a third of the revenue.

These numbers come courtesy of the latest NPD sales information, but some feel that Apple has done as well as it ever will at the current price point. Joe Wilcox from eWeek writes, "What's next? I predict that Apple's grab for dollars has gone about as far as it can, without price cuts. Apple's higher prices buck industry trends."

That may be the case, but can trendy hipsters be expected to buck the trend of overpaying?

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mobile, notebook, apple, laptop, macbook
PDF ArchivesAugust 2008: PC Notebooks vs. the MacBook

July 08 Maximum PC pdf - click to download!In the PDF archive of the August 2008 issue, you can find:

  • PC vs. MacBook Notebook Battle!
  • Ultimate Guide to Firefox 3
  • Nvidia's Next-Gen GTX 280 GPU Unveiled!
  • How To: Create your own Internet TV Show!
  • Awesome Product Reviews, including MSI's new P35 Combo Platinum mobo!
  • Ask the Doctor
  • Rig of the Month
  • The Watchdog
  • And a whole lot more!

Click the big giant cover image to the right to download the PDF archive today!

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firefox, pdf archives, archive, Firefox 3, notebooks, macbook, guide, Ultimate, august 2008, geforce gtx 280, hybrid motherboard
NewsRumor: Next MacBooks Might Not Use Intel Chipsets

Intel's Centrino 2 platform hasn't even gotten its feet wet in the PC pool yet, and if a new rumor turns out to be true, Montevina won't be making waves in the new MacBooks expected to arrive within the next two months. If it happens, the change would mark the first time Apple turned its nose at Centrino in its MacBook line since 2006.

According to AppleInsider, not only might the new MacBooks abandon the Montevina chipset, but the new chipset may have nothing to do with Intel at all. Instead, the rumor suggests Apple might be busy designing the new chipset entirely in-house just as it did with its PowerPC-based Macs.

If not in-house and if not Intel, that only leaves a few other third party chipset manufacturers, such as Nvidia, AMD, or VIA. For all its recent problems in the mobile market, Nvidia might be considered a long shot at first glance, but recent reports suggest Nvidia might be willing to ditch its alliance with VIA in order to build a chipset for Intel's Atom processor. Could this be the opportunity Nvidia has been gunning for?

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intel, notebook, apple, laptop, hardware, chipset, macbook, rigs, rumor
FeaturesApple's Notebooks Take On the PC Competition

 

From the Air to the Pro, Apple’s MacBooks are winning the hearts and minds of consumers everywhere—including PC enthusiasts. Maximum PC investigates whether the hoopla is warranted.

What do you really get for the money when you throw down for a MacBook, and how do these Apple computers compare to their PC counterparts in terms of performance, features, overall usability, and price? Maximum PC tests and reviews the MacBook Air, the standard MacBook, and the MacBook Pro against five PC models sporting similar price points and formfactors. It’s time we set the record straight.

MacBook vs. PC Notebook Opener

 

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apple, dell, sony, asus, lenovo, hardware, Acer, XPS, features, notebooks, macbook, Vaio, TravelMate, ThinkPad, pc vs mac notebook showdown
ReviewsApple MacBook

Apple’s little white wonder of a MacBook excels against its PC counterparts, but it’s no Gandalf. As expected, gaming is this laptop’s weakest link. And even complex multimedia tasks can cause the MacBook’s magic to wither.

Still, in most applications, the Vista-booting MacBook performed admirably. Find out how admirably after the jump.

MacBook teaser


 

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apple, hardware, notebooks, macbook, reviews, pc vs mac notebook showdown, mainstream
ReviewsApple MacBook Air

Without a doubt, the MacBook Air is one of the niftiest-looking laptops we've ever tested.  But he smallest notebook we’ve ever tested comes with sacrifices - the MacBook Air makes serious compromises to maintain its petite profile.

MacBook Air Teaser

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apple, hardware, ultraportable, notebooks, macbook, reviews, Air, pc vs mac notebook showdown
No BS PodcastNo BS Podcast #70 The "Is It Time to Buy a Mac?" Edition

This week, Tom, Will, Dave, Norm, and Andy discuss whether it's time for you to give some of your hard-earned cash to Steve Jobs, specifically, whether a MacBook is your best bet if you're in the market for a new notebook. We also answer your tech questions, and Gordon takes a few shots at his coworkers--it's all on this week's No BS Podcast!

Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/maximumpc/1337

chicklet_rss-2.0.png chicklet_itunes.gif badge-channel-pink.gif

 

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dell, asus, iphone, No BS Podcast, notebooks, macbook
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