Maybe the DoD.
Apple is basically marketing the boundary between “Pro” and “Prosumer”. Much if not all of the growth of computers today for consumers outside of gaming has been video encoding, and suddenly with a 4K camera, a modern laptop and a face to die for, you’re now a “Pro” in your Youtube career. Apple is saying no, you’re just a glorified user.
These “Pro” products are aimed basically exclusively at major production studios, not individuals or small businesses. Most computers are already powerful enough for even consumer level “Prosumer” work, like digital video editing.
This is why all the Youtube “prosumers” are gasping in horror right now. It’s also why they’re charging 1,000$ for a stand; it’s a minor charge in an IT budget for a major company vs an OMG expensive you have to justify to yourself.
What does the stand so that makes it not an absurd waste of money? What makes you more professional with one?
I bet it costs them $50 at most to make it. 95% markup. How wonderful.
I’ll be up until 3am probably. Hang in there. It’s work stress related for me.
Does the stand do anything besides physically support the monitor? If that’s all it does, surely third-parties will be offering stands for $199 soon enough.
It doesn’t make you professional with one; it marks you as professional because only a professional can afford one. It’s a 100$ part that should be in the box but isn’t because they can charge 1000$ for it to the companies buying them, because corporate customers don’t care about a few thousand here or there. It’s a rip off, but it’s meant to rip off large customers, not consumers. You’d be crazy - or have Bay Area disposable incomes - to drop $13,000 on a Mac Pro setup as an individual.
It’s also part of the product differentiation thing, like i said before. Apple doesn’t want to consolidate categories, it needs a bunch of segmented categories.
QED…
And your okay with? I mean, plenty of Apple users are not made of money and would like a decent desktop experience. The fact that there is nothing to cater to them is a slap in the face it would seem.
Fuck it, I am a Windows guy, I have no right to comment on Apple products it seems.
Sure. It’s a bizarre luxury item. It slides off my delicate consumer sensibilities like water off a duck’s back. For the Pixars and ILMs who will buy these things by the truckload, it’s part of their cost of business. For me? It’s one more ridiculous item that I do not need, and will never buy. Add it to the list, along with Rolex watches, Ferrarri cars, and Louis Vuitton bags.
And if it helps keep Apple’s investors happy by maintaining their margins, maybe allowing them to keep making “insanely great” products like AirPods, then more power to them.
And Apple makes a more than acceptable, reasonably affordable desktop. It’s called the iMac.
The Mini and iMacs are awesome desktop computers. The prosumers have the iMac Pro. The only thing we don’t have is a fully customizable/upgradable computer. Yes, Macs are more expensive than the cheap PC market, but Apple doesn’t need or want that market. Also refurbs under warranty are available from Apple for someone who doesn’t have the money for a new one.
Thank you @Skipper. I did manage to catch a bit more sleep last night. I hope you did the same.
I did get some and was fortunately not up until 3, just 1:50 or so. I split sleep which makes it both better and worse at times.
It’s not for anyone, other than idiots.
It’s not a luxury item. It’s not painted brake calipers.
It’s a stand that your freaking monitor sits on. At work.
The monitor being hugely expensive is one thing. That could actually have your argument applied to it. It might provide some tangible benefit to someone doing their job, and thus justify the expense.
But we’re talking about the stand that the monitor sits on. Why would Pixar want to buy this kind of thing? It’s just as much of a waste of money for them as it is for you. Money does in fact still mean stuff for corporations.
This kind of thing seems like it’s going to kill the golden goose, because it’s pushing the high price of Apple goods beyond simply overpriced luxury into the realm of a direct insult to the intelligence of their consumers.
You could apply that argument to just about any company in the world who make some high end over priced item. Just because they make some bracket for a $10k computer doesn’t mean anything to me, anymore than the gold watches did. If people have a problem they won’t buy it. If the next iMac requires such a thing, I’ll buy a Mini.
Do you remember this video that the Onion did?
I remember some people didn’t get that it was a joke (likely didn’t watch much of the video) defending this online. If the faithful can find ways to convince themselves that replacing a laptop keyboard with an iPod wheel was a good thing, I’m sure they’ll find ways to defend a $1,000 monitor stand. It’s very sturdy, Timex!
You know what’s a slap in the face? The fact that Mercedes wants me to pay more than $200k for a Mercedes-Maybach S650! I can buy a Tesla with very nearly the same performance for about half that and a Toyota Corolla for so much less!
And to add insult to injury, they want me to pay $6,400 EXTRA for a sound system!
What a fucking joke. This kind of thing seems like it’s going to kill the golden goose, as they say.
Crap, I didn’t realize this was a luxury monitor stand. Now it makes sense.
A monitor stand is not a luxury car.
I’m not sure if you guys understand what luxury items are… they aren’t just “expensive thing”.
Like, I can’t just charge 80 grand for a hammer, by saying, “It’s a luxury hammer, like a mercedes!”
Technically, the hammer is only 70 grand. It has a $10,000 luxury handle, but you can buy a dongle to attach a regular shaft if you prefer.