Are you possibly able to understand that other people do other things with their laptops and so see value in the technology?
Like I spend my time compiling things. A fast, low-energy processor is brilliant for me, because it lets me work faster and for longer. Can you not understand how I'd see value in that?
Of course. But I don't see there being enough of those people to drive that kind of revenue to one company. Apple makes money like a fashion brand because that is what they are. They are very innovative and very good at doing it. I'm not trying to detract from their success. Just amazed that it works and has worked for so long.
But I don't own any Apple technology and can't think of a reason I would buy any.
Yes I do work in tech as a full-stack developer and sysadmin.
I don't think it's the mystery you do - they make money because they make the very best technology, that makes people who work with a wide range of workloads more effective, and so those people are willing to spend money with them.
If Apple is compiling my application 1.5x as fast and lets me work 1.5x as long without recharging, that saves me genuine time in the day, either to do more work, or to work on my hobbies, or to take more time out. That's really valuable to me. That's why I buy it, and why so many other people buy it. The cost is pretty insignificant considering it's where I earn all my money and do 50% or so of my hobbies.
I think he's struggling with the question - why do so many people buy sports cars and SUVs when they drive slowly in a city.
Most people don't use a laptop much at home, preferring to consume media on a phone or smart TV. At work, most people use web applications and microsoft office and not much else.
So why do they need a fancy car? People like fancy cars. They have been buying them for years, and they aren't going to stop.
Now you are driving your jeep off road on your mountain ranch saying some people need an SUV and you are right, but you aren't rebutting what he is saying.
> I sometimes wonder what value these people see in this stuff.
And you answered it yourself with your own example:
> Now you are driving your jeep off road on your mountain ranch saying some people need an SUV and you are right, but you aren't rebutting what he is saying.
That's an example of someone seeing value in it right?
> If Apple is compiling my application 1.5x as fast
The M1 Max (the highest end chip available in a Mac laptop) is slower than competition from Intel and AMD, though. I'm not sure what its supposed to be 50% faster than, unless you are only comparing it to old Intel Macs.
When it came out, the new MacBook Air had better single-core performance than every Intel Mac that ever existed. Not just the Airs - all of them ... on a lower power budget.
I'm sure you can get even faster single-core by brute-force burning power, but Apple were trying to do something more intelligent by balancing with power.
I think anyone seriously trying to claim they can't see any value in this is clearly just being silly.
I spend many hours per day on a computer and the M1 MacBook Pro just feels nice to use. The little things on it that make it a pleasure. The speakers sound good, the screen is excellent, the keyboard is fantastic, the battery lasts forever. I don't even do big bad compiling jobs or anything. I can afford it and that's why I got it. My iPhone is the same way. I'll spend $100 on a single dinner. Simple as that. And clearly, millions feel the same way. Not everything needs to be some sort of min-maxing exercise.
My dad switched from a Chromebook to an M1 air, and said something like: “It was like going from a Pinto to a Cadillac.”
He’s a very casual user. In part, his positive impression was due to me setting up Ad blockers on his MacBook. But it’s also due to the speed, screen, build quality, and the expectation of longevity.
Also, he can resell the Apple for a pretty good price if he wants to. His Chromebook is practically worthless on the used markets.
He feels like it was money very well spent. Apple’s numbers suggest there are many like him.
For what I do with a laptop, a Chromebook is fine. And it's what I use.