@ParadeGrotesque@mastodon.sdf.orgSo...
MacMini Intel Core i3, 8GB of RAM, 128GB HDD = 1099 euros with Mac OS X.
Intel NUC Intel Core i3, 8GB of RAM, 960GB M2.SSD = 575 euros. (no OS, but either Linux or *BSD will work)
Apple, seriously, W-T-F?
@ParadeGrotesque good christ... is this the "latest" Mac mini?
Seriously... I came to a similar conclusion in 2016 when I could get much better and/or more hardware for much less money. All that was missing was macOS and the Apple logo. (I run Linux on it.)
Yup, latest Mac mini, 2019 vintage.
Intel Nuc has them beaten down on price. Android is the dominant force in smartphones. iPads are not best-sellers anymore.
Apple is basically one bad quarter away from trouble.
(And yet, I'd like to buy an iPad Pro. Go figure.)
cf "Veblen goods"
so long as Apple can sustain itself in the position of being seen to offer luxury goods, it can
pull in high margins
put less strain on supply chains
avoid anti-trust
have tight vertical integration (HW, SW, cloud services)
these mutually reinforce
this is why, if one sees Apple being lauded for 'privacy' one should recognize it as an implicit statement thar privacy is for those who can afford it