Apple products, for the most part, tend to be more expensive than their alternatives. For example their Mac computers are typically more expensive than their Windows counterpart, so it would be a safe assumption to think that the Mac Pro could be considered overpriced as well, or is it? Attempting to find out if we would be paying an “Apple tax” on the Mac Pro, Futurelooks editor Stephen Fung decided to build a Windows version of the Mac Pro to see what the difference in price was, and surprisingly it turns out that the Windows version of the Mac Pro cost around 20% more.
Fung first started by building the highest-end Mac Pro possible which cost $9,599, and then attempted to do the same with Windows using parts from major retailers, all of which amounted to around $11,530.54. This was replicated with the base Mac Pro model which sits at $2,999, with the Windows version costing Fung around $3,994.65. Like we said, the prices Fung used were retail parts which does admittedly cost more than if a manufacturer were to make them. Fung also notes that there is a trade-off to either build (besides the obvious difference in OS), with the Windows version being more upgradeable whilst the Mac Pro tended to rely on more proprietary components.
Apple’s Mac Pro was made available not too long ago but it seems that due to its popularity as well as possible hiccups at the manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas, the shipping times for newer Mac Pros has slipped to February 2014.
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