The other day we reported that according to an initial comparison of the Mac Pro with a DIY equivalent, it was found that the Mac Pro was not much more expensive, and in some instances even cheaper which seemed to dispel the myth about the fabled “Apple tax”. If you still believe that the Mac Pro is more expensive and that users are essentially paying for the Apple tax, a comparison by the folks at Anandtech might be able to answer some of your questions. The folks at Anandtech recently reviewed the Mac Pro and in the process attempted to find out if one could get a Windows equivalent of the entry-level Mac Pro for cheaper, but as it turns out it looks like once again despite the Mac Pro’s hefty price tag, it seems to be in line with what other OEMs are charging (see table above).
Of course there were some factors that had to be taken into consideration, such as discounts associated with workstation orders, and also because not all OEMs offered the exact same components, prices had to be fudged a bit. However Anandtech also notes that while the price does appear to be competitive with other OEMs such as HP and Lenovo as listed above, they state that building a comparative PC from individually sourced parts would be far less expensive at least as far as lower-end systems were concerned. What do you guys make of these more comprehensive findings? Are you still convinced that as far as the Mac Pro is concerned, users are still paying a premium in “Apple tax”?
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