It's been a few weeks since Apple released their new Mac Pro models. Starting at 28 thousand PLN and with top models costing over a quarter million PLN they are definitely not cheap.
But they were not meant to be cheap. They are targeted at institutions. So if in your institution time is money, hardware budget is a tiny fraction of a total budget, and the software that is being used is Mac-exclusive, then expect to see them soon (most likely in top-of-the-line configurations).
Unfortunately, there will probably be some individuals or small businesses, that will be tempted to buy the entry-level models. The reasoning is that they need a moderately powerful computer anyway, they like MacOS, so they can spend a little bit more and get a powerful Mac Pro (with 'free' keyboard and mouse!)
The problem is, that they won't be spending 'a little bit' more. So much is the 'Apple tax' in this case? Let's calculate:
Yes, you read that right, the amount of zeros is correct. Mac Pro is TEN TIMES more expensive than an equivalent desktop PC. And not just any desktop PC - but a very good one, without cutting any corners. Available immediately at standard retail prices from major Polish stores.
If we were to start buying budget-friendly components, from lesser-known online stores and did some bargain hunting, we could easily get an even better desktop for a similar price.
So for the price that is 1/10th of the cheapest Mac Pro, we can get a desktop that is better across the board (except the RAM, but for 300 PLN extra we can add another 16 GB).
But what about the most expensive 250000 PLN Mac Pro? Is it possible to build a desktop that's just as good for 1/10th of the price? Not necessarily...
Obviously, 87 thousand is still significantly less than 250 thousand. But as we move above customer-grade components (up to 32 cores on the processor, up to 256 GB RAM, non-GTX and non-RX graphics cards) the difference is getting smaller.
To sum up - top of the line models (when bought for specific tasks, by big companies that will benefit from them) are not THAT bad of an idea. Overpaying 4 times for hardware equipment is not that uncommon in the corporate world.
But (I can't stress this enough) if you are a normal customer or a small (or even medium-sized) business AVOID Mac Pros. Get a 'cheap' (5-6 thousand PLN) Macbook and perform MacOS-exclusive tasks on them And for heavy number-crunching or any serious workstation tasks get a decent desktop (with Windows or Linux).
If you don't know what exactly should you get, consult someone. There are many people willing to help - at computer stores such as X-Kom or Media Markt, on online forums such as Linus Tech Tips, on Facebook groups, in desperation you can even stand outside any technical University and talk to random people. Even if the advice you get won't be perfect, and you will overspend by let's say 50%, that's still so much better than getting something 10 times as expensive.
(Or you can also contact me for that purpose here :) : https://www.fiverr.com/hdwtrendsetter/help-you-choose-laptop-smartphone-or-pc-components-for-any-task )
