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From: straka@ihlpf.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: More Mac prices
Message-ID: <2812@ihlpf.ATT.COM>
Date: Wed, 18-Nov-87 09:35:36 EST
Article-I.D.: ihlpf.2812
Posted: Wed Nov 18 09:35:36 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 24-Nov-87 05:37:52 EST
References: <460@aucs.UUCP> <57900011@sfu_cmpt> <1275@csib.csi.UUCP>
Reply-To: straka@ihlpf.UUCP (55223-Straka,R.J.)
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories - Naperville, Illinois
Lines: 41

In article <1294@csib.csi.UUCP> jwhitnel@csib.UUCP (Jerry Whitnell) writes:
>In article <3665@pwcs.StPaul.GOV> dennisg@pwcs.StPaul.GOV (Dennis Grittner) writes:
>|more competition in the Mac market. Has everybody noticed how
>|CHEAP winchesters are for PC's?? I wouldnm't mind if some of that

>and oranges (sorry :-)).  For the PC, all you have to buy is the drive itself,
>while for the Mac (at least pre-SE/II), you have to buy not only the drive,
>but also a SCSI controller, a power supply and an enclosure.  So the cost

Small point, but of course the PC world also has to buy a disk controller.
However, with a million or two of them in the market, manufacturing costs and
competition have reduced the controller prices to 1/2 that of mac scsi
controllers (plus the SCSI controller is a fancier beast, anyway).

The real price (not cost) kickers are:
1) Case and PS                  adder: ~$100 - $150
2) Cabling                      adder: ~$ 30 - $ 50
3) Support                      adder: ~$ 50 - $500	(depending on vendor)
							remember, basically
							NO support for PC
							drives.
4) Lack of major competition    adder: ~$  ? - $  ?
                                      ------------
				Total:  $180 - $700 + ?

The typical PC 20 meg HD (with controller and cable) via mail order can be
found (assuming rock-bottom prices) for just under $300.

I just saw an ad in (the back of) MacWeek for a Rodime HD for $499.  If you
add up the $300 basic cost and the low $180, you get $480.

Summary: The above factors are costing Mac users a fair amount of money.
	 However, the prices of the low-support, mail-order outfits ARE
	 approaching the same sort of low-profit competitiveness of the PC
	 world.  But DON'T start looking for prices much less than $500 for a
	 stand-alone Mac HD.  The economics just aren't there.  At least, not
	 just yet.
-- 
Rich Straka     ihnp4!ihlpf!straka

Advice for the day: "MSDOS - just say no."