Let’s say you want a m1 Mac mini. $499 out the door and you have a great machine for photo and video editing, browsing the internet, and light coding.
If you buy the m2 Mac mini for $599, you have to add $200 just to get an SSD with the same speed. Now you’ve spent $800 instead of $600
and you’re at a price increase of 33% and you’re only getting a 15% boost in processing power.
Sure you can get more storage, but 512 gb isn’t anything to brag about.
MacBook Air, Mac Pro, or Mac Studio
Now, let’s say you don’t want the Mac mini. You want the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or Mac Studio. It’s the same story.
If you buy the m1 version, you’ll get a fast SSD, but the M2 version is crippled with the base model. You have to upgrade the SSD by paying another $200.
That’s a 20% increase in price for the MacBook Air, and a 10% increase for the MacBook Pro and Mac Studio. So really the best deal is the higher priced M2 Macs, but the best value is to not upgrade at all.
By upgrading to the m2 chip, it’s like you’re paying an extra Apple tax to get similar hard drive performance.
Okay, now I want to address one other issue with this. Let’s say a new Mac gets released and you want to sell you old M2 or M3 Mac. Well, if you upgraded your SSD you’re going to get less resell value than if you purchased the base model M2 macs.
So in other words, your paying an extra Apple tax to get these Macs, and your losing more value when you sell them.
And honestly, I think this has been apples plan all along. When they came out with the M1 chip, they had crazy good deals and priced them perfectly so everyone could buy one.
After they converted their customers they dropped the value on their hard drive performance to save money. This allowed them to make a larger profit on everyone who was willing to spend an extra $200 on a larger SSD.
What M2 or M3 Mac should you get?
Ok let’s say you don’t care because you’re going to get an M2 or M3 Mac anyway.
Here’s my recommendation. If you’re on a budget, and you don’t need the extra ram. Just get a MacBook Air or M2 Mac mini pro.
Consider just getting the base model hard drive. You’ll have more peace of mind that you didn’t pay more for the apple tax even when you have slower SSD performance. You might be waiting 1 minute instead of 2 for file transfers, but does your life really need that extra minute.
If you have a little more money and you need 16gb of ram or more, get the m2 MacBook Pro or Mac Studio. That’s the best way to pay less of the Apple tax and you won’t have to pay more for the Memory.
The way I see it, you upgrade memory and storage, the less Apple tax your paying.
Summary
Conclusion
The concept of the Apple Tax may deter budget-conscious consumers, but it’s essential to consider what you’re getting for that premium price. MacBooks offer a unique combination of design, performance, and user experience that many users find valuable.
While the Apple Tax is real, it’s ultimately a trade-off between cost and the quality of the product, but for a lot of us it comes down to peace of mind with each purchase .
So, when considering whether to pay the Apple Tax for a MacBook, it’s crucial to evaluate your needs and priorities to make an informed decision.
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