It also doesn't address one of the other points I was trying to make - you can find quite a few sub $1000 with useful features you still can't get on a MBP...which costs about $2000 more. At this point, I would've expected Apple to finally include them.
Sure the 16.4 in Sony FW cost 700 bucks less than the 15.4 inch MBP and has more ports, etc. In that case I would recommend the Sony for anyone concerned about performance. But for anyone who is considered about mobility and durability, the MBP might well be worth the 700 dollars. Also, I would never pay for the performance of a MB Air but many are willing to pay that much to get a laptop with those capabilities and that mobility. Anyway, I was commenting on the Macbook.
In my brother's experience when buying his MBP, we priced out every laptop brand we new to the same specs as the potential MBP. Most were within 100 dollars give or take of the MBP price. And my brother was more than willing to pay a 100 bucks to get a light and durable laptop....that other stuff....magsafe, magnetic latch, aluminum body, disk safety accelerometer, etc. does matter for laptops and customers are willing to pay for those features. Based on what you've provided though, I'd agree that the MBP update is a bit behind. That just wasn't my experience at the time my brother bought his MBP. And that was his first Apple computer. It was his laptop that convinced me to buy an iMac later. So by no means are we fanboys.
Are you sure about that? I could swear that was a standard feature on any model.
The two low end MB don't have keyboard backlighting.
The Imac is also overpriced compared to it's desktop PC equivalents. You can find a lot of PCs that are a lot more powerful than an Imac for the same price.
1) It wasn't at the time I bought. I purchased it right after the aluminum iMacs were released. They were quite competitive on release.
2) At the time (late 2007) there was no respectable all in one product. There was a Sony system that had a rather smallish low resolution monitor, was an ugly system overall and was thicker than the iMac. There simply is no all in one that compares on price point to the iMac.
I like the fact that my iMac has a clean design. It doubles as a TV in my bedroom. And I have only 2 wires coming out of it....power and tv coax. No keyboard, mouse, internet, etc cables. It's all bluetooth and wifi. I am glad to see that there are windows makers who are finally recognizing the value of building all in ones. This is an area where PC makers were sorely behind.
From a hardware perspective, Apple usually doesn't win (as I tried to illustrate above).
Straight hardware performance does not always make sense. OS X is far more resource efficient that Vista. So while 2 GB RAM maybe standard in the windows world that does not mean that it's required for Macs. But if someone is buying a Mac and does intend to run windows on it, I'd agree that Mac might fall short on this performance/price point.
When comparing Apples to apples (pun intended).....you should keep in mind that price points as most applicable when Apple does an update/refresh:
http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/
Other manufacturers adjust prices or update models far more frequently than Apple. So while an iMac might seem like a solid buy right now. 3 months later it won't be the case.
Apple also has unique arrangements with Intel and NVidia. There aren't too many other OEMs who get that kind of treatment. Apple usually gets processor discounts months before everyone else does. Or in some cases they get unique hardware. Find me something equivalent in mobility to the MB Air. And that was enabled by Apple's unique relationship with Intel.
Macs have resale value. Look on ebay, craigslist, etc. Find me any PC that holds its value as good as a mac.
Student pricing doesn't give you much of a discount. Apple may be doing well with it, but there are many more students buying sub-$1000 Sonys, HPs, etc.
Perhaps.... However, a cursory look around any university campus these days will tell you that macs are quite popular. I regularly the starbucks at U of O, and all I see are macs. I hardly ever see a Dell or HP or Lenovo. Indeed some campuses in the US have seen 40% of their students using a mac. That's quite a feat for one single OEM. They are already seeing the halo effect of the iphone. Quite a few iphone owners go in for macs downstream as well..... IMHO, and from my observations, macs make up a disproportionate amount of the student IT asset mix. And in my observation the less tech inclined the faculty the more likely the student body is to go mac. Heck, there's family guy clips on this point!
I also don't really see how it relates to this being a good upgrade for the MBP. As I said, there are some nice new features added, but it's still lacking considering the price you're paying.
Perhaps this round the MBP didn't do well for an upgrade. However there are several unique features here such as the trackpad. Find me another laptop on the market with a buttonless multi-touch glass trackpad. And again your assertion ignores the fact that there are many innovations unique to Apple laptops that many customers are willing to pay for. You may not find the price worthwhile, but for many all those unique innovations are worth the investment.
As I have pointed out....a big plus for Apple is design. Many are willing to pay a premium for this. Most importantly is compactness and durability. The durability of macbooks with their metal cases is amazing and will only get better now that they are machining the cases from one solid block. When it comes to finish, Apple products are quite good. Everything from an ipod to an iMac to a MBP is built decently and in a very compact form.
In sum this is what Apple has going for it:
1) Compact and ergonomic design - all-in-one imac, 3mm wireless keyboard,etc.
2) Durability/survivability - machined metal case, magnetic latch, magsafe, etc.
3) Usability - OS X, multi-touch buttonless trackpad, Apple software (iWork, iLife, etc.)
4) Support - Apple is really, really good at this.
Is all that worth the 700 - 1000 dollar premium? Every buyer makes their own decision. I've used PCs all my life but my iMac has been the first computer that has given me a flawless user experience and I am hooked on the compact, integrated, wireless design. However, if I were to get that from a WinPC I might consider going back. I am in the market for a new notebook and I am looking around to see what's on offer.
Any way, the coming recession will be quite revealing. Apple has been gaining market share at an incredible pace despite the price premium of its products and an absolute lack of low end products. Let's see if this trend holds and the customer is still willing to pay for design when times are tougher.
) but for those that don't, Safari for iPhone is quite exceptional. 
