What did the release of the Surface Studio and MacBook Pro teach us? The good personal desktop computers we used a lot in the past were exclusively expensive machines. With the release of laptops as mass-market commodities, more and more people began to use them as they could afford them financially.
This week, however, the companies that define personal computers, Microsoft and Apple (MacBook Pro), gave us a glimpse into the future that feels like a throwback to the past:
Computers will become expensive machines again.
Ignore the high-resolution screens and the promo presentation videos, the metal chassis of the new Surface Studio and the MacBook Pro. Focus a bit on the prices.
Microsoft offers the Surface Studio for 2,999 dollars, and the price can reach up to 4199 dollars if someone chooses 32GB RAM and storage up to 2TB. Redmond also offers the updated Surface Book with up to 16 hours of battery life at an initial price that reaches 2399 dollars. The same laptop can reach 3.299 dollars with added storage space and more RAM.
Thus, buying the Surface Studio together with a MacBook Pro will cost you only 8498 dollars.
Here we should note that to purchase a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, the minimum you will need to pay is 1,799 dollars, and if you want something larger than inches, the 15‑inch MacBook Pro starts at 2,399 dollars. Upgrade now the processor and the graphics card, also choose a 2TB drive and you will comfortably reach 4,299 dollars.
Truth, how is the phenomenon interpreted?
Apple and Microsoft have come to terms with the fact that people simply will never buy these computers (desktop or laptop) with the convenience they used to buy them with in the past. There are many computers today and most users have at least one. We know that with the release of smartphones and tablets, the PC market is inevitably shrinking.
If you can't increase sales, you increase profit per sale
Thus, if a company cannot achieve an increase in total sales, the logical move is to try and improve another multiplier in the profit calculation: the price per unit and the embedded profit margin. This has been Apple's approach for a long time, and as it seems Microsoft has decided to follow suit.
Companies that manufacture hardware such as Intel, Acer, and Asus cannot escape the logic of “we sell more things,” but Apple and Microsoft control the software. This gives them the opportunity to sell holistic experiences and solutions.
The same has happened with cameras.
The digital SLR cameras were once very expensive. After a short while, demand called for a faster commercialization cycle and the SLRs ended up in every tourist's throat. Then mobile phone cameras introduced high‑quality mirrorless cameras, and DSLR camera sales rose back to the scale they were at when they began.
Today's DSLR cameras cost from 1,999 for a Nikon D500, for example. However, those who need a Nikon D500 are not many, as they can now do their work without it.
Thus, the path towards the future, besides being interesting, is expected to be much more expensive, but with many design and development challenges.
