Apple tax: Is Macbook Air really cheaper than a comparable Windows PC?

Earlier today, a report in the Financial Express said there’s no longer an ‘Apple Tax’ on buying Macs. The report specifically compares an 11-inch Macbook Air to a Sony Vaio Pro, which is supposedly the closest competitor to the Air. The price difference between the two machines was found to be in the region of Rs 8,000, with the Apple machine priced lower. The conclusion arrived was that there was no longer an ‘Apple Tax’, since even Windows PCs have gotten a lot more expensive.   That’s a stretch even going by the very machines compared in the original piece. For example, the Macbook Air had an 11.6-inch display with 1366x768 resolution. That, by the way, is the same size and resolution of the **Acer C720 Chromebook** , which has a tag of Rs 22,999. On the other hand, the Vaio Pro has a full HD 11.6-inch panel, which obviously is more suited for multitasking with multiple windows, and offers more real estate for any design-related work, not to mention a better gaming experience (it’s a different matter that this is a Mac we are talking about).   Both machines have fourth generation Intel processors, but Apple has clocked it lower (1.3GHz) than Sony (1.6GHz). The RAM and SSD capacity is the same on both machines, but Sony adds NFC support, which is featured in most high-end smartphones these days too and does add a measure of convenience. As we saw in our review, the speakers on the Vaio Pro are quite good for a machine of its size. What’s more the Sony machine is around 200g lighter than the Air. So the higher price is justified with a corresponding rise in value. And there’s not much to separate the two PCs based on just build quality as the Sony machine is equally well made.   The original comparison plainly ignores these facts. We have to agree with the fact that Windows PCs have become more expensive and the higher end now sits quite far away from the entry-level PCs in terms of price. This is largely down to the emphasis on Ultrabooks and hybrid form factors, which have added to the production costs. Moreover with Windows 8, the focus is very much on touch and this also adds to the machine cost. But when it comes to comparable machines, there’s still quite a bit of ‘Apple Tax’ to be paid when going for a Mac.