dornie

True, Apples are pricey, but allegedly they contain more for the dollar. It is always wise to take their Care Plan. I have an iMac 27" and then were not able to repair it, so they gave me a bran new one, not refurbished. Its been almost six years. So I guess it all depends. I liked it when they used locals for repair, but since they centralized, it appears they are not too swift. They sent a repairman to the house from 150 miles away, thats 300 R/T, he was here three times. They finally gave me a new on which came from Shanghi, China, while there was an Apple outlet within a mile. Didn't make sense the way they did it, but they did finally resolve my situation, which was the bottom line.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Apples contain exactly the same CPUs, memory, disk and other components as PCs. They do use very nice stylish aluminum and glass packaging (which is a PIA to service and limits cooling). MacBooks are made in China.

dornie

What isn't made in China?? In fact, I see more labels made in China than USA.... I watched a repair on my Apple, the most time took taking off and replacing the front screen to get into the body. In the body there were about 5 cubes containing the workings. The repairman pulled out and replaced a cube in no time flat.
Of course, the only knowledge required was which cube or cubes to replace and putting the screen back on.
Of course, I was surprised how the repair was done. Times have changes since we could repair our own cars and TVs. :))

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

It’s that screen removal and replacement that is a PIA for the non-professional. You can do it (helps to have the kit), but not a job for the unskilled amateur and voids the warranty if noticeable. And then on some models, there’s the soldered in memory and/or CPU, making replacements or upgrades impossible. You’re correct - lots of Laptops and Desktops are made in China, but Lenovo Thinkpad laptops are made at the (previously IBM) plant in Research Triangle Park in NC and carry a made in USA label.