How can a MacBook Neo cost the same as an iPhone 17e?

Posted by Dazza477@reddit | hardware | View on Reddit | 203 comments

I genuinely don’t understand this and I’m hoping someone more knowledgeable can explain it. How can a MacBook Neo cost roughly the same as an iPhone 17e when: They use the same A-series chip The MacBook has a full keyboard, trackpad, larger display, bigger battery, aluminium chassis There’s physically more material in the laptop Meanwhile the iPhone has: A much smaller screen Fewer raw materials No keyboard / trackpad And yet costs the same (or more) I get that phones have miniaturisation costs, cameras, 5G modems, etc. But the MacBook is still a full computer with more surface area, more enclosure material, and more components in terms of physical size. It's not even a product segment argument anymore as the raw materials and specifications are functionally identical. So what am I missing here? Are they exposing their prices are just arbitrary and have less attachment to reality than before?