Author: Michael Evans
Yes, folks, for the cost of that new MacBook you could buy four whole shares in Apple, Inc. If you'd invested the cost of a PowerBook G3 in Apple stock in 1997 you would now be $330,000 better off. Of course, you wouldn't have had the pleasure of using the laptop for the past 13 years but, at least, you could compensate yourself with over 300 MacBook Pros.
This fascinating insight comes courtesy of Gizmodo and the inescapable conclusion is that you're better off buying Apple stock than Apple products. Of course, if everyone did this the plot wouldn't succeed, now would it? What I do find really interesting is the relationship between the cost of the PowerBook G3 in 1997 – $5,700 – and the $1,000 tag of a similar product now. In 2010 terms, that Apple laptop would have cost $7,600, approximately seven times as expensive as the modern equivalent. But whichever way you look at it, buying Apple stock would have been a smart move.
Commenting on the Gizmodo piece, pixelpushing tells us his girlfriend did actually invest the value of a new MacBook Pro in Apple stock instead of taking the computer. She has now trebled her money, so can well afford a new device. Another contributor, jconnor, believes that in the next ten years the growth will be double and that Apple will be the first trillion dollar company. This does sound a bit far fetched, I admit, but do think twice when you're buying that new MacBook Pro. Four or five Apple shares at $272 each might be a better investment. Or might not.