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ric22

macrumors 68000
Mar 8, 2022
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1,858
.

That’s why almost every major laptop maker has 8GB memory and 256GB storage options.
Yes, but a quick look at Amazon suggests that there are competitors offering those specs for little over £300. Meanwhile the MacBook Pro starts on that amount of RAM for £1,700 in the UK. I see a disparity... 👀
 

MobiusStrip

macrumors 6502
Dec 11, 2009
435
339
Apple is really working hard to earn the scorn that is increasingly heaped upon it. Take all the regressions under the pompous hack Jony Ive (removing headphone jacks, ****** battery capacity, the embarrassing emoji bar, the disgraceful "butterfly" keyboard, laptops with only one port, and on and on) and combine that with the app-store douchebaggery... and you get a firm that's becoming as despicable as Google, Amazon, and Meta.
 
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truthsteve

macrumors 6502a
Nov 3, 2023
792
2,034
Pretty sure you just made their point for them...
no?

developers target 8GB which is what half the people wanted in their laptops. what does that have to do with 30MPH cars that no one wants and no one bought?
Also it's absolutely absurd to think that Apple making 16GB would in any way make apple dip into the red on any of their lineup
who said apple would dip into the red? no one. absolutely no one.
 

Jim Lahey

macrumors 68030
Apr 8, 2014
2,559
5,285
I am curious as to how many people actually pay extra to upgrade the ram, vs simply going with the base model.

I'm certain of one thing: the ratio is acutely tuned at maximising profit rather than the quality or performance of the product. A 0.1% swing in either direction costs Apple at least one cent. And that, in my mind, is where the issue lies - profit leading the product and user experience instead of following both.
 

Abazigal

Contributor
Jul 18, 2011
19,647
22,156
Singapore
I'm certain of one thing: the ratio is acutely tuned at maximising profit rather than the quality or performance of the product. A 0.1% swing in either direction costs Apple at least one cent. And that, in my mind, is where the issue lies - profit leading the product and user experience instead of following both.
Does that make a Mac with 8gb ram a bad product though? Where do we draw the line between “I acknowledge I am the outlier and should therefore pay extra for more ram and storage” vs “Apple is intentionally screwing me (and by extension, their entire user base) by including only 8 gb ram instead of 16, even if there are many people who would get by fine with just 8”?
 
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Jim Lahey

macrumors 68030
Apr 8, 2014
2,559
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Does that make a Mac with 8gb ram a bad product though? Where do we draw the line between “I acknowledge I am the outlier and should therefore pay extra for more ram and storage” vs “Apple is intentionally screwing me (and by extension, their entire user base) by including only 8 gb ram instead of 16, even if there are many people who would get by fine with just 8”?

It makes it a worse product than it could and should be, yes. Like I said - in my mind. It's an opinion but I only speak for myself so that's ok 👍
 
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hans1972

macrumors 68040
Apr 5, 2010
3,330
2,900
While there are many opionions on this, the fact is that my new M2 Air 8GB freezes with 20 tabs open and 1 (one) photo in Photoshop and in other similar situations. My Intel Macbook Pro with 16GB never does that.
I don't think 8GB is enough for the everyday user anymore simply because an everyday user in 2024 does more things than a consumer 10 years ago and programs use more resources compared to back then.

Not everyone has the technical prowess to handle 8Gb of RAM.

My mother does, however.
 

Zest28

macrumors 68020
Jul 11, 2022
2,191
3,034
Which is fine and dandy if you are producing a console that is supposed to run games at 4K for about a decade.

For corporate computers with a base configuration they just need to be able to run an OS and cloud apps. When corporates and schools make bulk purchases on limited budgets they need to be able to save money per unit.

That’s why almost every major laptop maker has 8GB memory and 256GB storage options.

The issue in threads like this is that a bunch of nerds and gamers appear and they think they should force their credit card based purchases on everyone else. The world outside their bedroom doesn’t run on credit cards as much as they like to believe.

If you go around saying ‘all machines should have minimum 16GB’ and ‘iPhone should have stylus support’ what you are actually doing is upping the base price for everyone who doesn’t need those features.

You are causing inflation in a world that already suffers from high inflation, war, corporate greedflation.

Think about the effects of your decisions rather than impose a selfish view on everyone.

I actually did convince a friend of mine to get the base M1 MBA for work as everything she does is done in the Cloud anyway.

But pretty much all her colleagues, simply bought a cheap $200 ChromeBook. That is basically what you are competing against.
 

Jim Lahey

macrumors 68030
Apr 8, 2014
2,559
5,285
End of the day this is all opinion, but no one actually wants less RAM and everyone would clap if Apple could be bothered to offer more as a base spec. Even those claiming it's not needed. Ultimately, know this - you can defend 8GB laptops from a tech megacorp selling premium laptops all you like for as long as you like, but your only reward will be more 8GB laptops.
 

Zest28

macrumors 68020
Jul 11, 2022
2,191
3,034
End of the day this is all opinion, but no one actually wants less RAM and everyone would clap if Apple could be bothered to offer more as a base spec. Even those claiming it's not needed. Ultimately, know this - you can defend 8GB laptops from a tech megacorp selling premium laptops all you like for as long as you like, but your only reward will be more 8GB laptops.

Apple is selling laptops with less RAM than Android smartphones these days for alot of $$$$. There are even $200 Android smartphones that have 8GB RAM.

But Apple understands this "motivates" people to start paying $200 for an extra 8GB RAM module to go from 8GB to 16GB RAM. And Apple knows they can get away with this as they got a fanbase who keeps justifying this.
 

Jim Lahey

macrumors 68030
Apr 8, 2014
2,559
5,285
Apple is selling laptops with less RAM than Android smartphones these days for alot of $$$$. There are even $200 Android smartphones that have 8GB RAM.

But Apple understands this "motivates" people to start paying $200 for an extra 8GB RAM module to go from 8GB to 16GB RAM. And Apple knows they can get away with this as they got a fanbase who keeps justifying this.

Yep. And truth be told the 8GB models are undoubtedly lower margin, so simply not buying their 8GB models is no answer. I don't pretend to know the machinations of Apple's business model, but at a guess I imagine the fewer 8GB units they sell vs. 16GB 'upgrades' the better. The only answer, for those with a real distaste for 8GB premium laptops in 2024, is to not buy their laptops. At all.
 
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Zest28

macrumors 68020
Jul 11, 2022
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Yep. And truth be told the 8GB models are undoubtedly lower margin, so simply not buying their 8GB models is no answer. I don't pretend to know the machinations of Apple's business model, but at a guess I imagine the fewer 8GB units they sell vs. 16GB 'upgrades' the better. The only answer, for those with a real distaste for 8GB premium laptops in 2024, is to not buy their laptops. At all.

Indeed. For $1300, I can get
- 500 nits 120hz OLED display and 1.000.000:1 contrast ratio.
- 32 GB RAM
- 1TB SSD
- 1.28kg/2.8lb (a little bit lighter than the MBA)
- much more ports than the MBA
- 15+ hour battery (it is less than the MBA, but it is still more than enough).

Easy choice for me really if I had to shop for an ultra portable laptop today.

If Apple starts putting OLED panels on their MBA, then I might give it an other thought.
 
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Jim Lahey

macrumors 68030
Apr 8, 2014
2,559
5,285
Indeed. For $1300, I can get
- 500 nits 120hz OLED display and 1.000.000:1 contrast ratio.
- 32 GB RAM
- 1TB SSD
- 1.28kg/2.8lb (a little bit lighter than the MBA)
- much more ports than the MBA
- 15+ hour battery (it is less than the MBA, but it is still more than enough).

Easy choice for me really if I had to shop for an ultra portable laptop today.

If Apple starts putting OLED panels on their MBA, then I might give it an other thought.

Apple's spec/price/color/notch stunts have prevented me from buying a new laptop from them for ages now. And I'm not going to reverse course until they pull their socks up. If happenstance forces me to upgrade in the meantime I'll probably end up running Ubuntu Linux on another brand. I've already disconnected from most iCloud hooks in preparation of making an ecosystem switch as painless as possible.

So let's see who blinks first...
 

purplerainpurplerain

macrumors 6502
Dec 4, 2022
443
778
Indeed. For $1300, I can get
- 500 nits 120hz OLED display and 1.000.000:1 contrast ratio.
- 32 GB RAM
- 1TB SSD
- 1.28kg/2.8lb (a little bit lighter than the MBA)
- much more ports than the MBA
- 15+ hour battery (it is less than the MBA, but it is still more than enough).

Easy choice for me really if I had to shop for an ultra portable laptop today.

If Apple starts putting OLED panels on their MBA, then I might give it an other thought.

When a PC manufacturer says 15 hour battery life they mean about 3 hours and it sounds like an airplane.

I know that as a Galaxy Book owner which is supposed to be the closest competition to a Mac. It also has soldered memory.

You can clean install Windows and get rid of all the junk apps and you will still be left with terrible x86 energy management and ******** Windows 11.

But I needed this stupid Wintel laptop for coding on Windows.
 

purplerainpurplerain

macrumors 6502
Dec 4, 2022
443
778
I actually did convince a friend of mine to get the base M1 MBA for work as everything she does is done in the Cloud anyway.

But pretty much all her colleagues, simply bought a cheap $200 ChromeBook. That is basically what you are competing against.

Which shows the obvious that office workers using cloud apps don’t need beefy or semi-beefy specs. Money and battery life are the biggest considerations.
 

Zest28

macrumors 68020
Jul 11, 2022
2,191
3,034
When a PC manufacturer says 15 hour battery life they mean about 3 hours and it sounds like an airplane.

I know that as a Galaxy Book owner which is supposed to be the closest competition to a Mac. It also has soldered memory.

You can clean install Windows and get rid of all the junk apps and you will still be left with terrible x86 energy management and ******** Windows 11.

But I needed this stupid Wintel laptop for coding on Windows.

It's not. Reviewers are getting multiple day battery life with the 2024 Asus Zenbook 14 OLED, not 3 hours. And this is on Windows 11 Pro.

If you install Linux on it, expect way more battery life.

The 2024 Asus Zenbook 14 OLED is not a competition to the MacBook Air, it kills it due to that fantastic 3K 120hz 500 nits OLED display that also has touch + pencil support. So you also get an iPad included.

And all of this for $1300 (with 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD and supports more than 3+ external displays).
 
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Jensend

macrumors 65816
Dec 19, 2008
1,394
1,611
Another thing to consider: The difference in price between an 8 GB and a 16 GB M2 Air isn't just the $200 upgrade cost on Apple's website. The true upgrade cost is $350, because 3rd parties don't sell 16GB versions.
So my choice is an 8GB M2 Air for $850 from Costco, or a 16GB M2 Air for $1199 from Apple. I have to pay more than 40% over the base price to get an extra 8GB of RAM.
 

purplerainpurplerain

macrumors 6502
Dec 4, 2022
443
778
It's not. Reviewers are getting multiple day battery life with the 2024 Asus Zenbook 14 OLED, not 3 hours. And this is on Windows 11 Pro.

If you install Linux on it, expect way more battery life.

The 2024 Asus Zenbook 14 OLED is not a competition to the MacBook Air, it kills it due to that fantastic 3K 120hz 500 nits OLED display that also has touch + pencil support. So you also get an iPad included.

And all of this for $1300 (with 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD and supports more than 3+ external displays).

Linux will make almost no difference over a clean Windows. We have already discussed and tested this like mad on Reddit. x86 is just ****.

You should know by now that reviews are mostly BS these days. They need to churn that content out quickly for the views.

Reddit is the place to get actual real customer experiences.

And don’t go telling me different because I am a living example of someone who has spent close to $100,000 on Macs and PCs in my life. Why would I waste my precious time telling you real life experience and lie about it?

There’s a reason why Apple had to move to ARM. x86 is just **** for laptops. It might not exist in the laptop space in a few years even on PCs. x86 will just be a desktop and server CPU…until it won’t.
 
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Zest28

macrumors 68020
Jul 11, 2022
2,191
3,034
You should know by now that reviews are mostly BS these days. They need to churn that content out quickly for the views.

Reddit is the place to get actual real customer experiences.

And don’t go telling me different because I am a living example of someone who has spent close to $100,000 on Macs and PCs in my life. Why would I waste my precious time telling you real life experience and lie about it?

There’s a reason why Apple had to move to ARM. x86 is just **** for laptops. It might not exist in the laptop space in a few years even on PCs.

Do you have any real life experience with the 2024 Asus Zenbook 14 OLED? If not, then you're just spreading misinformation.

Do you have any proof that these measurements should all be below 3 hours like what you claim?

Btw, the Core Ultra 7 is obviously the 2024 model in case it is not obvious to you.

1703072678522-png.2326930
 
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purplerainpurplerain

macrumors 6502
Dec 4, 2022
443
778
Do you have any real life experience with the 2024 Asus Zenbook 14 OLED? If not, then you're just spreading misinformation.

Do you have any proof that these measurements should all be below 3 hours like what you claim?

Btw, the Core Ultra 7 is obviously the 2024 model in case it is not obvious to you.

1703072678522-png.2326930

You are just here to win an internet argument by throwing specs around ‘But Linux!’ ‘Three monitors’ ‘Multi day battery life’!

Here, have some real life customers instead of your BS charts.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ASUS/comments/1acdrvl
https://www.reddit.com/r/ASUS/comments/1ai29h8
https://www.reddit.com/r/ASUS/comments/1ajam2j
https://www.reddit.com/r/ASUS/comments/1af00ew
I can keep pasting real user experiences for your amazing ASUS garbage line.

But I’ll ignore you from now.
 

Zest28

macrumors 68020
Jul 11, 2022
2,191
3,034
You are just here to win an internet argument by throwing specs around ‘But Linux!’ ‘Three monitors’ ‘Multi day battery life’!

Here, have some real life customers instead of your BS charts.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ASUS/comments/1acdrvl
https://www.reddit.com/r/ASUS/comments/1ai29h8
https://www.reddit.com/r/ASUS/comments/1ajam2j
https://www.reddit.com/r/ASUS/comments/1af00ew
I can keep pasting real user experiences for your amazing ASUS garbage line.

But I’ll ignore you from now.

I checked your reddit posts.
- 1st post, no mention of the 2024 model (which is completely different from the 2023 model).
- 2nd. I see people talking about the 2023 model, which is again irrelevant.
- 3rd. Again no mention of the 2024 model (which is completely different from the 2023 model).
- 4th post, it is literally in the title he is talking about the 2023 model.

You do realize that the 2024 model based on the Core Ultra i7/i9 cannot be compared to the previous models right? So you have provided nothing.

I'm not here to win internet arguments, I am asking for facts / proof that the 2024 Asus ZenBook 14 OLED dies out in under 3 hours of battery life. Because all reviewers are getting 9 to 10 hours of real world battery use.

If your best response is to block me, then you just have proven that you don't have facts to back up your claim that the 2024 Asus ZenBook 14 OLED gets under 3 hours of battery life and all the reviewers are lying about getting 9 to 10 hours of battery life in real world usage.

It is all misinformation what you were saying.
 
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Zest28

macrumors 68020
Jul 11, 2022
2,191
3,034
You are just here to win an internet argument by throwing specs around ‘But Linux!’ ‘Three monitors’ ‘Multi day battery life’!

Here, have some real life customers instead of your BS charts.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ASUS/comments/1acdrvl
https://www.reddit.com/r/ASUS/comments/1ai29h8
https://www.reddit.com/r/ASUS/comments/1ajam2j
https://www.reddit.com/r/ASUS/comments/1af00ew
I can keep pasting real user experiences for your amazing ASUS garbage line.

But I’ll ignore you from now.

Btw, you know that people complain about the MacBook Air too right?
- https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macbook-air-terrible-battery.2377247/
- https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/poor-battery-life-on-new-air.2229986/
- https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mac-m1-battery-usage-is-6-7-hours-normal.2290918/

So what exactly does it even proof that you find some posts on the internet that people are unhappy with the battery life (which doesn't even mention the 2024 model). People complain about the MacBook Air too.
 
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