First, I share your frustration about Apple not giving us an 8Gb of RAM option for the MBA. Second, 6Gb is an odd amount of RAM. In fact, when I was doing research in prep for adding RAM to my MBA and saw that 6Gb was its max, I was a little surprised that a 4Gb RAM module in one slot and a 2Gb module in the other would work. Obviously, I am living proof that it does work -- not that I want to do it again if I can get 8Gb instead.
I stick with Apple despite a lot of frustration because of the consistently stunning design over the years of most of their products. It must be very good or many of us would have stopped buying Macs that were consistently underpowered long ago. Like you, I would gladly pay what it took for an MBA with an i7, or even an i5, chip, decent graphics, 8Gb of RAM, and a 256Gb SSD. Is Apple likely to give us that choice? Ha!
I think we all stick with Apple despite frustration because we do like the cool factor, and we are being taken advantage of by Apple holding OS X hostage.
The problem with Macs is Apple makes just a few Macs that are supposed to cover ALL DEMAND for OS X users. Many of us, like me, don't want to carry around an extra pound of battery and half pound of optical drive in a MacBook Pro even if it didn't get any thinner. That is just one way to explain "hostage."
People often say, "well you cannot find a computer that competes with the MBP if it has every option at the price of the MBP." What they mean is you're forced to find a PC that has backlit keyboard, LED-backlit Display, 10-hour battery, mini Display Port, FireWire, aluminum case, and thinness/weight. But the problem is most people don't need all of those features. Most people would be completely happy with a $650 Gateway laptop with a 2.4 GHz CPU, BluRay, 250 GB HDD, and 15" display. But that doesn't "match" the MBP's specs so how could that be any comparison? It is a true comparison for the potential buyer who only needs what the Gateway has... and in this scenario the Gateway has a BluRay player AND is over $1000 less than an MBP!
So this is what I mean when I say Apple holds its beloved OS X hostage. Now the problem with Apple holding OS X hostage is the main portions of advantages of using OS X are quickly being wiped away by Microsoft's new Windows 7. It is truly equivalent to OS X on every front except the Virus situation... which is a biggie. But if Apple leaves OS X 10.7 sitting in a closet with no developers currently working on it so everyone is available for iPhone OS 4... well Apple could be quickly throwing its "hostage" away. I am very close to being completely happy with Windows 7. The thing is I don't check or open email attachments there. I don't add any "fun" application sent by a friend, and I cannot surf the entire web because I don't want to run AntiVirus software on my Windows 7. If Microsoft can further distance its users from the opportunities to "accidentally" get viruses, the two OSes might stand as equals.
So I think Apple better have an Ace up its sleeve to be acting wreckless as it currently is. Apple is betting the farm on iPhone OS 4, especially when it shuts down OS X 10.7 development for three or four months leading to iPhone OS 4 release. This is a problem because Apple shouldn't be taking these risks. Apple surely sees the opportunity to grab first time growing market buyers in the smartphone business.
Apple knows if it loses as bad with iPhone to Android as it did to Windows, that it will have to earn back every user which is a lot more difficult to do when there are carrier fees to early termination of wireless contracts, when there's the high cost of entry for the switcher, and when there's also the investment the user has made in his or her Android Apps. Apple wants to take as big a piece of the growing smartphone business as possible so it doesn't suffer like it has in the PC business. Let's face it, Apple has had the best PCs but it has lost the battle because it WAS NOT good at leading a company and making great strategic decisions. Apple has definitely learned from the PC business. Look at how it dominates not just Mp3 but also iTunes music industry businesses.
However great it is to focus on iPhone and iPhone OS products, Apple shouldn't be putting OS X 10.7 on a shelf. This could be its biggest mistake yet. Why not GROW the workforce to work on iPhone OS rather than abandon OS X 10.7? I just found the news about 10.7 to be an extremely tragic mistake on Apple's behalf. Surely Jobs and co need to boot a Windows 7 Mac and see what all the fuss is about... Apple needs to INNOVATE with its Macs and OS X as well as with its iPhone OS products. The latest MBP update was the most disappointing in a long time in terms of INNOVATION.
Yes, I have stuck with Apple even though it's easy to see the error in their ways. I have stuck with Apple even though it doesn't deserve my loyalty. Yes, I have stuck with Apple and WAITED to GIVE THEM MY MONEY! Apple, there's a problem when your buyers CANNOT buy the product they want... which is a relevant luxury ultraportable in the year 2010 when Apple says more than ever it's a MOBILITY COMPANY! If that is true, why not focus your best product over all time, OS X, and use the best mobile Mac you have in the ULTIMATE MacBook Air... just like we had in October 2008. If done right, the next MBA could outsell all MBAs before it... and even the 13" MBPs.
I hope the recent frustration is met with reward at WWDC. It is time to reward your Mac OS X users Apple, with a "Mobility Mac" that blows away the competition. The MacBook Air should be your statement of vision moving forward for where not just ultraportables are headed but ALL MOBILITY MACS! I am hyped up... two weeks to go, and I am going to promise myself to be positive.
