It's because they don't have the knowledge and the technical finesse to handle 8Gb of RAM.
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Apple's New 13-Inch M3 MacBook Air Hits $999 Low Price on Amazon
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It's because they don't have the knowledge and the technical finesse to handle 8Gb of RAM.
I don't even need 256Gb SSD even though I have a virtual machine installed, though 128Gb is just below what I need. iCloud Drive, iCloud Photo Library and streaming services makes the need for local storage quite small for a lot of people.
We're arguing that customers shouldn't pay $200 more for 16Gb of RAM if they don't need.
Demanding or getting angry about Apple reducing prices or increasing specifications before they need for low-end models, it's just waste of effort. We deal with the world how it is, not how it should be.
So why rant at Apple, because Microsoft software running on PC hardware can't handle 16gb of RAM?
Yeah no, that's not how progress happens, with people like you being Anti-consumer. Did that sound better in your head??
If you're looking for something comparable, you'll end up with Lenovo "T" Thinkpads. But Lenovo and others are also starting with soldered-in RAM... Okay - you get 16 / 512, but you're already at over 1100$. And the displays are not comparable to Apple's. Plus - no one wants to torture themselves with Windows anymore... Linux? You won't get very far in business...
For $1000 you don't get anything comparable to Apple's quality.
Yeah it’s amazing how these machines with Apple’s Silicon perform despite the base 8 GB issue which for us isn’t but for others certainly can be. Case in point;
My wife and I share a laptop in the house because I use an iPad as well but recently I gave my iPad Air 4th gen to my daughter to replace her Air 1 and our Mid 2015 MacBook Pro was starting to show its age a bit so I convinced my wife to upgrade. My daughter now has the 2015 MBP so she can start learning how to use a computer (she’s 6).
I tested out a refurb at best buy (M2 13 inch MacBook Air 8 GB 512 GB storage for $990 and while I liked the lightweight feel and the performance of the machine and everything I threw at it, I felt it wise just to spend a little more and get a new one (and add the fact the refurb’s warranty was about to expire!!). I returned it and bought an M3 MBP 14 inch 8 GB 512 GB model and what a difference. It just feels more premium in the hand. The speakers are of remarkable quality. That XDR display is beautiful and I own 2 OLEDs in my house which I love. I mean the display quality alone on this thing is worth it alone over the Air. And for the first time we get 120hz refresh rate. Oh my how lovely that is. This thing just flies and is buttery smooth. I’m amazed how above this is over the Air and the Air is nothing to sneeze about either. I’ve only had it a day, but so far this is a kick ass computer. I also note that Costco has these for $200 off so for $410 more I went from a refurb M2 to a brand new M3 and I couldn’t be happier.
In terms of 8 GB, it’s more than enough for our needs. And I think it meets a lot of people’s needs. But Apple is certainly gouging people over memory there’s no doubt about that. Look up the maxed out MBP price and it’s insane. Memory should be more affordable and I can understand people being frustrated with Apple making the base model only 8 GB. I mean, the MBP I just bought the base model is 512 GB of storage, just imagine if they still had it at 256 GB for that!
My wife and I share a laptop in the house because I use an iPad as well but recently I gave my iPad Air 4th gen to my daughter to replace her Air 1 and our Mid 2015 MacBook Pro was starting to show its age a bit so I convinced my wife to upgrade. My daughter now has the 2015 MBP so she can start learning how to use a computer (she’s 6).
I tested out a refurb at best buy (M2 13 inch MacBook Air 8 GB 512 GB storage for $990 and while I liked the lightweight feel and the performance of the machine and everything I threw at it, I felt it wise just to spend a little more and get a new one (and add the fact the refurb’s warranty was about to expire!!). I returned it and bought an M3 MBP 14 inch 8 GB 512 GB model and what a difference. It just feels more premium in the hand. The speakers are of remarkable quality. That XDR display is beautiful and I own 2 OLEDs in my house which I love. I mean the display quality alone on this thing is worth it alone over the Air. And for the first time we get 120hz refresh rate. Oh my how lovely that is. This thing just flies and is buttery smooth. I’m amazed how above this is over the Air and the Air is nothing to sneeze about either. I’ve only had it a day, but so far this is a kick ass computer. I also note that Costco has these for $200 off so for $410 more I went from a refurb M2 to a brand new M3 and I couldn’t be happier.
In terms of 8 GB, it’s more than enough for our needs. And I think it meets a lot of people’s needs. But Apple is certainly gouging people over memory there’s no doubt about that. Look up the maxed out MBP price and it’s insane. Memory should be more affordable and I can understand people being frustrated with Apple making the base model only 8 GB. I mean, the MBP I just bought the base model is 512 GB of storage, just imagine if they still had it at 256 GB for that!
You're just basically arguing you think MacBooks with 16Gb of RAM should be $200 cheaper. Instead of saying it directly, you want it to be part of the base model so you can save money.
A price reduction for any product would almost always be beneficial for the customers.
I don't go around arguing for it, because it's obvious. Companies don't just reduce prices because it would benefit their customers.
No. Apple sells a previous generation MacBook Air at $999. That is not the same thing as Steve Jobs repeatedly releasing new current generation MacBooks at $999. Let's not make excuses for Tim Cook's corporate greed.
Ah, the old inflation argument, which is fallacious because it does not apply to computer pricing since computers get cheaper to manufacture over time. For example, the very first Apple product ever (the Apple I) was a desktop computer sold without a display and keyboard in 1976 for $666.66. Apple still offers a product (the Mac mini) which is a desktop computer sold without a display and keyboard in 2024 for $599. So, as I said in my previous message, let's not make excuses for Tim Cook's corporate greed.
They also sold the 2004 256MB/30GB iBook G4 for $999, which is $1694 in 2024 dollars. The 2008 2GB/120GB MacBook is $1439 in 2024 dollars.
The M3 Air’s MSRP has only increased $100 after 20 years… not bad. Fun fact - The M3 Air would only be $670 in 2004.
You are wrong. This misconception keeps being repeated on MBA related threads. The 2008 13" MBA was released $1,799. The 13" 2010 MBA was released at $1,299. Cook took over in August 2011, and Jobs dies in October 2011.
BTW - You can't compare the 11" MBA because it had a smaller screen, less powerful chip, and half as much storage.
Over the last 14 years, 13" MBA pricing has been relatively consistent. New models (i.e. redesigns vs spec bumps) are released at around $1,200+/-, then as production ramps up and the product matures, the price drifts down to $999. This has nothing to do with Steve Jobs vs Tim Cook. It has everything to do with the typical production and supply chain life cycle of any new product.
See table below from AnandTech 2010 review of MBA:
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Again, you are wrong. Steve Jobs never released a new generation 13" MBA for $999. It never happened. The lowest 13" MBA new design that Job's released was the 2010 model for $1,299. He died one year later. Cook took over in August 2011. The price of the 13" MBA was still $1,299 when Cook took over.
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Have you priced the latest Lenovo models? Guess what, they have soldered in SDRAM. You can pay Lenovo extra for a DIMM slot, and guess what again - it costs more than buying the equivalent about of RAM from Apple.
No, I'm not wrong. I never said Steve Jobs released a MacBook Air for $999. I said Jobs released "MacBooks" for $999.
Under Jobs, for Apple's laptop line, MacBook was the entry-tier (lowest priced), MacBook Air was mid-tier (priced in the middle), and MacBook Pro was the top-tier (highest priced). Tim Cook, being the clueless mediocre suit that he is, swapped the positions of the MacBook Air and MacBook, thus repositioning the MacBook Air as the entry-tier (lowest priced), and the MacBook repositioned to mid-tier (priced in the middle).
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So, you have asserted that Cook is a money grubbing suit because he is selling the current M3 MBA for $1,099 and Jobs used to sell MacBooks 13 years ago for $999....which is absurd....but, whatever. Rather than comparing Jobs' MBA pricing to Cook's MBA pricing, which we know was higher than Cook's, you seem to want to use some other MacBook as the bases of comparison. Ok. I would think it would be more appropriate to compare the same models, but whatever....I'll bite. Specifically, what model and year did Jobs' release a $999 MacBook that was a better value compared to Cook's current M3 MBA offering?
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You said: "If Tim Cook had any integrity, he would either price the MacBook Air at $999, or have released a MacBook (non-Air, non-Pro) at $999. Steve Jobs sold the MacBook at a starting price of $999."
You said nothing about it being the current generation.
A MacBook (non-air) would have been an even more low-end version than the MBA. Just think about the M2 MBA as the MacBook.
Probably not, but the argument by many here, is that computers with these specifications don't work for people.
The price has nothing to do if the 8Gb of RAM is enough.