This: "Almost no one cares if RAM is soldered or even knows what solder is."
Exactly. Most people who buy a computer don't know what RAM is, they don't know how quickly they will fill up 128GB of hard drive space, they don't know what USB-C is.... and more.
UNTIL they are at work and trying to download important files and find out the flash drive handed to them won't work with their MacBook Pro. UNTIL they attend an important meeting and want to transfer a large video file, and find out their drive on a 3 month old computer is full. UNTIL they realize that their photo and video software needs more RAM....
THIS is the problem. Apple is pushing hardware to people who are are largely ignorant of their current and future needs. They walk out of the Apple store thinking that their $2,000, $3,000 computers will suit their computing necessities only to find out six weeks or six months later that Apple's focus on appearance over functionality doesn't help them in the real world.