This is exactly Apple's profit maximising model. Feature restriction forcing:
A. upgrading to more expensive models
B. upgrading to newer releases which drip feed increased features.
Thus the:
8GB RAM standard in MBA
256GB SSD standard in MBA
Max 16GB RAM in M1 MBA
Max 24GB RAM in M2 MBA
Max 13" screen in M1 MBA
Very limited ports in MBA
Only single external screen support in MBA
Also limited external screen support in MBP
Limited or non-existent 8K external screen support in various models
Old HDMI 2.0 in M1P/M MBP
etc
Just outside the walled garden, one can find an endlessly configurable pool of laptops that address up to ALL of that (and more), typically for meaningfully lower cost. They generally come with the added benefit of flexibility to expand RAM and SSD when (and if) needed too. And their focus is typically on computing POWER vs. PPW, which translates into getting computer processing done
FASTER. They have over 90% of the whole market and thus much more focus by anyone creating software applications. If you like games (too), they generally have the superior games and a much broader mix of games.
Yes, these do NOT run macOS but one could consider what kind of things they do on laptops vs. their main machine... and perhaps realize they can do up to all of that on that other platform. Bonus: should one ever need "bootcamp," the very best way to 100% Windows compatibility & capability is old fashioned bootcamp (a separate PC).
Only by voting with wallets can an Apple Inc. notice that people want more value for their money. Whining about it on an online forum but then paying up anyway simply rewards such corporate choices. Apple can't possibly notice if everyone simply pays up. From their perspective, all such decisions were the right ones because buyers demonstrated acceptance in the most tangible way.
My main computer is Mac Studio. However, I need full Windows too, so I purchased my first PC in over a decade. No jet engine noise. No personal nuclear reactor requirements to power it. No third degree burns on my lap. Apps that don't exist for Mac do exist for PC and it's been fun rediscovering the flexibility in the much bigger world outside the wall. 8TB of SSD for about $1000 instead of a $2200 upgrade. RAM upgrades at competitive market prices instead of market + FAT margin. Should that SSD or RAM conk, it can be replaced vs. the "throw baby out with the bathwater" scenario we Silicon Mac people now face. Etc.
Doing some typical laptop work tasks on the PC will generally easily transfer over to Mac and back again. While I still want to do everything possible on my Mac (only by personal preference), it's not some kind of end of the world scenario to own a PC too. Windows 11 is quite good... even macOS-like in some ways. Overall value, raw power & user flexibility are all fundamental to PC.