The benchmarks are done by changing the computer SnapX settings to "High Power" which is fine when they are plugged in. What matters are single core benchmarks when running a laptop, and now AMD and Intel will release CPU's this month and year, that will exceed the Snapdragon. So, your right their honeymoon will soon be over. The competition is not Apple M1 chip, not even M3 or M4, but other computers that come with Windows installed.
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Walmart Selling MacBook Air With M1 Chip for $649 Starting Today
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The M series chips won’t have longevity like the intel Mac’s did.
it’s just a simple fact.
You can repair the Intel Macs affordably. And even send them to a repair shop like Luis Rossmen.
the difference in cost is about $1.40 per CHIPSET.
There is zero reason to justify or defend Apple on this.
They didn’t patent or design the memory on chip design.
And those ram chips are nothing special.
They literally are the same exact type of ram chips you can pull off any ram stick or module.
They were given a fancy designation because they were plopped next to the processor.
The profit margin on a MacBook Air is about 70 points.
If it sells for $1000 Apple paid about $300 for it to be manufactured, materials labor the whole shabang.
Retailers like BestBuy and authorized Apple resellers might make $40-100 per machine sold.
A good friend has been an authorized Apple reseller since 1997.
I literally see what they pay for the devices from distribution. And there is almost nothing in the way of profit. They make their nut on service and accessory sales.
I think that’s a terribly short sighted comment and way of thinking or things.
If you want a machine that will function for 3 years, has excellent support for apps and service and is affordable you can spend $300 on a cheap PC laptop.
There are zero PC laptops shipping with 8GB of ram over the price of $445.00
You’re paying a tax just to use an Apple device.
And the people who want access to the newer AI features, what about them?
Just because they paid $599-1600 for a Mac mini , IMac all the way to a 16” MacBook Pro. They don’t deserve to have access to the new environment?
They are just SOL?
And they paid the price of a well used car to be left out?
How did I know this would turn into a RAM debate? 😂
Grandma does not care about RAM, and wonders how a truck brand also sells computers.
That, and kids getting their first Mac, is the target market for this deal.
This model is more than acceptable for average users or beginners. Period.
Grandma does not care about RAM, and wonders how a truck brand also sells computers.
That, and kids getting their first Mac, is the target market for this deal.
This model is more than acceptable for average users or beginners. Period.
Unlikely -- I have a 30 year old pickup in my driveway
Grandma might care if "the new Siri" isn't doing all the neat stuff she sees Apple touting, however
Why folks defend Apple on the RAM topic is beyond me
It would cost Apple basically nothing to bump the bases to 16gb min, across the board ... it's not about that
It's about how much they can screw their customers on horrendously overpriced RAM upgrades that, by design, have to be done at the time of purchase.
It's all a big scheme to screw people out of money
Not quite true - they're LPDDR5x (low power) RAM which you will find in many "ultrabook"-style laptops (and anything that bears comparsion to the MBA), but it is different from the regular DDR5 you'll find on RAM sticks and modules. LPDDR RAM has to be surface-mount soldered direct to the main board as close as possible to the processor (so far) has never been user-upgradeable. Very recently, an new standard for press-fit LPDDR modules was released - but I don't think it has shown up in any products yet. It is probably more expensive than regular DDR5 but since it's only sold as bare chips intended for hardware manufacturers it's hard to find a price for comparison with upgrade prices - buying small quantities of electronic components "retail" is always stupidly expensive and the price drops off significantly with quantity. Apple is likely one of - if not the biggest buyer of LPDDR RAM - they now use it in all of their computers and although they're only about the #4 computer seller, the PC/Android marketshare is scattered over multiple manufacturers and a much more diverse selection of models.
OTOH, Apple have been charging $200-per-8GB for RAM upgrades since at least 2017 when they were the exact same SODIMM modules you could buy one-off from Crucial for a fraction of the price. LPDDR5x isn't sso expensive that it makes that any more generous. It's really to do with how Apple chooses to segment and differentiate their product range and very little to do with the cost of the components.
Last I've heard it's still in alpha quality. x86-based computers are still better in the "use Linux to extend service life" regard, as the odds of getting a machine that works with Linux completely out-of-the-box are still pretty good.
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Look, you can see my post history. I mostly agree with you. But seriously? They throw in so much software. Unlike Windows, I don’t need to pay for an office equivalent. I also get GarageBand and iMovie. I get Advanced Data Protection. All of that is more-or-less bundled into the cost of the hardware.
I mean, you don’t even pay for the OS anymore. It’s all in the cost of the hardware.
So, I mean, I get it, but I don’t get it. If you don’t want it, don’t buy it.
It isn’t defending Apple to say, this is overpriced, but I will buy it anyway and be happy with my purchase.
Besides, I think this fall it all gets upgraded thanks to AI. 16GB RAM here we come.
"Throwing in random software" in no way excuses overcharging for component upgrades.
I can't stand it when people say this
That is same inappropriate argument people use to shut down criticism about iOS App Store policies
("Buy an Android if you don't like it!")
We are allowed to be upset about business tactics whether we've bought something or not. Most of us are here at all because we've been long time fans of the company. That means we're going to be critical when it's warranted.
Let's please hold Apple to a higher standard here
Defending price gouging as "it's all inclusive value" is a non starter, sorry
Apple should account for throw in software items ("value") with higher MSRPs, not offload all the overcharging to those who simply need a bit more RAM or SSD
I have to say, I’m in the camp of those who say that the software bundle more than compensates for the higher price of hardware.
I once worked out how much money you’d spend on software subscription charges if you had to buy that software over the lifetime of a Mac, and it came to several thousand dollars. Admittedly not everyone needs the Zoom Business replacement that FaceTime is close to being, or Notes which is a pretty good cloud notes app, but there are things like the Password Manager which everyone will find useful.
If you use Apple’s software to its full extent, there’s a lot of commercial software that you don’t need to buy.
I once worked out how much money you’d spend on software subscription charges if you had to buy that software over the lifetime of a Mac, and it came to several thousand dollars. Admittedly not everyone needs the Zoom Business replacement that FaceTime is close to being, or Notes which is a pretty good cloud notes app, but there are things like the Password Manager which everyone will find useful.
If you use Apple’s software to its full extent, there’s a lot of commercial software that you don’t need to buy.
This totally misses the point
An all inclusive value discussion is a worthy one when discussing what the machines cost at their MSRP price points
But it's not ok for Apple to overwhelmingly price gouge just the folks who need some more RAM or SSD and we just chalk that up to "well Macs overall are a great value!"
It's a totally different thing than the "overall value of Macs"
This is just nonsensical analysis
How is it nonsensical analysis? The overall value of Macs is impacted by software on the one hand, and is compensated by the total amount of money Apple extracts from its customers. Your RAM upgrade may be paying for the software we all enjoy. Seems fair.
Well LibreOffice works with Windows and Linux if you don’t want to pay for an office suite. It’s probably more compatible with MS Office compared to iWork because they’re constantly improving compatibility with MS office documents.
Nope it is the point. Sorry you can’t see it.
If that thing won't fit in my driveway, how in Sam Hain will it ever fit into the kitchen!
Okay, so I have thought about this some more, and I still think that it is a hidden value from the customer’s perspective. It could be seen as “intrinsic value“ (I think that is the accounting term for extra assumed fixed and variable costs associated indirectly with an item for sale.)
But let’s say you are also correct with your perspective. What is it you want? You say it’s wrong for me to say, well thems the breaks…go buy something else. Well, it isn’t like Apple is hanging out on these forums waiting for turbinesaplane to say that the RAM situation is unacceptable, so now we will change it, right?
They don’t care. They don’t. They know we will buy it and move on. Although, again, it might go up some this fall due to AI anyway. Otherwise, I am paying $1439 for a refurbished M3 15” MBA this fall. (Which is almost $500 more than my Acer Predator 16” refurbed was with a 4060 and 16 GB RAM.)
So what is it you want here exactly? Because it’s clear Apple is simply this way. They don’t care.
Production costs have very little bearing on product price. Companies price at what the market will pay and generate the profit margin they want; except in a commodity market; and computers are not a commodity. Apple has created a brand that can extract extra value and so does it. Nothing wrong about that and the behavior stockholders expect.
Apple has tiered their pricing to get the desired financial results. We may not like the extra cost of the RAM/SSD; but if we need it we pay it. Since we do, Apple charges it.
Nor should they until it impacts sales and profit. In the end, Apple is a for profit company and everything they do is geared towards that end.
I use a Mac because I find it to be the best choice for what I do and how I use it; and thus pay for it.
So much wrong about this post. It’s about the individual buyer. This machine is not catered to you, so why are you crying about it? Guess what, this machine will sell at Walmart for many customers. Between thousands and tens of thousands at the very least. This isn’t well off people buying new at the Apple Store on day one. It’s a discounted older product that has value for many.
If you think this will only be worth 3 years of use, you are delusional. My 2010 MBP, had for 10 years. My 2015 MBP, gave to my friend after 10 years. I expect my 14in MBP M1 Pro to get 10 years as well.
If you think FaceTime is close to being a Zoom replacement in the business world, then you're not even close to approaching the need for Zoom.
For a lot of uses Facetime’s 32 concurrent users in a group call is enough. Zoom’s number of 100-500 users is for more exceptional cases, webinars and so on.