Add on to that the observation that memory for your average consumer computer is something of an arms race between the manufacturer of the consumer's computer a

Add on to that the observation that memory for your average consumer computer is something of an arms race between the manufacturer of the consumer's computer and the developers of the software they'll use. Manufacturers want to have a computer with enough memory that it never feels like a constraint to the user (and blog posts like this one enjoin them to do that). At the same time, developers of software want to consume as much memory as possible-- up to the point where they've used it all and any extra becomes noticeable as perf problems to the user. So Apple keeping their default memory offering low could be seen in a certain noble light...like honoring a nuclear non-proliferation treaty.