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> You pay $200 extra for 16gb so that others get a compelling machine that lasts a very long time Apologies if I'm misunderstanding you, but it reads like you'

> You pay $200 extra for 16gb so that others get a compelling machine that lasts a very long time Apologies if I'm misunderstanding you, but it reads like you're saying that Apple's doing everyone a favor by selling their 8GB machines for so cheap, and those cheap machines are in turn subsidized by the folks paying 8-10x (!) typical retail price for an upgrade to 16GB. That argument doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me -- presumably the default configurations with 8GB are the ones that sell the most units, so why would they take a loss on those? Also, Apple's RAM pricing hasn't changed in years, but DRAM cost has come down considerably, so I'd be really surprised if they're not making a tidy profit margin, even on the 8GB units.

BugsJustFindMe 3y ago
People at the low end are more price sensitive than people at the high end. It makes a ton of sense to me, tbh. The people buying the low end models might not buy at the low end if it gets too high, but people buying pricey high end models aren't going away. Anyway, it's speculation. I trust Apple to have figured out how to make the most money from their market. But maybe they're wrong! Honestly hard to know.
- angoragoats 3y ago
  Apple certainly has figured out how to make a lot of money from their market, and it’s by selling radically under-specced machines and charging radically inflated prices to upgrade them. The low-end models should have better specs, at the same price. Regulation is needed, IMHO.
  - BugsJustFindMe 3y ago
    It's weird to me to say that regulation is needed for what are widely considered to be the best laptop computers for almost everyone at any price by a country mile. The reality is that only a fraction of buyers actually benefit from upgrades over the base configuration.
    - angoragoats 3y ago
      Do you have any citations for those claims? While Apple does have excellent build quality across the board, I struggle to see how the lackluster and overpriced 8GB models would ever be considered “the best laptop computers.”

BugsJustFindMe 3y ago

People at the low end are more price sensitive than people at the high end. It makes a ton of sense to me, tbh. The people buying the low end models might not buy at the low end if it gets too high, but people buying pricey high end models aren't going away. Anyway, it's speculation. I trust Apple to have figured out how to make the most money from their market. But maybe they're wrong! Honestly hard to know.

angoragoats 3y ago
Apple certainly has figured out how to make a lot of money from their market, and it’s by selling radically under-specced machines and charging radically inflated prices to upgrade them. The low-end models should have better specs, at the same price. Regulation is needed, IMHO.
- BugsJustFindMe 3y ago
  It's weird to me to say that regulation is needed for what are widely considered to be the best laptop computers for almost everyone at any price by a country mile. The reality is that only a fraction of buyers actually benefit from upgrades over the base configuration.
  - angoragoats 3y ago
    Do you have any citations for those claims? While Apple does have excellent build quality across the board, I struggle to see how the lackluster and overpriced 8GB models would ever be considered “the best laptop computers.”