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CaoCao

macrumors 6502a
Jul 27, 2010
783
2
If Apple offered 8GB upgrades, there will be some people to bite on it. Different people different needs though its far less likely to have people exceed 4GB.

It defeats the point of the MBA, just like claiming all netbooks need an i3 or greater
 

silverblack

macrumors 68030
Nov 27, 2007
2,680
840
Not another 2 GB vs. 4 GB thread...

People like the $999 price point, and the 11.6" base model is very popular - the only model that Apple cannot keep it stocked enough to ship out in 24 hrs. So, I have to disagree with the OP - Apple made the right choice of balancing the price point and specs. And again, 2 GB is fine, not a moment I found my MBA sluggish.
 

gwsat

macrumors 68000
Apr 12, 2008
1,920
0
Tulsa
osx isnt windows, it runs great on 2gb especially with flash storage have you read the reviews? The new MBA's are fast with a 1.4 intel core duo and 2gb of ram. Apple has shown specs are not everything at least in laptops battery life is more important to most people then 8gb of ram and an i7 quad core processor :p
I agree that when you factor in the remarkably fast flash storage in the new MBAs, 2GB of RAM is probably ample for all but the most resource hungry applications. I bought a 13 inch 2.14Ghz MBA with 4 GB of RAM hoping, but not really knowing, that it could satisfactorily handle Windows 7 in Fusion's Unity mode, running in tandem with several OS X apps.

As it turns out, my MBA handles all those apps with aplomb and gives me as much speed and stability as I enjoyed running the same apps on an MBP with 6GB of RAM. I have accumulated nearly a half million Page Outs since I last rebooted, a little over 30 hours ago. So what, though? Flash storage makes them unnoticeable. I suspect that even 2GB of RAM might have done a creditable job, too.

Has anybody tired to run Windows in a Fusion virtual machine in Unity mode on a new MBA with only 2GB or RAM? I would love to hear a report about how such a combination works.
 

wirelessmacuser

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Dec 20, 2009
1,968
0
Planet.Earth
What fascinates me is the overwhelming amount of negative thinking amongst those who have replied to this thread. The emotion and the negative slang, is also very revealing of those who wrote it. This is simply a discussion people, why get so up in arms?

The number of people who justify, and defend Apple as though they are the know all and be all. When indeed, this thread was _not_ created with negative thinking... but rather to point out a missed opportunity. At no time was it said that 2GB was an insufficient amount of ram. At no time was any aspect of these two new models criticized. And yet by the responses, some of you made it out to be an attack on Apple or Apples income stream. Some people are defending Apple like they own the company.. very interesting indeed. Talk about being emotionally attached.

The _positive_ nature of the this threads title seems to have escaped many. It suggests that Apple could have sold even more, and thus made more money in a shorter period of time.

As of this writing there have been 93 replys, and 5,014 views of the thread entitled "2GB vs. 4GB Dilemma". http://goo.gl/c77j

That's a lot of attention paid to something as simple as the default amount of RAM. I would bet that if 4GB was standard, many would not have hesitated to order, instead of debating and wondering as they have.

Very interesting.
 

bossxii

macrumors 68000
Nov 9, 2008
1,754
0
Kansas City
Well - what is the point of the MBA exactly? :confused:

If you have to ask, you should probably skip buying one. I don't say that to be rude, but it is very clear to some of us why the MBA is a great machine that helps us with our daily workloads.

Portability
Weight

Just two of the "points" of the MBA.

Not:

CPU power
GPU power
Ram
HDD/SSD space
Battery life
Screen size

These would be bonuses after the primary reason to purchasing an ultra portable laptop.

Form does matter over function in this line of laptops.
 

Carouser

macrumors 65816
Feb 1, 2010
1,411
1
I suggest Apple would have doubled MacBook Air sales, saved themselves the trouble of building so many BTO / CTO machines, and made even more money, if they would simply have equipped all of them with 4GB of ram.

Well, I suggest you made up these claims to suit your preferences.

Just think how many hours would be saved, how many discussion threads would not have been created, had Apple done the right thing from the start.

Apple's job is to provide things people want to buy, and they are successful as demonstrated by people buying those things. They don't (and shouldn't) care about how many hours a few people spend talking about 2GB vs. 4GB or how many Internet forum threads they make (really?).

Just think about how many people that are sitting on the fence, or lamenting what they should do, instead of just placing their order. How many are having to reach for that extra $100.00.

I'm thinking it's not very many people, certainly not enough to warrant a change in the lineup, since it would change Apple's pricing strategies and thus affect sales and profits far beyond Apple's ability to recoup the cost of materials.

Finally think about this for a moment. The massive amount of memory chips Apple buys, would have made their cost so low it's not even funny. It may have added less than $15 per machine. Perhaps even less.

Or perhaps even more! When you pull numbers out of thin air, you can do all kinds of things with them. Do you know what happens to the price of something when demand goes up? I wonder what happens to the price of memory when demand doubles. . .

What fascinates me is the overwhelming amount of negative thinking amongst those who have replied to this thread. The emotion and the negative slang, is also very revealing of those who wrote it. This is simply a discussion people, why get so up in arms?

"measly 2GB . . . is a travesty. . . had Apple done the right thing . . . so bloody greedy . . . and then . . . At no time was any aspect of these two new models criticized. . . . Talk about being emotionally attached"

The _positive_ nature of the this threads title seems to have escaped many. It suggests that Apple could have sold even more, and thus made more money in a shorter period of time.

Supported by what? No evidence or market analysis, that's for sure. You just made stuff up. Very interesting. Mmm, yes, very very interesting indeed. :rolleyes:

just think of the goodwill, all the delighted Mac customers that would have enjoyed having this amount of ram

You can't be serious. Apple releases amazing stuff all the time and half the threads are gripes that it's not better: 'The 11.6" is too small; the 11.6" is too big; I can't render 3D on this; why isn't there a 17" version; bla bla bla netbook; there's no SD slot; there's no serial port' ad infinitum.
 

iDave

macrumors 65816
Aug 14, 2003
1,029
300
What fascinates me is the overwhelming amount of negative thinking amongst those who have replied to this thread.

The _positive_ nature of the this threads title seems to have escaped many. It suggests that Apple could have sold even more, and thus made more money in a shorter period of time.

That's a lot of attention paid to something as simple as the default amount of RAM. I would bet that if 4GB was standard, many would not have hesitated to order, instead of debating and wondering as they have.
The premise of the thread ...if Apple had doubled the RAM, sales would have been double ...is debatable. What would you expect the responses to be from those who don't agree? Chances are, if you thought everyone would agree, you wouldn't have started a new thread with this topic. I'm all for more RAM and cheaper prices. In this case, I don't think it's necessary, as I expect MacBook Airs will be hard to come by as the holidays draw closer. I think Apple already has a winner.
 

JoEw

macrumors 68000
Nov 29, 2009
1,585
1,291
What fascinates me is the overwhelming amount of negative thinking amongst those who have replied to this thread. The emotion and the negative slang, is also very revealing of those who wrote it. This is simply a discussion people, why get so up in arms?

The number of people who justify, and defend Apple as though they are the know all and be all. When indeed, this thread was _not_ created with negative thinking... but rather to point out a missed opportunity. At no time was it said that 2GB was an insufficient amount of ram. At no time was any aspect of these two new models criticized. And yet by the responses, some of you made it out to be an attack on Apple or Apples income stream. Some people are defending Apple like they own the company.. very interesting indeed. Talk about being emotionally attached.

The _positive_ nature of the this threads title seems to have escaped many. It suggests that Apple could have sold even more, and thus made more money in a shorter period of time.

As of this writing there have been 93 replys, and 5,014 views of the thread entitled "2GB vs. 4GB Dilemma". http://goo.gl/c77j

That's a lot of attention paid to something as simple as the default amount of RAM. I would bet that if 4GB was standard, many would not have hesitated to order, instead of debating and wondering as they have.

Very interesting.

people have a different opinion then you.

Very interesting.
 

Macbees

macrumors newbie
Nov 1, 2010
12
0
Double RAM = Double sales wouldn't be necessarily true.. Don't think there are many who are not buying because they have to pay $100 extra for the 4G. Remember the Air is a niche line. Those buying Airs are willing to pay extra for its form factor, light weight.. Etc.
On the other hand, offering 4G standard is gonna create another bunch of whiners..
1) why no option to upgrade to 6G, 8G??
2) why can't I have 2G and save me a couple of bucks.. Jobs is a greedy man!!

In other words.. You can't make everyone happy.. Let's assume the air was priced at $999 with 4G standard.. There's still gonna be a 'Apple could've a 2G at $899 and sales would've doubled' thread..

Enjoys your machines...
 

CFreymarc

Suspended
Sep 4, 2009
3,969
1,149
Finally think about this for a moment. The massive amount of memory chips Apple buys, would have made their cost so low it's not even funny. It may have added less than $15 per machine. Perhaps even less.

Oh sure I hear the arguments now.. "but they wanted to come in under $1,000 for the entry level model.

Well, they could have easily done that and still included 4GB of ram.

With the impending release of Lion (the new version of OS X) sometime in the future 4GB makes all the sense in the world. To put a new model on the market in the year 2010 with a measly 2GB is a travesty.

Hello Apple? Anybody home? Anyone care? Anyone not so bloody greedy?

And you just failed Commodity Economics 101. You build a machine for the needs of the current market, not the future market. When Lion comes, out there will be a new wave of Mac with more cores and more RAM.

Considering how long you had your Mac and how much money you have and how much you want to impress your girlfriends, you can drop $250 to upgrade your current Macs to make it work with Lion or buy new Macs.

The beat goes on.
 

jnpy!$4g3cwk

macrumors 65816
Feb 11, 2010
1,119
1,302
Also I wholeheartedly disagree that by offering maxed out ram and including the backlit keyboard that would reduce forum posts on MR. You haven't been here very long, this forum would complain if Apple gave everybody a free MBA for xmas with no strings attached.
If Apple tried to give me a machine with a glossy screen, no backlit keyboard, no FW800, and only 2 GB, I sure as heck would complain. :cool:
 

CFreymarc

Suspended
Sep 4, 2009
3,969
1,149
Well - what is the point of the MBA exactly? :confused:

My personal theory is that an MBA is a regurgitation of the business methods of the patrons of the school they are attending. Thus you are educated in a philosophy that also complements these college patrons portfolios. Anything else is rhetoric.
 

jnpy!$4g3cwk

macrumors 65816
Feb 11, 2010
1,119
1,302
I suggest Apple would have doubled MacBook Air sales, saved themselves the trouble of building so many BTO / CTO machines, and made even more money, if they would simply have equipped all of them with 4GB of ram.
I agree with you, but, it isn't that simple. Apple and other companies go to great lengths to create different pricing tiers. I never liked this kind of marketing department irrationality, but, there it is,
 

Apple OC

macrumors 68040
Oct 14, 2010
3,667
4,328
Hogtown
I think the base Air is a great machine that serves a niche market. ...

Apple also knows it has a cash cow on their hands to satisfy clients like the OP
 

Capt Crunch

macrumors 6502
Aug 26, 2001
486
14
Washington, D.C.
Do people seriously believe that Apple didn't think about this?

I guarantee you that there is a powerpoint (or Keynote) slide in Apple HQ that calculates the expected profit gains as a result of making the base config 2 GB and the expected sales loss as a result of making the 4 GB a $100 option.

It's obvious that the former is larger than the latter, and Apple decided to do it because the believed it would make them more money in the long run. Or maybe they did it because they didn't have the back of an envelope to carry out the calculation on and just felt like being greedy.
 

Fraaaa

macrumors 65816
Mar 22, 2010
1,081
0
London, UK
I agree, almost every computer out there even the cheapest ones come with 4GB now and lot's have 6GB.

That is not true there are loads of computer with 2GB(800MHz). A friend of mine just bought a Toshiba Satellite with a Celeron and 2GB for less than £400.
Add a ULV C2D.
Add a high resolution screen.
Add an nVidia 320m.
Add an unibody aluminium case.
Add an high bandwidth SSD.
Glass trackpad.
Half the weight.
Smaller footprint.

...I think the MBA is a good value for money.

I agree that 2gb seems rather paltry nowadays but I still have a feeling that the base model will fly off the shelves. If it doesn't, apple will quietly upgrade the line with 4gb in the base model.

You still have the concept of RAM and CPU speed of pre 2000.
You still think the with the rule the more the better, times have changed.

RAM have higher bandwidth with Double Data Rate.
CPU have different architecture than single core Pentiums.

2GB are fine for most of people, sometimes 4GB would be recommend for some task that, anyway, the MBA hasn't been made for.

I bet Lion would have the same requirements of Snow Leopard. OSes are becaming lighter not heavier.

Price point is important, and some people would not care about 2GB extra for $100, same for the .20GHz extra. Is nice to have the option, that is it.

PS: you want to double their sale? have you been familiar with Apple revenue?
 
Last edited:

spinnerlys

Guest
Sep 7, 2008
14,328
7
forlod bygningen

I would think it would add another step, as you have to copy the long link, go to the "link shortening place", paste the long link, press a button, copy the short link and insert it here, while you could just copy the long link and insert it here and save four steps.

Want something longer.... here you go :)

http://www.llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochuchaf.org.uk/

(Interestingly, I noticed that by default, even this forum automatically shortens the URL above by quite a bit)

The forum does shorten the display of the link, but the link isn't shortened.

I just think, as a courtesy to the members, it would be nice to see, where a link goes to, as one can see the domain the site is stored on, even if the display of the link is shortened.

Example:
http://www.google.com/custom?hl=en&...G=Search&cx=011016119145480959114:kuv1aq0hily

is actually

Code:
[plain]http://www.google.com/custom?hl=en&client=pub-0384375415523482&cof=FORID%3A13%3BAH%3Aleft%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fmroogle.*************%3BCX%3AMRoogle%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fmroogle.*************%2FMRoogleSmall.gif%3BLH%3A56%3BLP%3A1%3BVLC%3A%23551A8B%3BDIV%3A%23CCCCCC%3B&as_qdr=all&adkw=AELymgU9Pjs-d7ibOc6qZ0Iw6NhY6eQ1dn_aa4m8tF6oJo1GMIHvSLhNopVzjMeVS1-WguxZj73yhTl1A247JRKalqoUcaDdi9Ghqnsg6J0Hmi9fflNKiXSZCtgqlIARiRZkYxuAwf1PO7NjAAd_Cb1VJhGVx1peQw&channel=5884338270&boostcse=0&q=short+links+site%3Aforums.macrumors.com&btnG=Search&cx=011016119145480959114%3Akuv1aq0hily[/plain]
, you can see it via hovering over the link with the mouse pointer, while the address does appear in your browser's status bar.
 

gwsat

macrumors 68000
Apr 12, 2008
1,920
0
Tulsa
Why not?

Want something longer.... here you go :)

http://www.llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochuchaf.org.uk/

(Interestingly, I noticed that by default, even this forum automatically shortens the URL above by quite a bit)
I have seen lots of threads in lots of places in which posters criticized others for not shortening the URLs in their links but the post criticizing you for not making it longer was a first. It seems to me that the only test a link has to pass is that clicking on it actually get you to the site described. In any event, the Insert Link icon in the post dialog box shortens links automatically. Perhaps the poster who criticized you should try the Insert Link utility some time, he might learn something.
 

spinnerlys

Guest
Sep 7, 2008
14,328
7
forlod bygningen
I have seen lots of threads in lots of places in which posters criticized others for not shortening the URLs in their links but the post criticizing you for not making it longer was a first. It seems to me that the only test a link has to pass is that clicking on it actually get you to the site described. In any event, the Insert Link icon in the post dialog box shortens links automatically. Perhaps the poster who criticized you should try the Insert Link utility some time, he might learn something.

createlink.gif
- yeah, I never use that.

I was just curious why the use for shortened links, as the boards I frequent - not to the excess as MR though - frown upon shortened links.
 

gwsat

macrumors 68000
Apr 12, 2008
1,920
0
Tulsa
createlink.gif
- yeah, I never use that.

I was just curious why the use for shortened links, as the boards I frequent - not to the excess as MR though - frown upon shortened links.
There is a better way to tell readers of one's posts what a link contains than making them rely on the arcane contents of the link itself. Those who use the Insert Link utility with their post need only describe what they are linking to in their text, select that text, click the Insert Link icon, and paste the link into the dialog box. Voila! That way the poster explicitly describes what the link will say to the reader and the reader does not have to try to figure out where the link leads only from a URL. That's the best way to do it, it seems to me.
 
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