Component upgrade ended way before that, eg my 2013 MBA was not upgradable nor were MBPs of that era
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How to beat Apple's upselling strategy?
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People say they want "upgradable" RAM but really what they want is cheap RAM. Those days are long gone. The reason is the sockets for the RAM have to be off-chip and then connected with long wires (PCB traces) to the CPU. Those traces are slow. Timing is very critical.
Why don't we hear from PC users complaining that Nvidia GPU cards are not upgradable? I want to buy the cheapest 4GB GPU and then add cheap commodity RAM and get 64GB. You can't do that with Nvidia.
It is not just Apple, can you add after-market RAM to any modern ARM-based computer, Apple or Not? M maybe not. I've not seen it.
Buy it and use it, till it’s unusable. Recycle it and repeat. I never sell my Apple products, I don’t want to deal with strangers. I recycled my iMac 5 months ago at Best Buy. Personally I tend to buy the mid range or entry level products. I own a iPhone 14 and XS. MacBook Air M1 , iPad 8th generation and Apple Watch 3. I don’t think Apple forces upsell, it all depends on what you want , more than what is needed.
I want and may buy an iPad Pro 13 inch with Magic Keyboard as my next iPad, but , in reality an entry level iPad will do the job.
I want and may buy an iPad Pro 13 inch with Magic Keyboard as my next iPad, but , in reality an entry level iPad will do the job.
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You can’t usually upgrade the RAM in any systems that use LPDDR (low power) RAM: until recently it was only available as surface-mount chips which had to be soldered to the logic board. There’s now a system of upgradeable press-fit LPDDR modules but AFAIK so far those are only used in one ThinkPad model.
In the PC world, desktops and larger laptops use regular DDR4/5 modules that can be upgraded, but MacBook-Like thin’n’crispy laptops tend to use LPDDR. Apple are unusual in using LPDDR across the whole range, including desktops - but that contributes to their ultra low power consumption.
I don’t need to beat myself or Apple or any one else. I just buy what is needed to get my work done. If I was buying recreational devices, I couldn’t care less about specs or upgrading.
Not sure what pre silicon Mac era you are referring to here. My MBP 2014 wasn’t upgradable, neither was my 2019 MBP, which i got rid off after moving to AS.
My strategy is to purchase upgraded models when they are 6-12 months old. B&H will often have discounts on these, for example I purchased my M1Max 14" MBP with 64GB/2TB for $2600 with AppleCare included. This config at launch cost $4100 without AppleCare, which is another $250 or $300 (I forget what it is for the 14" MBP). I saved at least $1750 by waiting a little bit, plus B&H's credit card gives me an instant rebate of the sales tax. I'll keep my Mac laptops for typically 8-10 years, so the cost amortized over that time is less than $1/day.
The SSD is socketed? Can’t rememberI have a 2013 MacBook Air. The RAM is not upgradeable but the SSD is.
Funny, over thinking is part of what keeps the lights on at MacRumors and other sites. Imagine how simple life would be if we didn't know about product release cycles and the history of Apple products. We really could do what some of us, myself included, suggested: buy what you need and use it without resentment. And when an updated model is released a month after we purchased ours, we wouldn't know about it, LOL.
I'm a big fan of "buy whatever device I need and use it for 4-5 years" tactic... it's worked out remarkably well.
I'm a big fan of "buy whatever device I need and use it for 4-5 years" tactic... it's worked out remarkably well.
That is a good idea but the problem is that there are some design aspects of the current MacBook Pro 16" which I do not like and there would be new redesign in two years.
I had a M4 Pro MacBook Pro 16" next to my Intel MacBook Pro 17" for a few days. Unconsciously I picked the old one every time. It just felt more comfortable to use it except that sometimes it produces jet engine noise and it cannot be connected to even one external 4K monitor.
The definition of upsell in the dictionary in Mac OS: persuade a customer to buy something additional or more expensive
The thing is, there are technologies already available for this, and a few makers have put it into action at the high end.
The problem is that everyone latches onto Apple's lead and realize that the mass market don't know or care about replaceable ram. Everything is about saving money and soldered-on ram does save money.
There is always something new coming down the pike. Just buy the one that fits your needs and be happy with it. I have a MacBook Pro Pro and I love it. No regrets purchasing it over the Mac Mini.
Of course you're happy, almost every device in your signature represents the current model, LOL. 😉
I got the max configuration of my 2013 11" MBA (i7/8gb/512gb) and never had a need to expand while I was still using it. But they can be upgraded - see this, which says the MBA through 2017 was upgradeable:
How to Upgrade MacBook Air SSD: 2013/2014/2015/2017: EveryMac.com
How to instructions and video to upgrade the PCIe SSD storage in Mid-2013, Early 2014, Early 2015 and 2017 MacBook Air models.
everymac.com
Decide just what you need, and stop there. Each next step up is more powerful, but will not be any better for you if you don't use that power (and might actually be worse because of increased noise).
Or if you're someone who wants to buy top-spec gear just because it's top-spec, but doesn't like the cost, then wait a few months after release and buy used. You can find pristine gear with AC+.
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I don’t think of the M4 Max. At least for the time being, the majority of applications I use don’t take advantage of multi-core. Considering the M4 Pro only because it has Thunderbolt 5 and there is no M4 configuration for the 16” version of Apple’s laptops.
If Apple released a base M4 Mini with TB5, that would be ideal. I guess TC wants us to pay more to get TB5.
If Apple released a base M4 Mini with TB5, that would be ideal. I guess TC wants us to pay more to get TB5.
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So you are not concerned that perhaps a year later, you may need more RAM?
Perhaps do what you mentioned or just buy the cheapest model whenever a new purchase is needed? Since the cheapest model is so cheap, there is no need of worrying about making a wrong decision?