Apple

There's two advantages for Apple: the upgrade pricing is lucrative, and having specs that provide zero buffer for the future when apps and the web inevitably use more RAM will drive sales of new devices.

Their RAM is made by aliens so is $200 a GB hahaha

So they can bait people with a lower price and then get them to upgrade when they realize it’d be unusable.

thing is its video/graphics memory which is much more expensive but being used for ram also. actually makes the 8gb situation even worse as some is being used for the graphics. 10gb or 12gb even as an option would have been better. $100 extra for 12gb would be an easy upsell, they like to ladder the products but it might put more people off than would have otherwise bought.

The same thing applies to the iPad, so I'll use it as an example. I will be using AUD pricing.

You want an iPad. You go with the 9th generation. $549. But, there is an option for $200 more. It has USBC, keyboard folio support, a better screen, a better chip, amongst other improvements. You think "I'm going to keep this for a while, it's worth it".

Now you're spending $749. But, in this day and age you need more than 64GB. You get the storage upgrade, and you're spending $999.

However, the iPad Air is also $999. So you spring for that. Still, you have the storage issue. Now, you're spending $1,249. That's how Apple has manipulated storage costs on the iPad.

Most people will stop before they get the iPad Air, but if they can convince someone that was going to get a $549 iPad to get a better one, it's still a win for Apple.

Easier to get people to upgrade in a couple years because their laptop ages much faster. 8GB ram is low but usable in 2023. It would be unusable by 2026, necessitating an upgrade.

Money. Your money.

You wanna know a secret that will probably get me downvoted for the truth? These same folks complaining tend to be the same folks paying and just paying it, but already waay overpaying for crap they don't need on models they don't need and vote yes to the prices (with their money) even when they say on reddit or paper they don't support it. If you say something with your mouth, but then your actions show otherwise no one is gonna give a damn what your mouth is saying. Dolla dolla bills is what matters to em.

These same folks are also the same ones that have paid the extra for decades now. This ain't new. Why would they change when folks keep paying anyhow? I got a Mac with upgrades, but waited until I found one that had em for actual realistic market rates. I appreciate others for paying the nonsense for me and all, but yeah, as long as they pay they can throw the fit all they want. Won't change and folks Wil just throw it on a credit card.

1. The upsell. People who don’t need 16GB will not care. People who do will pay it. That’s basically free money.

2. Reverse future proofing. If you think 8GB is cramped now, imagine 3-4 years from now when most of these computers will still be in use. Users may hit the upgrade cycle quicker.

3. Profit margins. After the return of Steve Jobs, Apple simple will not sell any hardware without a hefty profit margin.

Starbucks also sells tiny drinks that are silly.