Apple announces new Mac Mini, Air + 13" MBP featuring their own M1 chip.

[Daags]

ya you're right ... with unified memory, being locked in to Apple's RAM prices at the point of purchase isn't relevant. €227 for a Mac Mini 8gb RAM upgrade (8gb ->16gb) isn't relevant. In contrast, the fact I got a 64gb RAM upgrade for my laptop for €240 isn't relevant either.

because in the walled garden that is Apple, money is irrelevant.

GOTCHA.

Apple locking memory is nothing new, it's been going on since 2012. We had luck with Mini '18... So you're late for the party. Mini 2014 had locked memory, and all macbooks since 2012 had locked memory.

Why is it such a surprise that entry-level Macs have locked memory?

who said anything about being surprised ? Does something have to be a surprise to warrant a remark or observation ? The last thing that should surprise anyone is Apple shafting people. Nevertheless, the relevance of a remark or observation is not dependent on whether it's a surprise.

And secondly, comparing unified memory with memory sticks 1:1 is just pointless.

speak for yourself, there's plenty of people for whom RAM capacity is important to their work - and the ARM architecture doesn't make max RAM capacity an irrelevance. I can't wait to see what Apple are going to charge for 64gb on an Apple Silicon / SoC system ... we can make some reasonable inferences that if they're charging €227 for an 8gb bump, you're looking at something like an additional €1,600 to get 64GB RAM in your Apple Silicon / SoC system - whenever they provide such SoC's that is.

But that's, like, irrelevant ... because, like, no one should be like, surprised and stuff, that Apple likes to, you know, shaft people good & raw, and, like, people shouldn't like, comment on how expensive Apple RAM is, because, like, are you like, late to the party and stuff ? it's like, the Apple-buggers-you-sideways-for-RAM party. Come on in and stop, like, making irrelevant comments about how unpleasant it is to be buggered.

So no, your comment isn't relevant at all

comments regarding the huge expense of RAM in one system VS another will always be relevant, no matter how personally accustomed to getting buggered by those prices you (or your benefactor) personally become.

[Sascha Franck]

speak for yourself, there's plenty of people for whom RAM capacity is important to their work - and the ARM architecture doesn't make max RAM capacity an irrelevance. I can't wait to see what Apple are going to charge for 64gb on an Apple Silicon / SoC system ... we can make some reasonable inferences that if they're charging €227 for an 8gb bump, you're looking at something like an additional €1,600 to get 64GB RAM in your Apple Silicon / SoC system - whenever they provide such SoC's that is.

Well, while I agree with most of your points (I'm pretty much the opposite of an Apple fanboy, even if I'm using their computers), the main takeaway of the release of these new machines for me is that I actually don't *have* to buy any higher ended machines anymore. Even a lowly Macbook Air will likely outperform my current Mac Pro on pretty much all accounts.
So, as much as I hate not being able to pimp my computers anymore (which I always did) and as much as I really dislike all things "planned obsolescence" (which Apple is pretty good at), being able to do all my computer music related things on a machine that will easily outperform my current one while possibly even being able to run on battery power for a whole day is quite an appealing perspective in my book.
Yeah, comes at a price - but unlike in previous years, this time I'll likely be willing to pay that price.

[Markus Krause]

I just cecked the prices for the Mac mini 2020. The model with 256 GB costs €778. An identical model with 512 GB disc space costs €1003. Thats €225 for 256 GB more disc space.
I assume they use a fast NVMe M.2 technology.
A Samsung EVO 970 with 1000 GB currenty costs 124€ on amazon. It is one of best and fastest drives.
124€ / 4 = 31€ (for 256 GB).
The Mac Mini with 512 GB is a real ripoff compared to the small one with 256 GB.
The price difference should be €30 and not € 225.

[zvenx]

rsp

[Ploki]

I just cecked the prices for the Mac mini 2020. The model with 256 GB costs €778. An identical model with 512 GB disc space costs €1003. Thats €225 for 256 GB more disc space.
I assume they use a fast NVMe M.2 technology.
A Samsung EVO 970 with 1000 GB currenty costs 124€ on amazon. It is one of best and fastest drives.
124€ / 4 = 31€ (for 256 GB).
The Mac Mini with 512 GB is a real ripoff compared to the small one with 256 GB.
The price difference should be €30 and not € 225.

Should not have come with 256gb drive in 2020 anyway, that’s a joke.
Apple’s SSD prices are a joke, i never go higher than 512.
It’s nvme tho, and among the fasters.

[Sascha Franck]

Should not have come with 256gb drive in 2020 anyway, that’s a joke.
Apple’s SSD prices are a joke, i never go higher than 512.

Well, that's exactly why they started glueing/soldering them in, same with RAM (even if that might be justfied with the M1 CPUs) - just so they could pull off their street robbery. And they're earning *truckloads* of money just from that because nobody with a sane mind will opt for a 256GB drive, even less so on a mobile machine.
There's no other reason for that others than pure greed. Making money for exactly *zero* work.
It's one of *the* main reasons I have lost most of my respect for Apple. Unethical business behaviour is one of the key things this world is the way it is.

[Ploki]

Cant argue with that

[jancivil]

Apple does gouge the fck out of us for the drive space, same as before when you could install RAM in 'em.
I chose 2TB and I'm using 2/3rds of it already, but the 4TB was another $400 or something.

Donno what stuff costs on a windows rig, could not care less. It's like, if you can afford a cab you have less ugly to contend with than on the bus.

[chk071]

Should not have come with 256gb drive in 2020 anyway, that’s a joke.
Apple’s SSD prices are a joke, i never go higher than 512.

Well, that's exactly why they started glueing/soldering them in, same with RAM (even if that might be justfied with the M1 CPUs) - just so they could pull off their street robbery. And they're earning *truckloads* of money just from that because nobody with a sane mind will opt for a 256GB drive, even less so on a mobile machine.
There's no other reason for that others than pure greed. Making money for exactly *zero* work.
It's one of *the* main reasons I have lost most of my respect for Apple. Unethical business behaviour is one of the key things this world is the way it is.

They're charging ridiculous money for their hardware. That's why I don't buy Apple. BUT, I really can't see how it compares to "street robbery". There's people buying, so, that's that.

I also think it's a great thing that this world offers anything from very low budget netbooks to tens of thousands of € desktops. It's fine as long as there's a market for everthing. I take that over one model for everyone every day. It's a good thing that there is Apple. For the people who are into their devices, and willing and able to pay that money.

[Ploki]

They're charging ridiculous money for their hardware. That's why I don't buy Apple. BUT, I really can't see how it compares to "street robbery". There's people buying, so, that's that.

sans RAM and SSD, they really don't tho...
And with M1 chips, they especially don't.
Building a similarly spec'd machines with same port capabilities gets expensive.

[agharta]

By selling an 8/256 configuration they get to advertise a low base price.
A lot of people are happy with their iPad Pros with x/128 or so, therefore the MacBook Air base model is an upgrade for them.
The MacBook Air with 8/256 is cheaper than the iPad Pro 12.9 x/256 which seems odd!
Add on the keyboard to the iPad and the total cost is ~40% more than the MacBook.
Strange.

[jancivil]

"That's why I don't buy Apple."
Fine, but why do you need to run this routine every time there's a Mac thread? In more the realm of fact, if you spec out a computer like mine all the way you're looking at a bunch of money. Some people would pay real money not to have Windows in their life, if we're posting strictly from opinion. One *could* point to numerous facts why this might be, too.
The incessant arguing of this shit... in the end it feels like someone who has to take the bus resents the hell out of the person who can afford a cab for some things.

as per the previous post to this, yes, certain prices make little to no sense, or there's a calculation more nuanced than I know from

[agharta]

Given the performance and Apple’s history I’m suprised they aren’t more expensive.
Maybe they are aiming for significant growth so keeping the base price low.
There’s no real competition for the iPad Pro so the prices are high.
Whereas for laptops Apple are low volume so plenty of room to grow and especially at the low end.
Seems like a good business move.

[jancivil]

That all makes sense to me.

When I needed an iPad I was kind of stunned by the prices on the high end models, but it's pretty much all there is like that for me.

[chk071]

The incessant arguing of this shit...

Frankly, if you don't like arguments, the internet is the wrong place.

And, I think I just said that it's good that there's Apple in my last post. And, if I were completely uninterested in their devices, or the developments of their hardware, then I wouldn't be in this thread, believe that.

I'm actually surprised that there's an argument over their prices. I thought it was pretty much common sense that they're expensive. Microsoft's devices are very expensive as well. If it comforts you when I state that. Although they just follow the Apple way, really.