[dbbk]

I can guarantee you that most people buying the $999 laptop have 5 Chrome tabs open and don't store files on their computer. 8GB/256GB is fine.

[NBJack]

That's a bold statement.

Videos, music, photos, all of these add up fast. I have encountered plenty of family and friends needing help when their storage is exhausted.

Then there is the ever increasong bloat of software, web apps, etc. that chew through RAM.

If this isn't a daily driver, sure. It is fine. But for those where this is their only computer, this is a lot of money for an 'entry level' model that can't do as much.

[dbbk]

The year is 2024, most people don't store videos, music or photos as files on their computer.

[djfdat]

Except when you log in with your Apple ID, it'll sync your photos by default, taking up as much space as the system determines.

[lotsofpulp]

I am still using a 2015 MacBook Air with 8GB / 256GB, and I use Excel/Safari/Chrome Remote Desktop/VLC/Photos/Handbrake/etc just fine.

And I bet I use my computer more strenuously than 90% of the population.

[szundi]

What are you talking about? Apple Music streaming, Netflix, Youtube. Nothing on the machine.

Those times are over when you swim in the mainstream.

[w0m]

You're making the argument to get them to buy iPads, not entry level laptops for roughly the same price (+-100usd)

[dbbk]

And a lot of them do! But that's not feasible for everyone or every use case, for example I would never give a college student just an iPad.

[adgjlsfhk1]

256gb is 3 AAA games. luckily Apple solves this problem by not being able to run any games.

[gs17]

At least on my MBA, 50-60 GB is taken up by the system itself, so 2 games really.

[jsz0]

I dunno about Chrome but a single YouTube tab in Safari can use over 1GB of RAM these days. It's absolutely insane to sell a computer in 2024 that's gonna struggle to open 10+ browser tabs.

https://imgur.com/a/VzCQ4zF

[huuhee3]

Most of those people could save 600 dollars and buy an used Thinkpad that works just as well for their uses

[dboreham]

Then they could use a $200 Chromebook.

[vundercind]

Worse battery life, such weak hardware (you're bringing up $200 models) that they're laggy and shitty even with a few Chrome tabs, bad trackpads, terrible accessibility options compared to Macs (I was very surprised to discover this latter issue when configuring my elderly father's Chromebook, given the market for Chromebooks is basically kids and old people)

$200 Chromebooks are the kind my various teacher friends complain about because they're so shit that they even drive elementary school kids crazy.

[leetharris]

But they don't want to. This is what people who are spec chasers miss. They want to use a MacBook because it's a joy to use compared to a shitty $200 Chromebook