[Ruska]

Especially when you consider the fact that it's impossible to upgrade the RAM. Sure, many users are fine with 4GB now. However, many users that want a laptop that will satisfy their needs for several years will be frustrated to learn that their machine can't be upgraded.

[cookiecaper]

Hasn't been a problem for Apple thus far. Their fanbase seems totally content to just throw the whole thing out every 3-5 years and buy a new one.

[AYBABTME]

I think that's true for all the market, not particular to Mac. I don't think most people usually keep their computers for more than 2-5 years.

[cookiecaper]

You're right that some PC brands also have high turnover, but remember that people are buying those PCs for $300-$500. Most people who invest $2k+ in computers keep those machines around for a while; even if their high-end usefulness has expired by year 5, there're lots of medium-end and low-end applications that can continue to be used on high-quality hardware.

[Ruska]

It's still kind of new for a lot of products. Macbook Pros that were released before the Retina MBP (16 months ago) could be upgraded.

[caw]

Doesn't the new OS have memory compression so that you can run more apps with the same amount of memory?

[cookiecaper]

Memory compression is an overblown feature. It's definitely cool, but it's a band-aid. We've had it on Linux for 3+ years now and the place where its found the most use is Android; that is, embedded systems that are difficult to upgrade trying to squeeze just enough RAM for one or two more applications.

In real life, memory compression is demanding on the CPU and they have to use a lightweight compression algorithm to keep response times snappy. It'll help sometimes, but in general, it's not going to make a machine with 4GB behave like a machine with 8. It might make it behave more like a somewhat-slower machine with 5.