kdupuis77

 In my opinion, the base 8GB RAM + 256GB SSD combo IS still plenty for a decent portion of users who are using social media, YouTube, streaming video, web browsing, emailing etc. Those types of basic users could certainly get by much cheaper with a ChromeBook or cheaper Windows laptop... But the extra money may be worth it to them for the ecosystem integration (iCloud, Use w/ iPhone, iPad, AirPods, etc.) That being said, these specs certainly aren't sufficient for anyone considering themselves the most modest of a "power user". I'm a little bummed because nowadays I am so close to that line myself, and yet the 15" M2 MacBook Air base model just couldn't quite hack it for my needs. The tiny storage wasn't ideal, but I did find it was "do-able" given my collection of external SSDs and usage of iCloud anyhow.. But that RAM, I just kept pressing up against the top of the 8GB and was hitting swap memory to often for my tastes. I'm not huge into so-called "future-proofing" myself given that my appetite for upgrading usually means I don't keep the same laptop more than 1.5-2 years anyhow. But I had to dump the Air and go back up the ladder to a 14" MacBook Pro. In my opinion, 16GB/512GB is a perfectly comfortable base level for my needs. If upgrades weren't so insanely overpriced, I would've stuck with the Air at those specs... But once you make those upgrades, you're within a couple hundred bucks of a much nicer screen, superior sound, extra ports, etc.

Bottom line is, if Apple upgraded the 8GB/256GB base specs in these machines, they'd cannibalize their base model Pro sales almost certainly as I'm sure many customers are in the same boat as I.

They should just make the darned things the 0.1mm thicker and increase the clearance between the closed screen and top case.

My wife’s 13” M2 MacBook Air got a nick in the screen coating the first week from some minute piece of dust trapped between the top case and screen right dead center. She has AppleCare, but living with it as long as it doesn’t bother her to save the deductible (I’m super anal, I’d have sent it in already lol).

My own M2 MacBook Pro has its screen cleaned on the regular as I cannot stand any smudges or dust on it when I’m looking at it all day. I keep getting oil smudges across the top 3” middle of my panel - that’s not even from the keyboard, but the trackpad? I do occasionally get the keyboard-shaped smudges at the bottom though, and I keep my machine very clean.