kdupuis77
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New M3 MacBook Air has changes that make the SSD faster than the last model
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. -
iPhone 17 display rumored to be anti-reflective and more scratch-resistant