foregoneconclusion

Is 2009 the correct date for when Microsoft agreed to this? That would mean it took 15 years for something calamitous like the Crowdstrike update to happen. 

Quality of writing and casting are the two most important factors for a TV show. I think Apple has also made some errors with the its choices of source content. Example: Isaac Asimov may be a classic sci-fi writer but his popularity was at its peak back in the 60s and 70s. Pouring money into adapting the Foundation series was always kind of an odd choice. More contemporary sci-fi book adaptations (like what they're going to do with 'Neuromancer') or even something like the Fallout video game adaptation makes more sense from the angle of attracting streaming viewers. 

avon b7 said: How to tempt them now? High prices and upsell don't seem to be the way. 

High prices? Look at this list of the best Windows gaming laptops...the "best budget" gaming laptop is $1300. An M2 MBA with 16GB unified memory is $1200. An M3 MBA with 16GB unified memory is $1500. All the rest of the choices on the list are in the range of $1500-$2500. It's a lot more expensive than buying a console.  

https://www.pcgamer.com/best-gaming-laptop/

The reality is that desktop/laptop gaming is usually two categories of users: people that bought the hardware for non-gaming functions that also want to do some gaming on the side AND gaming enthusiasts with plenty of disposable income who want to chase the highest frame rates and highest graphic settings. That second group isn't going to be looking at Apple hardware. They're going to be exclusively looking at Windows desktop/laptop setups. So Apple is targeting the first (and larger) group. In other words, people that aren't primarily buying the hardware for gaming. 

Marvin said: Apple doesn't necessarily need to make the entry model 16GB but people who intend to use them for gaming should get the memory upgrade. It would be nice if the baseline increased a bit since RAM costs <$5/GB. Moving to 12GB at the same price wouldn't be much to expect, this costs Apple <$20.

You're always going to be paying a lot more money for better gaming performance on desktop/laptop. That's the reason consoles are popular. 

saarek said: Yep, and if you believe a Mac with 8GB of Ram will perform just as well as one with 16GB of Ram I have a barely used bridge to sell you in Egypt, going super cheap!

This person said they were able to play Elden Ring (which requires 12GB RAM minimum on Windows 10) through Crossover with an 8GB M2 Air laptop. As they point out, not every game works like that (Cyberpunk 2077 is also a 12GB min game and is not really playable). But it's certainly interesting that 8GB unified is able to run a 12GB DDR minimum game.

"Elden Ring - used 1600x900 with low settings. 20 hours in right now, totally playable (stable 25-35 fps in open areas like Limgrave, more in closed ones). Consider lowering to 720p in more demanding areas like Caelid or using some mods that gets rid of shadows and special effects if you really need the frames for a boss fight. Elden Ring surprised me because even though my m2 air can only get 30-ish fps, it was relatively stable with rarely any frame drops."

https://www.reddit.com/r/macgaming/comments/1cu4uou/games_that_surprisingly_work_okaywell_on_m2_air/