Quinn NelsonYou can buy two base model (16GB RAM / 256 GB SSD) Mac mini for the price it costs to upgrade a single Mac mini to 32GB RAM / 512GB SSD.
Apple’s upgrade pricing has been extortionate for years, but this is getting literally insane.
charlesesmith@snazzyq what makes it extra dumb is that Apple customers (hi) expect a markup, but this is out of control. $200 gets you an additional 256gb of storage, or if you go to newegg and buy an NVME SSD, 4 TB! $800 for 2 TB should see them dragged before the Hague.
Jason@charlesesmith @snazzyq I’m not sure of the specs but is it really comparing apples with (you know) when one is on-die RAM & storage and one is really far away from the CPU? Surely the speed differences are huge? I’m not saying that Apple’s decisions, in relation to moving everything onto the SOC are correct, but it has to be a factor, no?
@JasonEccles @snazzyq Not really. DRAM is DRAM, same (mostly) for storage. The increase in cost for Apple is mostly going to be through SKU management since having it on-die means they have to manufacture it that way, but it's nowhere close to what they're charging, even if you assume typical Apple margins.
@JasonEccles @snazzyq yeah, sure enough the @atpfm guys nail exactly how ridiculous early in this weeks episode. It’s the first follow up item. https://atp.fm/612
Râu Cao ⚡@snazzyq Are both soldered onto the board?
This is Hell
Koen 🇺🇦@snazzyq don't forget apple cares a lot about the environment https://www.apple.com/environment/ -- they just care a lot more about getting your money by using unethical practices that help destroy the environment
Juan C. Fernandez@snazzyq Yea I spec’d one and decided to wait for the base Studio, pretty ridiculous
adacosta@snazzyq I noticed when I started upgrading the base model #Mac Mini with M4 Pro, it started going into Mac Studio territory. I was waiting to see what #Apple was planning for this rev. But due to my needs to run both #Linux and #Windows, I'm going to wait for the next Mac Studio rev and get that instead. I suspect Apple will actually label it M5 Ultra and do a top down introduction of the next Apple Silicon.
Chancerubbage@snazzyq now if you could only link them for distributed computing regardless of what you are doing.
atom@snazzyq didn't upgrading the previous mini cost more than it does now
nickchug@snazzyq The whiplash from seeing a great entry price to then laughing at the sheer audacity of the cost of upgrading was wild
Axel Hartmann@snazzyq - well, what it means is that they are overpriced resellers of RAM and SSD.
And that, apparently, their Mac hardware isn't worth shit, since _all_ the price seems to be in the RAM and SSD.
Anyhow, I've switched to another platform.
Nowadays, there's performance a-plenty pretty much everywhere, and my focus is on storage amount and memory.
四@snazzyq You can also buy a “mini” PC for the upgrade price ($400) that has *more* RAM and disk than the delta.
Their markup has got to be astronomical at this point:(
Apple, I want to be a customer, I really do. But then I look at the 128GB RAM in my Linux box that was so cheap to upgrade that I added the last 64GB for funzies.
slyborg@snazzyq I’m sure they make a profit with that absurdly small SSD spec, but the base Mini probably has the lowest margin of anything they sell because it’s the eyecatch price, which is, like, basic retail strategy that literally everyone uses. Apple prices itself as a luxury brand, you can make the same complaints about Mercedes-Benz, the trim levels people actually want are a huge markup compared to a Kia with similar features, brand has value.
Magnus Ahltorp@snazzyq @slyborg @siracusa Why do people expect companies to sell products based on cost?
A loss leader is in practice something that is sold below value, not cost. Quoting from the Wikipedia “Loss leader” article, that uses a phrase I agree with: “The loss leader is offered at a price below its minimum profit margin—not necessarily below cost.”
Also, cost is very hard to calculate on the unit level. Do you charge for the OS per unit, per revenue or something else, etc.
Geoffairey
dingusxmcgee@snazzyq sort of related, have you seen this? Looks awesome https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3N-z-Y8cuw
No More Storage Limits : Solution For All Apple MacBooks - 4K
Cesar Cavazos@snazzyq 🤯 that’s crazy
I feel like we, consumers, are tired of this and won’t fall for it. Probably wait for a new Studio to come out.
But if numbers at Apple say that enterprises are buying this in bulk with a marginal discount, then they figure it’s worth the criticism
Kurt@snazzyq Was super excited for these to replace my 2018 Intel Mac mini that is running low on storage space.
Spec’d one with the storage I wanted, got sticker shock and immediately started looking for external storage to pair with a lower end spec.
Now I’m thinking I’ll just get the external storage and stick with my Intel machine. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Ivan Mir@globex same situtation here, still running an i7 Mini. I decided to wait for the M4 Studio due to both upgrade costs and the potential cooling issues with more powerful CPUs.
Ray Greenwell@snazzyq wow. Technically the computer part costs $-1!
$1198 = 2(computer + ram + storage).
$1199 = computer + 2ram + 2storage.
ViktorShahter@snazzyq not something unexpected.
The easiest way to get a lot of money is to make a product without an alternative and ask basically any price for it. Synergy of Apple devices is no big secret. People who are stuck with Apple are not gonna switch cause they think it's easier to just pay.
Abe Massry@snazzyq Beowulf cluster wen?
Joseph Humfrey@snazzyq I 100% agree (especially for even higher specs).
I think the initial jumps are so stark partly because the base price is insanely low, to get people through the door - surely they can’t expect many people to buy anything with 256GB SSD??
Pierre-Luc Gagné@joethephish @snazzyq oh no no no. Modern Apple has never done anything like that. The base models have healthy 30-35% margins I’m sure of it. It’s that the the upgrade margins are in the stratosphere of 70% that we’re flabbergasted by it.
Nick from Toronto@snazzyq shh, you’ll remind them to up the base price by 50%!
Jimmy Bosse@snazzyq I guess this means Apple thinks the M4 chip is worthless.
Seth Galitzer@snazzyq A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.
Shawn Platkus@snazzyq I get your point, but you’ve exaggerated this by double. The price for those upgrades of the base model Mac mini is $600, which is the price of a single base model Mac mini, not two.
Fenris@snazzyq The Apple tax is and has been decidedly too high on RAM and storage indeed for some time.
Regardless, what I found interesting is comparing prices over the years. I bought an M1 mac mini in late 2021 in the configuration 16GB/ 512GB for 1135€ (including VAT in my country). The same configuration with M4 now costs 929€ incl. VAT.
No justification for the hardware mark-up but interesting nonetheless.