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Same here. I’ve wanted a MacBook Air since the core 2 duo days but the processor was always too slow and RAM too small. The fanless M1 air was exactly what I’ve wanted for 15 years.
> and RAM too small The current default is 8GB and max is 16GB. It isn’t too high even now considering it’s 2023
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>M1 was released in November 2020, less than three years ago. How the hell are we supposed to be on M3 now? Marketing. Consider why Chrome and Firefox increase their major version number every release for the smallest change now. When Intel and AMD are both bumping up their version numbers every year or two, Apple sitting on M1 for three years looks out of fashion to the simpler people. This isn't to say Apple (nor I…
Do people really pick Chrome/Firefox instead of Edge because the version number is higher?
But to answer the question: Yes. "Bigger number better" is how most people compare things.
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Here's one under 1000e: https://www.coolblue.nl/en/product/917297/asus-zenbook-14-um... If you spend 1250e you can get oled screens which are nicer then apple https://www.coolblue.nl/en/product/904043/asus-zenbook-14-um...
> 1080p screen Not the same. 1080 would be unbearable compared to a MacBook pro screen at 14” (3024x1964). Edit: the oled one has acceptable resolution. I don’t see any specs on the ssd though so it may be SATA junk. The problem with other manufacturers is that they aggressively skimp in all the places people don’t look. Part of what you get for the Apple tax is some assurance that’s not happening.
Oh boy. I suppose selling a "PC" (iMac, Mac Mini, etc) at desktop prices with laptop internals isn't skimping.
Meanwhile I built a PC for 1/4 of what it would cost me to build an equivalent Mac Pro a few years ago. It still stands up to the M2 chip today. I'll probably be rocking this one for another 5 years.
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When I lived in Switzerland, some clever people thought about that, as it used to have lower taxes for electronics. It so happens that there are databases used by the customs agents that can trace back serial numbers to countries and purchase locations. So trying to make up a story on a random control can turn out pretty bad.
Each country has a database that tracks import fee payment history by OEM serial number of laptops and other electronic devices, based on shipments to other countries?
Being caught on lies where we actually bought our phones or cameras, while being controlled on the French/Swiss border wasn't that out of the ordinary.
I think Apple being as big, and making the big technological leap with M1 convinced a lot of customers to buy the new Macs. Even those that technically weren’t needing one/upgrade. Now, that curiosity bubble has saturated with the M2 being an iterative improvement and the customer base certainly not as desperate (intel to M1). Given enough time, I think the Macs will continue to gain market share. Most tech companies…
The current downtrend has definitely played a role. Not online have companies laid off tens of thousands of employees they have also cut down hiring. In all likelihood these companies have excess of IT hardware inventory.
There’s also longitivtiy, my Mac from Nov 2018 is still going strong and I don’t think I’ll need to upgrade for at least 2 more years.
And finally let’s not forget the price. As good as M2 is I need to spend a bomb to get an M2 that can handle my workload. So I keep putting off the purchase.
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That's almost entirely Sweden having a high tax rate though. I just priced out an M2 MBA with ram & ssd maxed out. $2499 USD in the US and 33009kr in Sweden. $2499 is 26163kr, +25% VAT is 32705kr. So you're paying 304kr / $29 more than the US price.
There's a sales tax in the US too. 7.25% in CA, on top of the product price.
I have a lot of old MBPs accrued from past jobs that "just work". I can do almost everything I need to do with them, even most development tasks. So given the choice between a new laptop and an old one, the new one is really just a luxury. If my finances are tight, I'm definitely not getting a new mac if I can make do.
Their EU pricing is just insane