1. It's TSMC's InFO_POP, which has significant performance benefits.
2. There weren't even any modules that existed for LPDDR until very recently. (and while the A18 was being designed, it didn't exist)
3. The power/price/performance/thermals they are able to achieve with this configuration is not possible with socketed RAM. You are asking them to make the device worse
Go pop open a Framework with an Ryzen AI Max processor -- you won't find socketed RAM. Technology has moved on. Math coprocessors and CPU cache aren't separate modules anymore either. AMD has even said they studied the possibility of LPCAMM for Strix Halo and found that even it wasn't good enough for signal integrity.
And Apple is effectively committing to supporting 8GB computers with their OS upgrades for years to come.
This model only has 8gb of RAM — which is fine for streaming videos/typing — it absolutely could not be my daily driver, but makes for good casual usage.
Machines probably should ship with more than that (or a lighter operating system?), particularly when the RAM isn't upgradeable. I'll recon Apple supports at least two more macOS on these 8GB configurations.
My favorite machine only has 4GB of RAM (Core2Duo Max, Win7Pro) and works good, albeit nothing modern.
I'd argue that if memory and storage were still customer-expendable, they wouldn't have even considered making this product.
This word does not appear to be in any way relevant. You do not have to buy a MacBook Neo, but approximately everyone else in the low-end laptop market will.
If you think it is a bad product, go buy some Acer stock.
No, they won't. People repeat this, but Macs constitute a minority of the low-end market and will continue to for the foreseeable future.
This has been the case when $400 Retina Intel Macbooks were flooding the used market; it was the case when Costco sold $700 M1 MBAs. If you cannot extrapolate what will happen with the $600 laptop, then I don't think you have payed attention to what the market is buying.
This is delusion. The retail price point right now for comparable PC laptops is $429 and they ship with DOUBLE the RAM and storage (16GB, 512GB).
For the same specs as the Neo we are talking < $350.
There is NO market for this device. Apple is catering to the welfare crowd with this one, except anyone in that situation would opt for a PC at half the price.
Like trying to sell a Cadillac with a park bench for seats to save money. It makes no sense.
Bookmark this post, the Neo will be discontinued within two years. It will join the original MacBook on the scrap heap of Apple products that should have never been.
I have no interest in arguing further, it benefits me nothing. But sure, let’s revisit it in two years.