Not really. I had a 2011 MacBook. In 2015 I was able to upgrade the RAM to chips that didn't exist in 2011. Technically they weren't supported, but they worked just fine. I couldn't have done that if the chips were soldered to the board.
I also upgraded the drive from spinning disk to a much larger SSD. Again an upgrade I couldn't have done otherwise.
It allowed me to keep using the machine until 2017.
It's also had an admirable run, so I'd be happy to buy again at some point... but a matte screen matters to me. As does a good keyboard. And being able to swap out the drive. All more than any spec or form factor improvements that have happened subsequently.
So while I'd be happy to have replaced this laptop by now, maybe even more than once... Apple simply does not sell replacements for this laptop. They sell laptops which have a mix of regressions and somewhat improved performance (and they're thinner!). And past a point of meeting certain demands, the regressions matter more than performance gains or ounces lost.
Maybe when it finally dies, I'll see if I can find a serviceable 2015 model. Or maybe by then WSL will be an acceptable alternative and this will be the last of half a dozen Apple machines I bought.
And they'll be as happy about it as I will, because as many pundits, product managers, and fans like to say: maybe people like me just aren't part of their target market anymore.
I'm also of the opinion that hardware today is going to improve rather little in the coming years. For instance, with the option of having 16/32gb of ram, I don't see the need to upgrade the laptop on account of the memory for a good 5 years, at least. Even the new SSDs have 2gb throughput, _much_ higher than the SSD you installed into your 2011 MacBook.
Finally, Macs have always had amazing resale value. You can always sell a 5 year model for a few hundred dollars and invest in something that will be much better.
Yes, but my point was that I couldn't spend the money up front even if I wanted to, because the thing I upgraded to didn't exist. It's not "deferred cost" if you get something better later. It's only deferred cost if you get the same thing but later.
I see as giving you more flexibility, because you don't always know how much you'll need. Without this flexibility, you choose low, and are stuck with a slow computer, or you choose high, and you may end up paying a ton for a computer you may not need.
Are these the same thing? Thickness and weight?
How much more material is required to make a laptop a couple millimetres thicker?
I would have assumed most of the weight reduction would be from making the battery smaller?
What scenario did you have in mind? RAM in macbooks is soldered. Getting more ram in the future means finding a new computer.
The 8gb ram/256gb config is insulting. It's like a base model car without power windows or locks or a radio. Pure lemon.
My Thinkpad X1 is lighter than the Macbook Pro and has more ports.