Apple Ram Prices Still Obscene
This may not come as a surprise to most, but the prices for RAM upgrades on the MacBook and MacBook Pro are still borderline insane. Apple’s products are not usually as over-priced as many would believe; they’re premium products along the lines of the Sony VAIO series and are priced accordingly. Alas Apple are not packing any special RAM into their products opting instead to use the same dated 667Mhz junk you’ll find in a Dell.
Let’s look at an example; the base 15″ MacBook Pro offers a single RAM upgrade option which gives you 2x2GB of RAM for £120. Bear in mind that the MacBook Pro comes with 2GB as standard, a £30 value or £60 in Apple’s world. This means that, when all is said and done, you’re theoretically paying £200 for the pleasure of having 4GB RAM; something you can buy for a paltry £60 at Crucial.
Of course if you want to ignore the value of the RAM they take out of your computer to give you 4GB you are still paying £120, and there’s no arguing the accuracy of my maths over that!
Buying RAM separately may not offer the same level of protection as having it installed at purchase. But sites like Crucial guarantee that the RAM they sell you will be compatible with your computer and offer an extensive range of tools to make sure you find the correct RAM easily. Apple also have illustrated RAM installation guides making the job all the easier.
How about another example; the MacBook. The stock MacBook configuration will let you up your RAM from 1GB to 4GB for an incredible £180. Again you can get the very same kit elsewhere for just £60 and have 1GB spare to sell on EBay!
There’s really no justification for Apple’s RAM prices, they’re not just marginally more expensive than individually sourced RAM but double the price. Yes I’m an Apple customer, and yes I want their prices to change. I would love to avoid buying and installing RAM separately mainly because I almost never bother buying and installing RAM upgrades and would be much happier paying a reasonable price up front when I’m already taking a big plunge for a new computer. £120 is not a reasonable price.