Life Before the Internet… You had to do WHAT!

This should be self-evident, but I grew up (mostly) before computers, microwave ovens, CD's, DVD's, and VCR's. High tech was a stereo system, transistor radio, or color TV.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_nb7LlLGzc

M2 Mac Mini

I have come to believe that the M2 Mac Mini is a con and this is what we have come to expect from Apple.  If you want the coolness of Apple products, then you have to pay the Apple Tax. The M2 Mac Mini is successful because Apple does a really good job of hyping its products.

I want a faster computer than what I have now, and the M2 is most definitely faster, but the base model has four times less memory and storage.  Upgrading is cost-prohibitive because of what Apple charges for those upgrades, which I think is an insult.  Once you buy it, you have a computer that is not upgradeable, won't run my Windows games, and could die in five years due to SSD failure that can't be repaired. 

I recently saw a gaming PC on sale for $700.  Not only did it have a faster processor, more storage, and 32 gigs of RAM, but those components can be replaced if they fail.  Any decent PC could last up to 10 years. 

There are mini PCs that can give the Mac Mini a run for its money. I'm holding out for the AMD 7940hs, which should be at least as powerful if not more so. 

There are use cases, like content creation or app development, where the M2 processor with a memory upgrade might make sense.

I tried using AI. It scared me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPhJbKBuNnA&t=393s

ChatGPT: explain the quantum theory to a child in the style of Snoop Dog

https://www.emergentmind.com/posts/explain-the-quantum-theory-to-a-child-in-the-style-of

Our Phones Are Full of Sh%t

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKg5NvlJVZw

Apple Working on 20.5-Inch All-Screen Foldable Notebook for 2025

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-working-on-20-5-inch-all-screen-foldable-notebook-for-2025.2379036/

it is still hard for me to get excited about tablet computers.  This is described as a notebook, so does that make it a laptop replacement?  If so, why would I need a laptop with no keyboard?

BUY The M2 Mac mini! (It's basically a $599 Mac Pro...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXHxY2i9w9Y

I'm a little frustrated. The $600 price is good, but the slower SSD, inadequate memory and storage are like a slap in the face. The excessive cost of upgrading is an insult. If they think that I am going to pay $200 for an additional 8 gigs of RAM or $200 for an additional 256 gigs of SDD, well count me out.

For the cost of the computer with upgrades, say an additional $400, I could get a really nice PC with more memory and storage.  

As good as the computer may be, I feel that it makes Apple look uncompetitive. In the year 2023 and beyond, having only 8 gigs of RAM or 256 gigs of storage are not valid options, unless you are just a basic computer user, in which case why are you buying an M2 chip? This mismatch between power, storage and memory is a paradoxical attempt to get you to spend more money.