“Obsolescence never meant the end of anything, it’s just the beginning.” – Marshall McLuhan
Understanding Brand Equity
MacBook 2013: 8GB RAM
MacBook 2024: 8GB RAM
From a technological standpoint this doesn’t make a lot of sense. Considering Moore’s Law, base laptops should have a lot more RAM by now.
From a competitive standpoint this doesn’t make a lot of sense. Standard RAM amongst similarly priced laptops is 16GB.
Consumers, Content and Contrasts
From a consumer standpoint this doesn’t make a lot of sense. Apple keeps giving us new ways to actively and passively create content (Freeform, Journal, Fitness), eating up RAM and iCloud space, not to mention the daily requirements of video conferencing, photos and email.
Sure, the processors of 2024 are more efficient than those of 2013, but any gains are offset by the bloated OS required to run all that software and networking. We could buy more RAM, but that will cost over $200 (manufacturing price: approximately $40).
Brand Equity is King
From a brand standpoint this makes perfect sense. This is a form of brand equity and Apple is not afraid to use it.
Interestingly, the recent launch of Apple Intelligence may force a rethink on RAM tiers across all product lineups. Several newer MacBook and iPhone models don’t have enough RAM to run AI. If the base specs of these models change, then it will be on Apple’s terms. The importance of AI from a brand strategy would have prompted the change. Not the consumer. Not the category.
Conclusion
This illustrates the power of brands and ideas. Apple’s image is so strong it completely negates supposed flaws such as specs that don’t match up against the competition. Specifications, proof points and information only gets a brand so far. The added value of the brand can trump all.
Managing both functionality and added value is what powerful brand strategies are built from.
