I don't think they really need to. You can have the base model with the same specs, but let me configure it with a better display. I can currently spec up a Mac Mini without any problem.
The second option is to bring back the MacBook brand for entry level devices and use the Air brand for "Pro" devices that don't require active cooling.
I attend 1-3 meetups a month, the recent changes made it unusable for me. They want $10 a month just to check who will be attending. I don't say they should provide everything for free, but that pricing is ridiculous.
> They want $10 a month just to check who will be attending.
Looks like this has been rolled out only recently. That's frustrating to say the least, you want to know who is active and the age/profile of attendees before you'd attend certain events. Or maybe there is someone you want to avoid.
Also yet another app looking a $10 per month subscription for basic features. Outrageous.
Apple doesn't care about backwards compatibility at all. Mac software is OS version dependent, and the OS version is hardware dependent, and if you don't have the approved OS and hardware combo then tough luck.
Say what you will about Windows and Microsoft, but they live and breathe backwards compatibility.
There are only two types capabilities of a cable speed (480 Mb, 5Gb, 20Gb, 40Gb or 80Gb) and power (60W (3A) or 240W (5A)) everything else is depends on the host.
The second option is to bring back the MacBook brand for entry level devices and use the Air brand for "Pro" devices that don't require active cooling.