- For most consumers, price is a big factor. Let's cut down on costs where we can, and pass them some of the savings.
- For a minority of consumers who are using these base models for IO-heavy workloads, they are on the wrong machine and we can't expect the majority to shell out the extra bucks in order to cater to the expectations of a minority who would be better off paying for a premium model, like a Macbook Pro or a Mac Pro.
Bottom line: You need optimized IO? Get the right tool for the job. Don't get the consumer model. If you pay for the consumer model, expect consumer targeted specs. Most consumers are not IO bottlenecked.
- power efficiency? that could have been tuned by software
- price? maybe they wanted to save on the SSD to improve other parts?
- different performance profile? better endurance?
I wish journalism meant something other than selling clicks