Additional 8 GB RAM Adds 18% to the Cost of a New iMac

I was looking at the 21″ iMac recently, and I hadn’t realized that the RAM is not user-upgradable. In other words, if you buy an iMac, you had better decide how much RAM you want right away. By default it comes with 8 GB, which is a bit tight; kind of like getting an iPhone with only 16 GB storage. But you can opt for a build-to-order option of 16 GB RAM (the maximum in this model).

However, that 8 GB RAM – which you could buy for, what, $50 or so? – cost a whopping 18% of the iMac’s price! ($200 added to the base price of $1,099.)

8 GB RAM

Granted, I took the entry-level model; pick the retina iMac, at $1,499, and that $200 RAM addition is only 13% of the base price. So I guess it’s a bargain.

This sort of price gouging is simply unethical.