Apple is a joke

Eh not really. Android is based on Linux and can run natively on an ARM or x86 based ISA. Yes it did use a Java VM which was succeeded by Delvik VM. Which was also succeeded by Android runtime. Android runtime translates applications to native instructions. Even then all of that is app dependent if the application was written in C++ then it will run natively. Also 8GB of RAM should be the minimum amount of RAM you have in any desktop/laptop. In 3-4 years you probably shouldn't have any less than 12 or possibly 16GB.

Good points- and I may have oversimplified. But in general and historically- Apple machines can do more with less. It’s (at least up to 2019 and likely the foreseeable future) a fairly universal truth of development. If you know what spec the hardware is, and write the code for the hardware, it’s going to overall “work better” than comparable quality code developed for unknown or multiple combinations or configurations of hardware. As for RAM- to be obsolesce resistant it’s usually best to get whatever is the highest amount available and that you can afford- or a machine with the ability to increase RAM as needed.

But.... It all depends on what your laptop is for and other factors. If you buy the thing that has the biggest numbers for specs and price, it will usually do what you want it to if you don’t know what you want or need- it may not do it the best or be the best value- but the rule tends to hold. If you want a “fast car” and buy a Ferrari- you’ll likely be fine for awhile. Someone else will show you a faster competitor, and another will show you a much cheaper car with similar performance. But if you’re not too discerning the details likely won’t much effect you and you’d be just as happy with any.

Well yes laptops will work with less than 8GB but the cost between 8GB and 4GB isn't a linear increase. Windows itself can use nearly 4GB of RAM. So in that regard if you have 8GB of RAM you are already at half your maximum capacity. Also stay away from Windows 32-bit as that comes with a hard limit of 4GB RAM max. While yes the amount of RAM you use is dependent to the workloads that you seek to do, but there is still a minimum that you should seek. For example back to your car analogy. While yes if you bought a Ferrari last year there's a good chance that it will still be considered fast in the next 3-5 years that isn't necessarily the case in computers. Moore's law which is what has been the de facto pace for theoretical processor speed, states that every year transistor density doubles. Now while this doesn't translate to doubled performance every year it is still a reasonable performance uplift. Back to the car analogy.

Imagine every production year every car is given a speed increase. Now imagine every road is given a speed limit increase. Soon your Ferrari is going to struggle with a Toyota Camry. Now a real world example that has already taken place. 4 years ago the Intel i7 6700k was released. It was a 4 core 8 thread processor for $350. Now fast forward to today. A $200 AMD R5 3600 exceeds it in every measure. It is a 6 core 12 thread processor. While yes there are diminishing returns with adding more cores they are still usable and for the cheaper price why bother? But RAM isn't exactly like that. RAM itself isn't going to directly increase your computers speed. What will do is give it a theoretically higher ceiling to operate at.16GB of RAM will allow you to open more programs always in comparison to 8GB. This will allow it to operate at a higher efficiency for longer. RAM is one of those things where having more of it is never a bad thing.

And for the not to discerning person statement that just sounds like a promotion of ignorance. If you're going to make a large purchase you should probably research what you are actually getting before you get it. This is the reason why price and performance stagnated in the consumer sector for processors. Consumer ignorance and lack of competition. Processors are just now returning to a two horse race while RAM prices just normalized after some more collusion between competitors was fined. They'll do it again because the profit made from it exceeds the fine they receive. So while RAM is priced low get it while you can.

Oh no. Please don’t read my statement at discounting your point. As I said- as a general rule most people are best suited getting the highest spec machine they can. Obviously the technology in automobiles and heavy industry doesn’t generally keep pace with computers- and many older cars ARE dangerously slow in the roads- it tends to take longer for them to reach that point than computers- but if you try driving around on city streets or freeways in a fiat 500 (original), VE beetle, even a Porsche 356- you might be in for quite a few scares and several upset drivers behind you. 100hp was once quite respectable- in 2019 economy cars push 200+ and 0-60 times often nearly twice that of sports cars of old. And that’s to say nothing of safety technology which has evolved far more and might have been a better analogy.

But you won’t be left behind completely. 10+ year old Mac pros still make fine desktops for people doing “every day basic” things. I know a graphic designer who uses an early 2000’s Mac as their primary machine, etc. eventually most people hit a wall. There’s a need for the newest patch or OS, some program or some new convention which their machine can’t do anymore. At that point you’re either stuck on legacy software and limited internet; or you need an upgrade. Buying an advanced machine GENERALLY gives more head room before this happens.

As for advocacy of ignorance- no. Acceptance of ignorance? Yes. With a qualifier. I’ve worked with humans and machines for many decades. I’ve designed and implemented and managed various systems of interaction between the two, support etc. My personal take away is this: There is no perfect system. The universe can always make better idiots, ones who can outfox you at every turn because of their idiocy. The next thing I learned is that the most “perfect” system is the one that requires a user who is deliberate and knows what they are doing. Who uses the system with clear purpose and understanding. That... isn’t going to be most of your users. So the most SUCCESSFUL system is usually the one that is set up so that a monkey can use it with 15 minutes training. This of course- usually means the system isn’t as optimized or versatile as it could be otherwise.

Somewhere between the extremes of “all my users are idiots” and “the system is all that matters and not the actual measurements of its successful use” is usually a happy medium. But- our lives are FULL of technology, politics, science. Most people lack even a BASIC understanding of nutrition let alone the ability to tell you what is actually in their food or where it came from. Food. They eat. They can’t tell you how a toaster or a microwave works. Most people have a TV and maybe speakers- if not home, a car, headphones etc. They can’t tell you the anatomy of a speaker. What materials make the best cones, what properties different speakers have, much anything about frequency responses and etc.

And cars- which most people drive every day, the tens of thousands of dollars you leave in front of your house or the mall etc- that the average person spends hundreds or more of operator hours with a year, relies on to support the basic needs of their life- they can’t tell you much at all about how it works, what monocoque or uni body or coefficient of drag even mean let alone how the thing works or what parts it has or how they work.

And- the final puzzle piece- the less a person knows the more dangerous a little information can be. I’ll skip the stories and analogies for that since they get complex and long. But people who don’t have the basic vocabulary and concept of the how and why and details of a thing, given a little information will extrapolate the rest based on their understanding. If you explain in detail to a person why this thing or that thing isn’t “bad” but has specific positives and negatives or strengths and weaknesses- they’ll tend to walk away having taken a binary judgment of “amazing” or “terrible” as your advice.

So yes. Learn! Research! Make decisions that fit you! But... most people won’t. That’s the actual purpose of sales people. Before they became cliches and jokes of predators and incompetence. Not to sell product- to be product experts who the consumer- who if they don’t know what they want likely isn’t inclined to that knowledge base or versed- can tell them what they want or need, the details of their use case etc- and the salesperson could help choose a product that suits that because THEY are supposed to be an expert.

The truth is that most people don’t have the time to learn everything about the laws, science, machines and technology and underlying principals which influence their life. Their “research” will generally be asking family or friends, browsing online reviews, or “for dummies” buyers guides that basically say “the bigger the specs you can afford, the better- but here are some places you can skimp if you have to based on your use.”

Then they’ll buy whatever- and as long as it isn’t a bottom tier or total garbage machine- 99% of people will be happy enough with it. Will it be “the best” machine for them on aggregate? Is there a machine that in some aspect of price or performance or longevity or UI etc. they’d like more? Probably.

I advise people take time on major purchases. The longer- USUALLY the better (except real estate..) If you buy a PS4 when the PS5 is out and you had a PS3- to you it’ll still be awesome if all you want is single player- and tech only tends to get cheaper. That new car will be half price in a year or two and you can see if the new model has any teething problems. Etc. etc.

But if you’re going to buy, and it’s gonna be now- the “idiots guide” is- buy the biggest shiniest thing. As you said- most people don’t understand RAM or processors. They know the big one tends to be faster. What’s DDR ram? Are there other kinds? What’s the difference? Sandy Bridge vs Ivy Bridge? What’s a bus? How does that effect your machine? Could you have a whiz bang number sheet and still be frustrated by performance?

You need to know enough at least to not listen to the guy who tells you some of the terms I mention above are the “latest and greatest” at least. Have SOME idea what you’re looking for to not get fleeced- but classic easy problem solving is figure out what the happy people are doing and throw money at that until problems go away. Ignorance has a price tag. I don’t advocate ignorance. I understand that from a lifetime of experience some people will be ignorant. Some people will try and learn and that will somehow make them more ignorant. It’s a crap shoot and most of us don’t wake up thinking we are “that guy,” so the self awareness to know you don’t know enough often isn’t there when you don’t know enough to know better.

So in a pinch- sure. Shoot for numbers. But I agree there is GENERALLY a lower limit to performance. In 2019 a machine with an 11 gig hard drive isn’t as useful and amazing as it was in 1999. But.... depends on what you know. Sometimes you’re better served buying a cheap machine to get you through to the next tech cycle and then buying in then as opposed to spending on a better machine and wanting to replace it in a year anyway. Then you’re double out on cash.

So RESEARCH. Yes. If you want to know how much RAM YOU need then you have to... figure out how much you need, and predict how much you think you’ll need based on when you plan to upgrade again. Then a cost benefit analysis- blah blah- and make the best decision for you. If you don’t want to do all that- get the most everything you can afford. The main risk there is overspending or low value on the dollar as opposed to having a machine that doesn’t do what you want if you skimp and don’t know what you’re doing. Ignorance, has a price.