One of the biggest things that dissuades me from buying anything Apple is the inability to upgrade. The whole "soldered RAM" thing is a strict non-starter for me. The fact that I cannot service my own devices, even after the warranty expires, assures that I won't be buying their products, just as I won't be buying a Microsoft Surface for the same reason. It's either pay the extortionary price for the upgrade from the manufacturer or don't get it at all. Sorry, but this is unacceptable, especially in the "right to repair" age.
One of the most potent configurations of the 2021 MacBook Pro 16, which sports a whopping 64GB of memory and a gorgeous Mini-LED display, is now on sale for a considerably more reasonable sale price than the official MSRP of US$3,699.