Is a 256GB SSD big enough? Only if you crave frustration
Apple, Microsoft and other laptop makers are selling people short when it comes to storage
About a decade or so ago, we thought storage angst was a thing of the past. Hard disk capacities had grown so large that even a cheapo laptop came with enough storage to comfortably see you through.
Then some smart arse invented SSDs. They are faster, more reliable, less likely to wake up one morning making a noise like a rat scratching a dustbin, signalling that your data has packed its bags and left. But capacities were limited. Far too limited.
The first MacBook Air to ship with an SSD option in 2008 offered only 64GB (don’t even ask how much extra it cost). The MacBook Pro SSDs that came later that year offered both 128GB and 256GB — tight but just about livable in those days.
Fast forward 13 years and things haven’t moved forward anywhere near enough. Go to buy a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro today and the base level of storage is still only 256GB. The same is true of Microsoft’s Surface Laptop, the Dell XPS 13 or pretty much any brand of laptop you can name. A pathetic few budget laptops still try and get away with 128GB!
Buying a laptop with only 256GB of storage is a recipe for frustration. You’re setting yourself up for an endless juggling act, because…
