That's often the case from other OEMs as well. I just checked a Dell Latitude with a 256GB SSD standard. Upgrading to 512GB costs $146.99, and going from 512GB to 1TB is another $142.72. The retail price for a very good 1TB SSD is about $135, so when you pay for that 1TB upgrade from Dell, you would still be getting ripped off even if they also sent you the 256GB and 512GB drives. For $289 in upgrade pricing, Dell owes you at least a full 2TB of storage.

Sure, but with most other OEMs anyone tech savvy (or really just handy with a screwdriver) can buy the base model and get the upgrades separately.