My wife's birthday is at the end of October, but I'm getting started early so I don't fall flat like I've done frequently in the past. She wants her "own" laptop rather than our desktop computer, which suits me, because we frequently need the computer at the same time and our desktop is 7 years old and pretty run down at this point, anyway.

She wants a Macbook Air, but has no idea that I'm getting her one for her birthday. I'm considering the 13 inch model, but if I do all the "upgrades" on Apple's website, I'm looking at paying $1,750.00 before tax. Here are the comparisons:

                          Standard                        Upgrade

Processor           1.6 GHz boost to 2.7         2.2 Ghz boost to 3.2

Memory             4 GB                                8GB

Storage             256                                  512

Which upgrades can I do without and which do I need? She doesn't do a lot of photo editing or gaming, so I don't think speed is a real issue, but I want a computer that's going to be relevant for a few years, while also being functional. I'd also really rather not spend that much, if I can get away with it. I know a lot of people are going to try to talk me out of Apple, and that's fine, I guess. I just don't think it will fly for her. Thanks.