I’m terrified of taking apart modern iMacs - so much chance for smashing the glass and getting dust under the screen 
Yes, it should be at least an 128gb flash drive as standard. The only iMac that comes standard with passable fusion drive is the top model configuration which comes with a 2TB fusion drive, which is an 128GB flash drive + 2TB HDD. Every other model of the 21.5 inch is either HDD or 1TB fusion (with 24gb flash), and the two lower versions of the 27 inch iMac are 1TB fusion (with 24gb flash). Ridiculous for a near $3000 variant and a over $3000 variant. Even if you custom order a 21.5 inch you cannot get a 2TB fusion drive, so all fusion drive variants are the 24gb flash variant.
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The good news is the display and glass are one piece – i.e. you won’t get dust in between. The bad news it is a finicky process. But it’s well documented and with patience and teh right tools (fairly cheap) it’s definitely within reach for most techie ppl.
I’m pretty techie, have fully dissembled and resembled many a Mac laptop and desktop, but there is just something off putting about iMacs! I’m clumsy and that big piece of glass I reckon is just a mistake to be made 
And yet, all the defence of Apple doesn’t explain why the Mac Pro comes with a dismal 256GB drive on a $10,000 machine when a 1TB SSD m.2 costs under AUD450.
So Apple, didn’t put in the smallest possible drive just so they could charge a fortune to people to upgrade it?
They really think people buying the $10,000 Mac Pro are going to go for a 256GB drive?
I appreciate you’re trying hard to believe that there is something noble behind it from Apple, but the fact that they are now going out of their way to make sure the drives on laptops are soldered to the motherboard so not even that can be upgraded doesn’t inspire me with a lot of confidence when an M.2 drive is pretty small.
I think 512 or 1TB would be better for sure for someone like me (and until this year my main MAC was a 5,1 Mac Pro that’s just been replaced by a 16-inch + eGPI).
But I think the small base SSD is intentional in the case of the Mac Pro. I actually think the majority of Mac Pros sold don’t need even 256GB (ie server farms). E.G. MacStadium don’t even use the internal storage on all their thousands of Mac Pros (2013) they still use. they have PureFlash fibre SANs. Likewise for companies with edit bays etc surely all the storage is on a fibre channel SAN etc.
I do get that the individual would benefit from more obviously, and as seen in the iMac Pro (that I think is specced for individuals), there’s a 1TB SSD standard. But I think the Mac Pro isn’t a machine for individual Pro users apart from the very top end clearly in Apple’s eyes. I think Apple firmly think that’s the iMac Pro.
Also, wouldn’t you prefer to save Apple SSD tax $ on the tower and just throw those AUD450 drives on a PCIe adapter and off you go? I certainly would. 
Again, that would make sense if it wasn’t for the fact that they have a rack mounted version, so the desktop version should have 1TB and the server version 256GB if that was the case. It also doesn’t explain the $10,000 screen with $1600 stand.
So, yes, in isolation some of these could be explained away as co-incidental but when you out them all together, it becomes a little difficult to come to that conclusion.
As for the 1TB in PCIE, are you honestly trying to tell me Apple put together a low spec so people could upgrade it themselves without using Apple ram? You and I know Apple better than that. I think if you’re telling yourself that, you are really looking for excuses to defend Apple.
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I think that when real world, long term Apple users start questioning what’s happening with the system configs (not just windows fanbois) that there is a real problem.
I can’t speak as to the reasons behind that problem but the ‘why is there a problem’ is less important IMO than the fact that there is a problem with the system configs.
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