16GB of RAM Could Be the New Minimum in Apple's Upcoming M4 Macs

[cjsuk]

Why don't you get warranty repairs on them?

Dell can't get parts for them. They sent engineers out who said they can't do anything. It's in limbo with Dell now.

I think we have about 40 failed 5550's which died due to thermal issues.

The company waits until they can be written off and just shreds the whole machines.

 

[jlc1978]

The bigger issue that people have been talking about is that now that 16 will be the minimum, we will start to see real issues with 8 GB machines most likely.

However, if 8GB works fro someone today it will still work tomorrow. They may not get all the newest bells and whistles but the machine will function just fine. At some point they will have to upgrade , but that's true of any machine, no matter how much RAM you have.

Why don't you get warranty repairs on them?

I can't speak for the OP, but for me the issue isn't repairs but down time for teh peopel who use them, which costs money. Either they lose work time or you need to have spares on hand so they can keep working while the box gets fixed, either way it's an expense; plus the hassle the company has handling the failures.

People are saving $200 USD to go from 8 to 16. It's a lot for something so necessary when you think about it.

The flip side, if Apple raises prices, is some people will now ay more for RAM they do not need.

 

[Chuckeee]

No not even slightly. I work for a large company that buys a hell of a lot of high end PC laptops and they are universally garbage across the board. The failure rate is off the scale and the things are heavy, unreliable, run burning hot and have poor battery life.

We actually lose staff because they don't want to use Windows on laptops as well. Fine on a desktop but not a laptop. (I have a 14500 desktop as well)

Until recently I had a cupboard full of workstation class Dells which have all blown up (precision 5550, 7670 and a recently failed 7680)

In that whole list, the most surprising item is that you have actually lost staff because of those problems.

 

[DELLsFan]

I had 8GB in my 2008 MacBook back when apple let you upgrade things yourself.

Serious question: What was Apple's official reason for mostly-limiting user inside access to their machines for RAM and SSD upgrade purposes? Was it really only about greed? 🤔

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

will the base price remain the same or will that go up too?

Do you know the saying "you can't have your cake and eat it"?

Prices will go up.

 

[Torty]

So AI will be a Ram hog and slow down the computer a lot? Hopefully this can be disabled. Not in hurry to update the OS.

 

[Carrotstick]

Phones come with 16GB these days like the Pixel 9 Pro series. A Mac should come with 16GB by default by now

 

[Chuckeee]

Serious question: What was Apple's official reason for mostly-limiting user inside access to their machines for RAM and SSD upgrade purposes? Was it really only about greed? 🤔

Short answer: Yes

It is all about profit. Collecting $200+ fees for upgrades, that are nearly pure profit, is like a drug addiction for business types

 

[Trusteft]

NOOOOOO, don't do this Apple! Stay in the mid 00s!!!!

 

[cicalinarrot]

2023 $1599 base 8GB MacBook Pro - "OMG Apple, just get rid of it you greedy bastards! Make 16GB minimum"
...
2024 $1799 base 16GB MacBook Pro - "Finally! We pressured Apple to upgrade 16GB for free!"

Apple complainer logic.

Your crops must be 100% safe from birds, since you're so good at making straw men.

 

[sc00ba]

Wow not even 1 hour and already “16GB is not enough”. Heck if you really need more RAM just buy a computer with more RAM.

If you cannot afford it, buy refurbished, used, save up or buy something else. Apple is in business to make money, selling computers for the biggest profit they can. The cost of RAM chips is not a factor unless those chips are really expensive, hard to get or extremely fragile (and none of that is true)

"just buy a computer with more RAM" "If you cannot afford it"
See how you just contradicted yourself in the same post, nice one.

Also I love how you support a company that has the gall to put their prices up in this ecominc turmoil, well done mate well done🙄.

 

[sc00ba]

Finally 16GB... but not for Pro.
16GB is fine for a 'normal' computer, but for a 'Pro', the minimum should be 32GB, and more for computers that do not allow you to expand or replace the memory (or hard drive) like any ordinary games console.

Exactly, Pro should mean Pro which is MINIMUM 32GB.

 

[macintologist]

My credit card is ready for the M4 mini with upgrades specs

 

[sc00ba]

will the base price remain the same or will that go up too?

You know as well as I do, it's going up.

 

[StuBeck]

Dell can't get parts for them. They sent engineers out who said they can't do anything. It's in limbo with Dell now.

I think we have about 40 failed 5550's which died due to thermal issues.

The company waits until they can be written off and just shreds the whole machines.

Weird, that sucks. I always had great support from Dell.

However, if 8GB works fro someone today it will still work tomorrow. They may not get all the newest bells and whistles but the machine will function just fine. At some point they will have to upgrade , but that's true of any machine, no matter how much RAM you have.



I can't speak for the OP, but for me the issue isn't repairs but down time for teh peopel who use them, which costs money. Either they lose work time or you need to have spares on hand so they can keep working while the box gets fixed, either way it's an expense; plus the hassle the company has handling the failures.



The flip side, if Apple raises prices, is some people will now ay more for RAM they do not need.

Of course, it will work tomorrow, but in a year or 2 it will start to become a problem with certain apps, and at some point it will be the reason why an OS isn't available for it. These differentiating factors are always what leads to issues in the future.

I agree about downtime sucking, but having spares on hand is something every org has anyway.

 

[sc00ba]

As long as people buy in the quantity Apple wants to move, Apple isn't overcharging. Just because you can get a WinBox for less is largely irrelevant to what Apple can and should charge for Macs.



Given Apple's revenue numbers, I'd say Apple isn't creating "anger & hated of you amongst your customers/users."



Hard to say. If I were doing the pricing, I'd look at what percentage of buyers opt to upgrade as an indicator of the demand for 16gb. Then you look at the revenue from the upgrades, divide it by the expected sales volume and raise the price around that amount. That way, you don't lose the extra revenue from upgrades but don't have as large a jump from 8 to 16 GB. Depending on the numbers, Apple may actually make more marginal revenue from the upgrade.

Yeah...sure, I guess the anger and hatred is only amongst the people who don't use a MacBook only for facebook and instagram🙄.

 

[jlc1978]

Serious question: What was Apple's official reason for mostly-limiting user inside access to their machines for RAM and SSD upgrade purposes? Was it really only about greed? 🤔

While many here blame greed, soldered in ram offers several advantages for Apple:
1. It allows for a slimmer machine, which has been part of Apple's push for a while
2. It eliminates and extra component, the socket, reducing costs and manufacturing complexity
3. It reduces support costs when people use cheap RAM or SSD that causes problems and the customer blames Apple when the machine doesn't work right; or get mad when Apple refuses support until the return the device to the original condition

 

[jlc1978]

Weird, that sucks. I always had great support from Dell.

Be glad you never had to suffer through Dell Hell.

Of course, it will work tomorrow, but in a year or 2 it will start to become a problem with certain apps,

Not everyone with 8GB machines are running apps that stress the system and will get along just fine with those apps for moe than a year or two. As you point out, it's certain apps and thus a use case issue; if you use apps that will require more memory, buy more memory when you buy the machine, if not, don't.

and at some point it will be the reason why an OS isn't available for it.

That's true of any machine, and sometimes it's a processor limitation no matter what the ram.

These differentiating factors are always what leads to issues in the future.

It depends on the use case. If the machine met your use case when you bought it, chances are it still will a number of years later; which is why you buy a machine that meets your use case.

I agree about downtime sucking, but having spares on hand is something every org has anyway.

True, but the amount of spares need may differ based on failure rates, adding marginal expenses.

Yeah...sure, I guess the anger and hatred is only amongst the people who don't use a MacBook only for facebook and instagram🙄.

Well, I've run my business on a MacBook for years and don't use Instagram and Facebook only for a very specific comedians group. I used an 8GB unibody for over 5 years before deciding I wanted a MacBook Pro for the extra ports.

Anecdotally, the Mac owners I know are happy with their machines because tehy still do what tehy want years later.

The only anger and hatred I've seen is from MacRumor's posters some of whom think because they need more ram everyone does and Apple should include more at the current or lower prices.

I find it funny that when some point out what a WinBox costs to upgrade and someone suggests they just buy a WInBox, they get angry and say they don't want Windows they want a Mac. Well, if you want a ac you have to pay Apple's prices and until people stop buying at these prices Apple will keep charging them. It's simple economics and good business.

 

[iBreatheApple]

It’s actually pretty surprising/interesting how long 8 gigabytes has been in the mix in the industry.

 

[dannystyle123]

Too late. 32 GB should be minimum nowadays.

 

[DanneP]

I want a MacBook Air 13" with the M4 and 16 or 24 GB RAM so badly.

 

[mrmod]

If they make you pay the higher price by default, this is not a win. Needs to be 16GB standard for the same price as 8gb. Apple having 8GB in 2024 on a "pro" machine is ridiculous.

 

[Bremse]

Great news. We’ll finally be able to find usable entry level stock configurations at retailers. That is great because retailers often have sales and discounts far better than buying from apple and usually those discounts are only available for stock configurations.

 

[lofin]

Not all professionals have the same requirements. My spouse runs a small business and 8 GB is plenty. I have many colleagues in academia who are professionals (scientists, professors, and researchers) who also have no issues with 8 GB of RAM.

I’m not saying Apple should stick with 8 GB or that Apple should have included it as the default for all this time, I’m simply pointing out that not all professionals have the same RAM requirements.

It SEEMS to me they don't need a Pro machine. Probably an Air would do it. Don't you think?

 

[wanha]

AI is single-handedly forcing a massive RAM upgrade cycle across computing devices