Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
16GB of RAM Could Be the New Minimum in Apple's Upcoming M4 Macs
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I said MacBook Pro, not air, pro's have a bigger battery. Also, i can easily get 12h with the macbook air. But I don't watch 7 hour movies so I guess it's normal.
It was due. Windows computers in this price range are now entirely 16GB base, from what I can see, and at Mac prices many have discrete graphics with its own memory on top. Storage also should go up, considering the wholesale price had dropped surprisingly close to zero. If upgrade prices were not insane, or if everything wasn't soldered, the issue would be non existent.
16GB base was necessary, even if upgrades were 10% of what they are now. It allows everyone the chance to play with AI tools and doesn't limit them to a device that'll soon struggle with the RAM ceiling. Also, base models are the most commonly available and most commonly discounted.
16GB base was necessary, even if upgrades were 10% of what they are now. It allows everyone the chance to play with AI tools and doesn't limit them to a device that'll soon struggle with the RAM ceiling. Also, base models are the most commonly available and most commonly discounted.
Yep. AI LLMs are RAM hungry. I'm messing around with some relatively small ones and 16GB is barely adequate.
I get what you are saying, but this also means:
No 8GB models only in stock at some retailers, 16GB must be ordered and delivered.
No more discounts that only apply to the 8GB models, as there won't be any of those.
So ultimately, you would be able to walk into a store and walk out with a 16GB model for less than you used to be able to get it for via ordering.
What Apple really needs to do is reduce the cost of RAM upgrades. Macs are computers and RAM is a superb way to compute. Especially under Apple's Unified Memory Architecture, Apple should be encouraging buyers to add RAM.
All of Apple's upcoming new Macs this year are likely to have at least 16GB of RAM pre-installed as standard, breaking a years-long tradition of Apple offering just 8GB of RAM in most of its base Macs and forcing customers to pay out an extra $200+ for additional memory.
The adequacy of 8GB of RAM in Macs has been a contentious issue for over a decade. The debate traces back to 2012 when Apple introduced the first Retina MacBook Pro with 8GB RAM as standard. Remarkably, Apple still continues to offer 8GB as the base memory configuration for several models, including the M3 14-inch MacBook Pro, M3 iMac, and M3 MacBook Airs.
However, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that Apple is testing four new Mac models equipped with an M4 chip, and all of them have either 16GB or 32GB of unified memory. Gurman previously reported that Apple is planning to refresh the MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac with M4 chips this year. One possibility is that Apple has deemed that 16GB of RAM should be the new workable minimum for future AI features introduced under the Apple Intelligence banner, but that is merely speculation at this point.
Last year, Apple introduced a base 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 chip, which replaced the discontinued M2 13-inch MacBook Pro in Apple's Mac lineup. Starting at $1,599, the 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro comes with 8GB of unified memory. Users can opt for 16GB or 24GB at checkout, but these configuration options cost an extra $200 and $400 at purchase, respectively, and cannot be upgraded at a later date because of Apple's unified memory architecture.
This has left Apple open to criticism from users who believe that 8GB is not a sufficient amount of RAM for most creative professional workflows, and that 16GB should be the bare minimum for a machine that is marketed as "Pro," rather than an additional several hundred dollar outlay. Apple previously argued that 8GB on an M3 MacBook Pro is probably analogous to 16GB on other computers because of the efficiency gains of using unified architecture. Needless to say, that argument failed to resonate with many creative professionals, and so the news that 16GB is likely to be the new minimum will surely be a welcome development.
Article Link: 16GB of RAM Could Be the New Minimum in Apple's Upcoming M4 Macs
Pretty sure they're gonna reserve/lock 8GB RAM permanently for AI, so it's still only 8GB RAM for everything else for a 16GB model.
In 10 years, 8 GB can still do the job. 16 GB is honestly too much for average users, 12GB should be the standard. Never seen anyone manage to use all 16GB RAM. Honestly SWAP is fine, it's only an issue after 12 years. So 8 GB is good enough.
Let's hope that 16 GB is the minimum now, as a result of AI...it will benefit so many people...
Just tickled at how they toss around the term "Unified memory", (shudder)... Like that's a good thing. "Dedicated memory" is a good thing.
Also, How about quit the practice of price-gouging for memory upgrades and letting me upgrade my RAM later? I'll gladly trade 2 microns of thickness for an upgradable ram slot, and make the battery and SSD user-serviceable too. Gluing all that stuff to the motherboard is a crime. Apple's planned obsolescence works opposite to what they think; I would buy MORE macs more often if they didn't gouge me for basic upgrades.
Also, How about quit the practice of price-gouging for memory upgrades and letting me upgrade my RAM later? I'll gladly trade 2 microns of thickness for an upgradable ram slot, and make the battery and SSD user-serviceable too. Gluing all that stuff to the motherboard is a crime. Apple's planned obsolescence works opposite to what they think; I would buy MORE macs more often if they didn't gouge me for basic upgrades.
With all the emphasis on AI, Apple basically has to go with 16 GB as the minimum. These models take up RAM and while 8 GB might technically "run" it, it's losing RAM that would normally have gone to other things.
This is all happening as I'm starting to find the 16 GB in my base model M2 Pro 14" is just not quite enough for a good software development experience. I'm patiently waiting for M4 Pro models to hit, but even then it's hard to swallow since my M2 Pro is not even two years old yet.
This is all happening as I'm starting to find the 16 GB in my base model M2 Pro 14" is just not quite enough for a good software development experience. I'm patiently waiting for M4 Pro models to hit, but even then it's hard to swallow since my M2 Pro is not even two years old yet.
So, I’m guessing Apple will just add $200 to the base price of every Mac, and charge $400 for increasing to 32 gb RAM.
Generally, because they're company laptops, you don't send out systems with potentially confidential information on them. So warranty repairs aren't much of an option.
Cheapie Tim knows that while a base RAM of 16gb physically costs pennies more per machine, the trickle effect means that users don't need to upgrade their Macs as often.
So a 8gb user might upgrade every 3 years whereas someone with a 16gb may never need to.
So a 8gb user might upgrade every 3 years whereas someone with a 16gb may never need to.
16 GB in 2014 was definitely high end. The work PC had 4 GB, the midrange 2014 mini had 8 GB, and the home PC I built to use as a hackintosh also had 8 GB.
Wonder why people with 16GB RAM 8 years ago are upgrading now... wonder why...
Don't get excited as this discussion was the same discussion leading up to the M3 Macs. It's a bit disingenuous to suggest this has been going on for a decade of talk. 10 years ago we had plenty of headroom at 8GB. It's just we've got 10 years of bloat added to OS X since.
You should make it clearer when you're being sarcastic...
What RAM chips? It's baked into the M chip.
They (Apple) have no competition if you want their OS.
I say if you can't afford, or don't want to, go some place else.
My 2007 iMac came with ONE GB RAM! Still cost $1000.
Would you pay $10 for a bag of potato chips?
While I agree with you, a business that make record profits every quarter and are one of the richest companies with amount of cash on hand don't give you something for nothing because they can afford to. If that were the case, the food manufacturers would lower prices instead of giving their CEO's 10's of millions of $$$. Apple will either raise the price for a 16GB base spec, or take away something else to make up for the $200 loss in income.