Exactly! Anyone who has followed or knows Apple would know that Apple has always prided itself on being a security- and privacy-first company. When Apple Intelligence debuted with iOS 18, analysts predicted that Apple would adopt the same approach. I'm 100% sure Apple knew that 8GB wouldn't be sufficient for on-device AI, but they chose to move forward with this roadmap anyway. I think fans should exercise some critical thinking instead of supporting every decision just for the sake of it.
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iPhone 18 With 9GB RAM Still Won't Support Two New iOS 27 Features
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zeus423
macrumors member
But 12 GB is just like having 24 GB! /s
If that's the case, why Apple wouldn't just stick with 8GB ram? How are you able to convince me otherewise
If you say 16GB behaves like 24GB on Iphone, i might perhaps agree with you. but 50% difference?
N0ughtsAndCr0sses
macrumors 6502a
I am still thinking about the AIR
I’m curious what it’ll look like at its THIRD generation
ThailandToo
macrumors 68000
I think it will be the iPhone 20, when they get the battery tech streamlined and can reduce the price or keep it the same. Just the ultrawide will make it so much more usable. That’s my only complaint with it.
ThailandToo
macrumors 68000
Forestall was insanely great and got pushed out because he was a threat to Tim. Everyone at Apple knows that. Apple wouldn’t be in this mess with any of it if he was in charge. They can blame him for Maps all they want but it was a setup. Not enough time or resources to complete it. Tim did him really dirty.
MacBook Pro Max really should have had the tandem OLED screen for a while now. And a display that's at least
3840 pixels wide. I guess we are lucky we even got mini LED. I'm sure Apple have good internal reasons for not doing it.
3840 pixels wide. I guess we are lucky we even got mini LED. I'm sure Apple have good internal reasons for not doing it.
You have to stick somewhere and know that as soon as you buy the latest thing what was within your grasp moves further away.
The products are great but there has always been an unspoken policy of causing buyers to feel satisfied for a couple of months and then dissatisfied as new specs begin to emerge.
The products are great but there has always been an unspoken policy of causing buyers to feel satisfied for a couple of months and then dissatisfied as new specs begin to emerge.
Reeneman
macrumors 68020
I‘m pretty sure the average iPhone user won’t really care about this enhanced model. The regular AI features will work so it will be fine.
Do you know how much ram your car’s ECU or infotainment system has off the top of your head? That’s about how most people think about how much ram their phone.
Amazing Iceman
macrumors 603
MacOS 26 already comes with this “Futuristic Feature”.
Besides the above, I prefer to wait for the product to launch rather than worry about rumors. 😵
nateo200
macrumors 68040
I feel like adding 1GB to give a total of 9GB’s is a concession to at leas to SOMETHING about RAM during this RAM crisis. Still I think a solid 10GB’s would be nice. Honestly 12GB’s on the Pro’s is massive. My iPhone 17 Pro Max runs soooo nice on that RAM boost from the 6GB in my 14 Pro Max. I’m not sure running local AI on entry level devices is a reasonable expectation and a lot of these features really do not need 12GB’s it’s just Apple being Apple.
Apple's point of difference will clearly be to run as much AI on device as possible.
They'll look to minimise cloud processing as much possible (as Apple doesn't own much of its own cloud infrastructure).
This being so, we can expect each year's pro models to get exclusive features from now on - because only they will likely have enough RAM and NPUs to run the latest AI box of tricks from Apple
Conveniently enough, they are the most expensive iPhones off & many people buying the pro phones are not especially price sensitive.
I also wouldn't put it past Apple to close the Pro AI gap a little for regular iPhone users, but running slower on the cloud - and on an 'iCloud AI' tier for more $.
So everyone wins.
Well, especially Apple.
They'll look to minimise cloud processing as much possible (as Apple doesn't own much of its own cloud infrastructure).
This being so, we can expect each year's pro models to get exclusive features from now on - because only they will likely have enough RAM and NPUs to run the latest AI box of tricks from Apple
Conveniently enough, they are the most expensive iPhones off & many people buying the pro phones are not especially price sensitive.
I also wouldn't put it past Apple to close the Pro AI gap a little for regular iPhone users, but running slower on the cloud - and on an 'iCloud AI' tier for more $.
So everyone wins.
Well, especially Apple.
McWetty
macrumors 6502a
Software gets more efficient. Look at the big AI companies; they are bringing new models out all the time. Less token requirements, faster and more bespoke models, etc. Sure, 9Gb isn’t enough now, but it may be in the not too distant future.
IIGS User
macrumors 68000
It’s purely a “waste of money”. I don’t argue that point. I don’t feel “compelled” to do it.
Some people gamble, some drink booze, or smoke trees. Some people lease a new car every 3 years. Some people like to buy shoes or clothes. Some people vacation 3 times a year.
I do none of these and I’m a gadget junkie. So buying a new phone is my one of my few “splurge” things to do.
As I said, I skipped it this year for. Reasons. So I will be getting the 18PM when it launches.
If Apple is going to use on-device computing as their "killer app", while all those panopticon privacy-invading Android phones go on network, it won't do to have less memory than Android devices. 12GB you have on the Galaxy S26/S26+ and I think there are some over there with 16 or more.
I'm just keeping an eye on Ed Zitron over on YouTube. He lays out a strong case for the AI situation being unsustainable. They've borrowed too much for someone on which they can never make money and which even business customers can't afford to use anyway and which doesn't work like its boosters claim it does. The question now is whether we let it fail and then a lot of "one old lady owner" hard drives and SSD sticks suddenly show up on eBay while everyone wonders what the heck to do with cast-off high bandwidth memory modules that don't work in PCs and on a related note why PC, server and laptop RAM prices don't come back down, or else let government treat these AI outfits as being "too big to fail".
I'm just keeping an eye on Ed Zitron over on YouTube. He lays out a strong case for the AI situation being unsustainable. They've borrowed too much for someone on which they can never make money and which even business customers can't afford to use anyway and which doesn't work like its boosters claim it does. The question now is whether we let it fail and then a lot of "one old lady owner" hard drives and SSD sticks suddenly show up on eBay while everyone wonders what the heck to do with cast-off high bandwidth memory modules that don't work in PCs and on a related note why PC, server and laptop RAM prices don't come back down, or else let government treat these AI outfits as being "too big to fail".
Abazigal
Contributor
The companies are simply trying to deflect blame at this point. I am not convinced that Micron would have invested in expanding their manufacturing capacity back then even if Apple were paying them more to start with. For all we know, they would have just redistributed any excess earnings back to shareholders.
If we learn from history, we will recognise this as a typical "boom and bust cycle". Ram manufacturers are hesitant to expand supply because they know that the increased demand for ram will not last forever. Eventually, AI data centres will get all the memory they need, or the AI bubble bursts, and demand will trend back to normal (pre-AI hype). The last thing any of these companies want is to be stuck with a bunch of excess capacity that nobody needs, which means that ram pricing will crash in the future. As such, Micron is satisfied with the current status quo, where they get to charge more for their ram without needing to do anything extra right now. And if some companies can't get the ram they need, too bad for them.
It is this the lack of supply, and mediocre plans from suppliers to increase capacity, that is the big issue underpinning the memory crisis. Suppliers are not ramping production as one would expect given such strong demand for memory. Apple has taken the rare step of airing some of its opposition to memory suppliers' action in public to get more eyes on the issue, with the goal likely being to get policy makers to act. We may soon see lawsuits levelled against the big 3.
Bombshell lawsuit alleges that RAM manufacturers are colluding to drive up prices
A lawsuit against three companies that were previously convicted of conspiracy could remake the modern tech landscape
www.polygon.com
Even a huge company like Valve found itself being held hostage when attempting to negotiate ram pricing for the Steam Machine.
Valve Says It Can't Negotiate With RAM Makers At All On Price
If that sounds a lot like a cartel, well, you wouldn't be the first person to point that out
kotaku.com
And so now we see Apple waging this battle in the court of public opinion, in a bid to exert pressure on these companies to expand supply, while also lobbying to get its ram from other sources. True to form, Tim Cook probably took one look at the contractual terms that the RAM manufacturers were proposing and told them to go screw themselves. It's a bold strategy, Apple just might be one of the few companies with the financial might to say no to them, and we will have to see if this pays off ultimately. 😬
rchaser
macrumors 6502
Because they have a very specific experience they are trying to avail owners of the new phones that require more RAM. And that added experience enhancement isn't about what you can do so much as how well it does it (which is always the case with more vs less RAM). They target a phone (along with an OS) for certain types of activities with a certain level of a pleasing experience. You as a consumer then read reviews and trying out store models to assure yourself that that specific new phone satisfies what you need at the price point.
lympero
macrumors 6502a
I can’t wait for the iPhone 19 Pro Max, with 12.1 GB of RAM. That extra 0.1 GB should definitely future-proof the phone and run Siri AI v2 flawlessly. Safari will also be snappier, of course.