New Base M4 iMac Comes With 16GB of Unified Memory

[rm5]

Apple did it because of Apple Intelligence. Without it, they would probably have shipped with 8Gb of memory.

Apple only upgrades the base model when it becomes unusable for a majority of their basic users.

I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY THAT! Yeah, so true!!

 

[Velli]

Doesn't need to be 32" but 27" would be nice. My brother is wanting to replace his 27" iMac but he doesn't want to take a step back in screen size.

 

[Velli]

Oh please. 8gb was a pathetic base offering for Apple, especially in 2024.

Better than the 4GB that is still base for several of their so-called competition (yes I know it is a different price point).

 

[lowkey]

256gb is there to keep the upsell alive after going to 16gb ram. I'm surprised so many people are confused by this.

256 is also plenty, if like me, you have your files on a server in an office. I don’t need 6 iMacs each with SSD sitting almost empty.

The other nice thing with this lineup is that the base 8 core M4 is 4p4e so it has the same number of p-cores as the 10 core model.

Given Logic doesn’t use e-cores for processing that’s great news!

Edit- my Mac mini has 110 GB used with over 50% free. So 256GB is plenty in my use case.

 

[Velli]

Apple only upgrades the base model when it becomes unusable for a majority of their basic users.

Yes, exactly. And last year that was not 8 GB.

 

[drrich2]

No, it isn't. It doesn't solve your problem there and then. Don't complain, just buy the product which provides the best value.

If hotel A offers better value than hotel B for the same price, I don't go on the Internet to complain about hotel B. I just book a room at hotel A.

There's more to life, and computing, than 'there and then.' Participation in online communities and contributing to consumer perception is a long game matter, but important in its way. People can buy the product offering the present best value and still complain about what they don't like; no need for 'either/or' thinking.

Hotels are a good example of vendors in a competitive industry who examine customer feedback and look for cost effective ways to improve their offerings, who are sensitive to negative feedback that can discourage future patronage (e.g.: bad Trip Advisor ratings), and they have a vested interest in convincing you not to book at Hotel B.

Besides which, that logic works in the PC world, where if someone thinks HP laptops are junk they can get a Dell or Acer (no offense to HP; hypothetical use for example); Apple long ago exterminated the short-lived Mac clones so anyone preferring the MacOS world doesn't have a Hotel B.

Even so, there are plenty of people who post reviews on Amazon, etc..., complaining about deficiencies in computers and peripherals by various brands hoping they'll improve their offerings. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Velli]

I assume it is possible to disable all the AI crap hogging ~8GB memory so you effectively get 8GB more for actual work, correct?

Yes.

Because if not, you still need to get more RAM.

No.

 

[drrich2]

Don't forget the MBP coming with just 2 USB-C ports + audio, whereas the 2023 MBP M3 Pro has 3 USB-C ports, Magsafe, HDMI and an SD card reader.

Aw, man, my 2017 12" MacBook only has 1 USB-C port and an audio port; to me, 2 USB-C ports looks downright generous (help, I've been sucked into the Apple reality distortion field!).

 

[Velli]

Cue defenders pretending it wasn’t a legitimate concern.

Too late, I’ve been doing that for two years.

 

[Velli]

Cue the perpetual defenders now ripping Apple for "forcing too much RAM" into a computer when- as they have written countless times including throughout 2024: "8GB is plenty for 99% of users."

Strawman. I have been aggressively pushing back on people claiming that “no one can use a computer with 8GB of RAM”, however I have never claimed that it is “plenty for 99% of users”.

 

[Velli]

32GB max, sheesh, what is it 10 years ago?

I’m not going to check, but I’m assuming you are also bitching on Intel forums about Intel chipsets with max 32 GB ram.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Strawman. I have been aggressively pushing back on people claiming that “no one can use a computer with 8GB of RAM”, however I have never claimed that it is “plenty for 99% of users”.

Was my post aimed specifically at you? Did I name you in it? My apologies if I did... even if you only imagined it was about you.

 

[Velli]

What about Apple lets the "pros" decide what they need?

What about you let Apple decide what they want to charge “pros” for their products?

 

[Velli]

Was my post aimed specifically at you? Did I name you in it? My apologies if I did... even if you only imagined it was about you.

Show me someone who said “8GB is enough for 99% of users” on this forum. Kbye.

 

[maxoakland]

So I guess they're finally admitting that 8GB isn't enough

 

[Velli]

256 is also plenty, if like me, you have your files on a server in an office. I don’t need 6 iMacs each with SSD sitting almost empty.

The other nice thing with this lineup is that the base 8 core M4 is 4p4e so it has the same number of p-cores as the 10 core model.

Given Logic doesn’t use e-cores for processing that’s great news!

On my work Windows PC, I’m literally not allowed to keep local files on it. I wouldn’t know how to fill 100GB of the 512 GB SSD without breaking company policies, even if I tried.

 

[maxoakland]

Dont worry. They'll still be here wanting 32 next

Considering how long it took Apple to acquiesce, 32GB is probably going to be the minimum soon. So I don't blame them

For now 16GB is a comfortable minimum

 

[Velli]

So I guess they're finally admitting that 8GB isn't enough

They are admitting that 8GB is not enough now. Not that it wasn’t enough before.

 

[maxoakland]

Show me someone who said “8GB is enough for 99% of users” on this forum. Kbye.

You've GOT to be joking. I've seen that on here dozens of times. You're trying to rewrite history but we remember

 

[Velli]

You've GOT to be joking. I've seen that on here dozens of times. You're trying to rewrite history but we remember

Should be easy for you to quote someone saying it then.

I can google one person in 2020 making that claim. I have been part of that discussion for several years, and I don’t recall anyone claiming that in any thread I have participated in. Many have made the same claim as me: For casual use, 8GB is (was) enough. I have never seen anyone claim 99% are casual users.

 

[andrewxgx]

Doesn't need to be 32" but 27" would be nice. My brother is wanting to replace his 27" iMac but he doesn't want to take a step back in screen size.

mac mini and studio display
at least thats what apple wants him to buy (upselling ftw)

 

[beginnersview]

I’m baffled they could afford to do this.

Yeah, the executive suite folks are probably going to have to leave off one bathroom from their next home...
(OK, so I'm distressed by late-stage capitalism, or 'greedalism'.)

 

[brofkand]

Yeah, the executive suite folks are probably going to have to leave off one bathroom from their next home...
(OK, so I'm distressed by late-stage capitalism, or 'greedalism'.)

Obviously, Apple is going to go broke by this decision. Think of how much it is costing them to put an extra 8GB of RAM in their $1200 computers. Too much - they can't afford to redesign the woefully inadequate Magic Mouse, after over a decade.

 

[UpsideDownEclair]

It's crazy to see how much faster the base M4 (2024) is compared to the M1 Pro (2021).

View attachment 2443283

M4 is indeed plenty fast, but uh… that 14 inch Pro most likely had Low Power Mode turned on… This is what the 8-core M1 Pro normally scores in Geekbench 6.

 

[AlexJaye]

Better than the 4GB that is still base for several of their so-called competition (yes I know it is a different price point).

Without looking them up, I feel like the outrageous price Apple charged for upgrading from 8gb to 16gb on Macs was probably close to the overall cost of these non-Apple devices 🤣