I know , my iMac 2017 with 8gb will not run Sonoma, and has been suspiciously getting slower & slower. Just ordered a MB Pro with 16 gb memory. It needs to last more than 6 years since we are retired. The iMac goes to the grandaughter.
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Still only 8 GB RAM in base model M3 iMac!
- Thread starter AlixSPQR
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Hyper-focusing on the base spec and the $200 delta is kind of pointless if you aren't going to buy the base spec anyway. Just think of the entry price as the upgraded price instead. Yes, Apple is going to charge you more than component BOM price for the RAM for the upgrade. That's literally how they make money. What matters to you isn't that though. It's the final price versus how much you think the final product is worth.
Indeed.
Apple have also never had less competition for the products they now offer than at any other point in their operating history. Their most formidable competitor is, quietly, revealing to be themselves.
They are designing themselves into their own cul-de-sac (as least it comes with a beautiful walled garden). Of course, they can — at this time — afford to do that, but this luxury also comes with a caveat that this is precisely when giant companies are at their most vulnerable from new, disruptive ideas emerging from well beyond the company’s bounds.
As always it was, always it shall be.
My 70-year old mum is up for a replacement of her iMac 21.5" she bought I believe in 2015... it's showing its age (the iMac, not my mother). She's a very basic user e.g. FaceTime with her beloved son (me!), e-Mails, Microsoft Office, online shopping, browsing... that's about it. I guess upgrading to 16GB RAM makes sense.. not that she needs the memory now but it's just setting the Mac up for many more years of use.
I couldn't believe this when I saw it. It's deplorable. Why, Apple, why?
iMac - Technical Specifications
See all the technical specifications for iMac with the M3 chip and 24-inch display.www.apple.com
View attachment 2304781
Apple's answer: because we want to make more money from people wanting 16GB, that's why.
I thought you were talking about the 27" iMac, and yes, that's 4 years old -- sorry, my misunderstanding.
More disturbing to me is the decision to put anything less than 2TB of SSD in to a modern computer, and forcing people to use the cloud.
Most disturbing: being entirely unable to upgrade or change out SSD capacity.
Well, March 1977 to 1981 (with principal writing and filming for the first season from late 1976, more or less).
EMACS, the text editor — “eight megabits* and constantly swapping” — was written and released in late 1976.
COINCIDENCE?!
::alternates_spock_eyebrows_back_and_forth:: ::sound_of_the_earth_cracking_open_beneath_one’s_feet:: :: oh-shi…-it’s the-Genesis-wave::
* Few computers at any scale in 1976 could accommodate 8Mb RAM, much less 8MB (there was at least one at the time, for certain), don’t @ me
Thank you, i needed that constructive and incited full reply!
As Apple shareholder I am happy to see this. RAM upgrades have healthy margins
The problem isn't for us, the problem is for those that aren't computer savvy. It wouldn't even be a problem if the memory was upgradeable, but these machines are locked in at 8Gb forever. Once a version of the OS or an app requires more, then these simply can't use those versions.
The notion that Apple would HAVE to charge more to make the base model 16Gb instead of 8Gb is ridiculous. In years past when they have upgraded the base-model specs there is not always a price increase. Apple just makes a little less on the sale, which is part of business and making your products better. Presumably 8Gb of ram costs less than it did 3 years ago!
My argument is that Apple should make up for the fact that the memory is non-upgradable by putting MORE than is actually needed by most people at the moment. Not leave it up to the average customer to be as knowledgable as people that post on computer forums.
But I think for most of us, this isn't about what is enough for US. It's the concept of making quality products that will last. Apple is a brand where that is expected, and we are disappointed that they aren't staying true to that.
For some time now, I've been posting that, for the m-series CPU's:
16 is "the new 8".
Buying ANY m-series Mac now with only 8gb of RAM is roughly equivalent to buying a 2014 Mac Mini in 2016 with only 4gb of RAM.
The computer will run, but will reveal its limitations very quickly.
16 is "the new 8".
Buying ANY m-series Mac now with only 8gb of RAM is roughly equivalent to buying a 2014 Mac Mini in 2016 with only 4gb of RAM.
The computer will run, but will reveal its limitations very quickly.
8 GB is absolutely the right thing to do. This is the model for users that only need access to email and Office 365, and there are millions of those. 8 GB is sufficient for their needs and will be for the likely lifetime of the iMac. It makes perfect sense for Apple to go after this market.
No one on Mac Rumors is an average user, just by being here you demonstrate that you have an above average interest in computers/Macs. Our ‘base model’ is the 16 GB memory/512 GB SSD at a price of $1899, we just need to come to terms with that.
No one on Mac Rumors is an average user, just by being here you demonstrate that you have an above average interest in computers/Macs. Our ‘base model’ is the 16 GB memory/512 GB SSD at a price of $1899, we just need to come to terms with that.
As mentioned I am fine with 8GB being the base. What I don’t understand why there is no pre-built config with 16GB. If you want 16GB you have to go BTO route. IMHO the high end config should have 16GB priced in.
For a typical consumer using their iMac for office work, managing photos, and occasional light video editing, the impact of having 8GB of RAM versus 16GB may not be particularly noticeable. Apple's SSDs, especially in the 512GB model, are indeed fast, and this can help mitigate the performance impact of swapping.
Many users of M1 machines with 8GB of RAM report that they experience no issues with their typical workloads. This suggests that for general use, 8GB of RAM is often sufficient.
The decision to opt for 16GB of RAM is more likely to be a concern for future-proofing or for users who engage in resource-intensive tasks such as professional video editing, 3D rendering, or running multiple virtual machines. In these cases, having more RAM can make a significant difference in performance.
If a typical user doesn’t even notice a difference between 8GB and 16GB for their needs, opting for the base model with 8GB of RAM makes sense.
Many users of M1 machines with 8GB of RAM report that they experience no issues with their typical workloads. This suggests that for general use, 8GB of RAM is often sufficient.
The decision to opt for 16GB of RAM is more likely to be a concern for future-proofing or for users who engage in resource-intensive tasks such as professional video editing, 3D rendering, or running multiple virtual machines. In these cases, having more RAM can make a significant difference in performance.
If a typical user doesn’t even notice a difference between 8GB and 16GB for their needs, opting for the base model with 8GB of RAM makes sense.
I have an idea. Apple shouldn’t call it a Pro and just call it a MacBook with 8 gb for those that are normal home users not professionals. A step up over the MacBook Air for those that want just a little more. Hopefully that’ll solve all these rants about why Apple places 8 GB instead of 16 or more. problem solved. 👍
MacBook Air
MacBook
MacBook Pro
MacBook Air
MacBook
MacBook Pro
I’d definitely be ok with Apple altogether dropping the word “pro” from all of their products. It completely undermines what “pro”, literally, means.
There was nothing wrong, fundamentally with “PowerBook” and “iBook” to describe two of their portables line (and no, “PowerBook” was never a signifier for a PowerPC CPU within). They kept “iMac” and ditched “iBook” for reasons which will never make much sense.
I was listening to Jason Snell on his Upgrade and MacBreak Weekly podcasts and he mentioned that this was a result of the RAM being in multiples of 3 or having 3 "RAM" slots instead of the traditional 2 on the M3 Pro SoC...
I disagree. I think the current MacBook Air/MacBook Pro SKU is perfect - it's simple: MacBook Air = entry level; MacBook. Pro - pro level. But I agree with you on 1 point - the entry level MacBook Pro SHOULD NOT have 8 GB RAM. That is just miserable. Leave the 8 GB on the entry level 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air and I'm fine with it.
But we all know why they did this - purely for profit reasons - it allows them to upsell customers on the 16 GB upgrade and pocket that additional $200 as pure profit...
My 79 year old father has exactly the same use case as your mum, and the 8GB M1 iMac I set him up with a couple of years ago is just fine. Honestly I've never seen it stutter or beachball once.
I set his machine up on the desk next to my matching 16GB M1 iMac and out of curiosity I opened up everything I normally run on mine (10 desktops with 60 - 70 tabs open across Safari, Chrome & Firefox, Mail, Calendar, Photos, A couple of spreadsheets, Pages, Messenger, often News & Stocks too... and I seldom close things down) on his machine... and I really couldn't tell any difference in responsiveness and performance.
I was so impressed that when I replaced my laptop I bought the base M1 Air, which I can't seem to "overload" either. Now I honestly wonder if I wasted my money on upgrading my own iMac!!!!!
Sure - the 8GB machines swap memory to disk a lot more, but I can't see any visible difference in performance for what I'm doing. So what does it matter 🤷♀️
(The SSDs on the 8GB machines don't seem to be showing excessive writes either.)
Yes, let's hope Apple decreases the RAM to the good old iMac Early 2013 4 GB RAM, it'll probably work just fine! 