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Super disappointing new MacBook configuration
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Wando64
macrumors 68030
8GB either works for your use case, or it doesn’t. What’s the price got to do with it?
No question the M4 (a 22W TDP processor) with the twice the RAM vs. the A18 Pro (a 8W TDP processor)
There's a huge middle ground of people who don't care about 8 vs 16 GB of RAM, yet definitely care about wanting an Apple brand computer and know it's a nicer product than some $300 PC. That's why the Walmart MacBook Air M1 has been around for so long.
I agree, humans who care about tech specs won't buy this machine. That's not the audience. Most people don't care about the specs. Most folks care about stuff they can directly see, and upgrades from a baseline need to be things they can see – a larger laptop screen, more cameras in their iPhone (3 is better than 2), etc.
Nothing you can see. And regarding pricing – I mean, that's the way it is for anything at the low end, which exist for cost sensitive groups. Many people are cost sensitive depending on the category of product. In computing, many many people would rather save $200 than have a memory or speed upgrade which they cannot see and which, in practice, doesn't impact them much.
iPhone Air is a design piece that isn't cheap nor feature-packed, so it's downsides for almost everyone. That's not the same comparison – if this new laptop was $999, then it would not appeal to anyone. This laptop is $799 and will undoubtedly dip lower over time just like the Walmart laptop.
The value per dollar spent shifts as you spend more and more. A $25k Honda Civic vs. a $30k Honda Civic is the same ~20% jump as the MacBooks discussed... but the $30k Honda Civic version gets you tremendously more. Yet they sell a ton of $25k Honda Civics. Way more than than whatever car sells for ~$20k. Because people want Honda Civics. By your logic, that $25k Honda Civic is the iPhone Air.
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I also don't know why everyone is so focused on 8GB of RAM. It's totally fine for many, many users. What, you can't run a small local AI model? Those users don't care if it's in the cloud or "private cloud compute" or whatever.
The alternative is that the cheaper laptop doesn't exist, right? It's fine, and amazing that it's a nice entry level Apple laptop that more people can afford and will serve them well.
Fair point. For me, though, the question is: How much lower performance, less connectivity, and lower display quality am I willing to accept for a lower price? Honestly, for $200, I won't accept much. So, it's more a question of (perceived?) value.
(Emphasis added)
That's where we disagree. I don't think there are THAT many people who would buy an Apple laptop for $800 but not for $1,000.
I see your point. It's a good point.
However - and this might sound arrogant - we're only talking about a $200 price difference here. If $200 is "a lot of money" for someone, they shouldn't buy anything from Apple in the first place.
On the other hand, your car example has a price difference of about $6,000. That's not pocket change.
I agree that many people probably have to or decide to "settle" for a $25k car.
I have to keep in mind that we're only talking about rumors at this point. So I'm still hoping for that $599 machine 🙂 That would really be an amazing game changer.
Here Are All the Rumors About Apple's New $599 MacBook
Rumors continue to surface about Apple launching an affordable MacBook as early as this year. Below, we recap all of the reports and rumors so far. Taiwanese supply chain publication DigiTimes expects the laptop to have a starting price of between $599 and $699 in the United States. The...
www.macrumors.com
Parowdy
macrumors 68000
I paid almost triple that for my 2017 base 13“ Touchbar MacBook Pro (i7, 8GB, 256GB, ~$2000 converting from 1700€), in 2018 REFURBISHED from Apple. That machine had diabolical hardware failures, the screen, the motherboard, the top case (wasn’t grounded properly and there was always static using wired audio devices, had it replaced twice just for that) and the keyboard, including some issues that never got fixed like it just stopping to receive any WiFi signal even if it was connected. Paired with the terrible performance per dollar I got back then, this machine sounds amazing and would have been what I got.
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curnalpanic
macrumors 6502a
Any chance they will go with 6 GB even? I'm sure it could work.
aespana
macrumors 6502
Will this little machine be little as the MacBook 12"? I remember that thing to be absurdly expensive performance/cost relation but it was a success because of the design and the size. Man that was a little, small, good looking laptop. Beautiful screen, beautiful size, beautiful speaker.. it was awesome.
I got one of the 2017 base model and I loved it. Sadly, the performance just wasn't enough for me.
If Apple can deliver a laptop like that with the performance of a M1/M2 I think it will work. Yes, we wouldn't buy a laptop with 8GB of ram but we live in a bubble here in Mac rumors. People outside just don't care about the specs. They care about the design, about the functions, can you see YouTube in there? Do they have good speakers to put a Bad Bunny song there? Can I go and check my bank account? Can I just browse Facebook all the day?, etc, etc, etc.
8GB are enough for that.
I got one of the 2017 base model and I loved it. Sadly, the performance just wasn't enough for me.
If Apple can deliver a laptop like that with the performance of a M1/M2 I think it will work. Yes, we wouldn't buy a laptop with 8GB of ram but we live in a bubble here in Mac rumors. People outside just don't care about the specs. They care about the design, about the functions, can you see YouTube in there? Do they have good speakers to put a Bad Bunny song there? Can I go and check my bank account? Can I just browse Facebook all the day?, etc, etc, etc.
8GB are enough for that.
Moonjumper
macrumors 68030
I like your point about an excuse to make future versions of macOS more efficient. That will make for a better experience for everyone.
As you mentioned, the iPhone Air starts with 12GB RAM. As it is available on an A series chip, I expect 12GB in an A series chip for a Macbook. A Macbook would need that RAM more than a phone. So 8GB would be disappointing, even though it may be OK.
I am a typical.edu user, currently "borrowing" a friend's M3 base MPB for commuting. I used to have the rose-gold Intel MacBook (4TB), which became unbearably slow probably because of swapping, but it was great for commute (due to size and lightness). So, I gave it up.
I am curious about the memory footprint of the base M3 model of the MBP. Currently, I have only 1 tab open in Safari (macrumors), 1 RAW camera file open in Photoshop (not processed), and a 90 second video clip open in iMovie. Microsoft Word (1 page file) and Powerpoint (19 slides) are open. That's 17GB under macOS Tahoe 26.2. Just Photoshop 2026 with one image takes nearly 8GB. When I get to school today, I'll be recording hour-long videos on the laptop etc. And that'll take more memory, so I usually shut down Photoshop. But I have 24GB here.
(I have my own main laptop, M1 Max 64GB RAM 4TB SSD with 16TB of external SSD, plugged into a 57" 8K2K monitor at home. Being heavy with a zillion cables plugged in, it doesn't travel.)
I am curious about the memory footprint of the base M3 model of the MBP. Currently, I have only 1 tab open in Safari (macrumors), 1 RAW camera file open in Photoshop (not processed), and a 90 second video clip open in iMovie. Microsoft Word (1 page file) and Powerpoint (19 slides) are open. That's 17GB under macOS Tahoe 26.2. Just Photoshop 2026 with one image takes nearly 8GB. When I get to school today, I'll be recording hour-long videos on the laptop etc. And that'll take more memory, so I usually shut down Photoshop. But I have 24GB here.
(I have my own main laptop, M1 Max 64GB RAM 4TB SSD with 16TB of external SSD, plugged into a 57" 8K2K monitor at home. Being heavy with a zillion cables plugged in, it doesn't travel.)
The amount of RAM your computer is currently using doesn’t mean much if the memory pressure is low.
macOS is designed to use all the RAM available, even if you’re not doing much.
That’s why you will frequently see people on these exact forums asking why Google Chrome, discord, messages and iMovie quickly gobble up 40 GB of RAM on their 64 GB machines.
If the memory is available, macOS will use it.
8 GB machines will always have 5 to 6 GB being used at once, my 16 GB machine almost always has 12 GB or so being used even if I am doing pretty much nothing.
That’s how the system is designed to work, basically the opposite of iOS.
As you notice, you have a 24 GB machine, and macOS immediately fills over 2/3 of that even with pretty much nothing that intensive really happening.
This is intended behavior.
Why are you so disappointed? Are you in the target market for 8 GB RAM laptops? Or [most likely] are you simply wanting lower prices in general?
Having sclepped the 17" MBP all over a graduate degree, I fail to understand students who cannot cope with the lesser weight of M-series MBPs. Do y'all no longer use backpacks? And the MBP only has 4 ports; the zillion cables do not move much when taking the MBP mobile. I do it regularly.
A huge plus of modern MBPs is how well they do the desktop-to-mobile transition. My 2016 MBP would electronically hippity-hop around for minimum 10-15 minutes when trying to reconnect to desktop mode and three 4K displays. Today my M2 MBP with 96 GB RAM properly reconnects to the same desktop in seconds. It radically impacts the utility of the desktop-to-mobile process.
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You're not on point. Maybe you don't understand how computers work, or simply don't understand what I'm saying. I'm saying, under what I have open, on an 8GB machine, it would not perform well at all.
This can be easily checked to see that I'm right. I simulated my 24GB RAM M3 having only about 8TB RAM by locking out about 16TB of RAM. You get this, lots of spinning balloons, waiting around, and 8TB swap activated. My M3 slows to a crawl.
I mentioned I owned a 4GB RAM Intel MacBook. Nice and transportable. Yes, I'd like an Apple Silicon version. Compact and light.
I have a lot of experience over the decades schlepping Macs around on a daily basis and all over the world. But to answer your question, no I won't and can't carry a 16" around. I have a long round trip commute on my bicycle, and it's hilly on the ride home. Every lb counts. And it adds up over the years. And the heavier the laptop, the less reliable it is both from vibration and from frequent unplug-plug cycles, things get much more loose over the years. I have had many motherboard replacements (and no I don't drop the laptop). The 16" M1 Max I have is reliable only because it does not endure such wear and tear. The M3 (Nov 2023) last needed a new motherboard Feb 2025. It was the 2nd time despite excellent cushioning and low pressure tires. It lives in that green bag. The 2016 Intel MacBook was super-easy to carry on a bike.
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How can you be “disappointed” in something that doesn’t exist? The price point is spectulation, the specs are speculation. The existence of the entire device is nothing more than speculation. I get that this is a rumors site, but there’s no need to drum up fake outrage over something that isn’t real 🤣
Less expensive 8GB RAM single configuration is super disappointing.
Less expensive compact SUV storage is super disappointing.
Less expensive studio apartment is super disappointing.
Less expensive small economy class seats are super disappointing.
Less expensive smaller hotel room is super disappointing.
Less expensive smaller fridge is super disappointing.
Less expensive streaming with ads is super disappointing.
Less expensive smaller screen TV is super disappointing.
Less exensive Chuck Eye Steak is super disappointing.
Less expensive Prada Nylon line bags are super disappointing.
G5isAlive
Contributor
No wonder you’re disappointed… you aren’t the target audience apparently from this usage pattern. It’s not for photoshop users. You want a m3 mbp experience on a Chromebook budget. You’re going to be disappointed.
Gato_Enmanuel
macrumors newbie
Hello. I hope you can understand what I'm writing since I'm using a translator (I'm from Peru).
If the speculations are true, I can't understand how Apple, which has been making foolish and misguided decisions lately, can offer those specs at that price. $799 for a Mac with 8GB of RAM? You can get a MacBook Air M1 with much more RAM on eBay for much less.
Some "fanatics" seem disconnected from reality and think it's an incredible price, justifying it by saying they can do a lot with only 8GB of RAM. To all you superfans: it's 2026, and that is UNACCEPTABLE AND RIDICULOUS.
If the speculations are true, I can't understand how Apple, which has been making foolish and misguided decisions lately, can offer those specs at that price. $799 for a Mac with 8GB of RAM? You can get a MacBook Air M1 with much more RAM on eBay for much less.
Some "fanatics" seem disconnected from reality and think it's an incredible price, justifying it by saying they can do a lot with only 8GB of RAM. To all you superfans: it's 2026, and that is UNACCEPTABLE AND RIDICULOUS.
It's not "amazing" because the price is not amazing, objectively.
The fact that cheaper options exist is objectively good. The fact that the price is not lower objectively makes the price not "amazing." You're equating a lower price existing at all with the price being a good one. Not the same.
The problem really comes down to the fact that modern tech is really overpriced, and (i) people are too ignorant to realize it, and (ii) people are too trained/propagandized to think they "need" to buy everything brand new.
You can get a used M2 MacBook Air with 16 GB RAM for under $500. You can get a used M1 MacBook Air (which objectively is comparable in multi-core performance to the A18 Pro) for under $400.
An A18 Pro MacBook at $800 is not a good value, even if the fact that having cheaper options is a good thing. Buy used, people. Stop wasting your money and wasting scare resources.
The M4 with 16GB was on sale for 749 last holiday season.
No way this has worse specs for more money. They won't sell millions that way
No way this has worse specs for more money. They won't sell millions that way