The 8GB M1 configuration performs beautifully for me. I use mine for professional graphic design work, 3D modeling/sculpting, video editing, playing some emulated Windows games, etc. And my Mac has never slowed down, never crashed, and I’ve never seen the beach-ball. It outperforms several 16GB Intel systems I’ve used.
I am doing high quality models for 3D printing. I do most of my sculpting work in Nomad Sculpt, and then import it into Blender to make some adjustments. I have tried Blender for sculpting as well, and it’s run nicely. And I’ve used Blender for the modeling aspect of projects as well. And it’s yet to bog down my Mac, it runs snappy, even when I’m working with more complex projects with pretty high resolutions. And I don’t think most people expect to use a base-spec of anything for 3D modeling/sculpting work. I just happen to have tried it, and it works perfectly fine for me.
So, in other words, Apple’s pricing is perfectly reasonable, as I was saying before.
www.xda-developers.com
TLDR, some XCode predictive code features have a 16GB RAM requirement. So what… This piece is clickbait, Apple didn’t “admit” anything, the author is projecting his opinions as if they’re facts when they’re not.Surprised it isn't front page on Macrumour that Apple clearly believe 8Gb is NOT ENOUGH ram anymore, and feel sorry for the critics who may now find their equipment is severely limited in any new functions, let alone future software upgrades, AI etc. etc.
Even Apple finally admits that 8GB RAM isn't enough
Base-model Macs won't be able to take advantage of Apple's flagship Xcode 16 feature: Predictive Code Completion.
But I think the big deal is that you can't upgrade RAM. It seems ridiculous that you can't upgrade memory in a modern computer in 2024.
Not everyone are developers. Most just need basic stuff which it works well enough for. And it can run Ai on device. As the iPhone 15 proves that.Surprised it isn't front page on Macrumour that Apple clearly believe 8Gb is NOT ENOUGH ram anymore, and feel sorry for the critics who may now find their equipment is severely limited in any new functions, let alone future software upgrades, AI etc. etc.
Even Apple finally admits that 8GB RAM isn't enough
Base-model Macs won't be able to take advantage of Apple's flagship Xcode 16 feature: Predictive Code Completion.
Very shortsighted to think it will only affect those using Xcode predictive code, it is indicative that 8Gb are nowhere near future proof now. Whereas there was legitimate expectation of a reasonable usable life of device, that may no longer be the case, which is precisely what many of us have suggested for some time. With Apple pronouncing their intention to move Mac into games, that too must be in doubt, but no doubt you'll suggest not everyone plays game, but what it does is restrict a competent device into obsolescence early by virtue of insufficient RAM and increased swapping and the situation will not get better it gets worse with each software upgrade, each new application that requires more RAM, and of course there may be a facility to turn off certain elements of future software such as AI, but it is limiting the devices capability by virtue of insufficient RAM.
Does the iPhone 15 prove that at present? Strange that Federighi at Apple hinted RAM is another aspect of the system that needs at least 8GB of RAM for AI and I believe the base iPhone 15 has how much RAM? Buy the right tool for the job?
Lots of games run very well with 8GB of RAM. We’re talking about a base spec model. I don’t think most people expect to get the most demanding software running spectacularly on a base spec model. XCode isn’t an OS feature, it’s a resource heavy software that I don’t think most people would plan on running on a base spec. I don’t think most basic business software such as office apps, browsers, and email apps are going to suddenly double their resource use and require a souped up model in order to run. Heck, I’m emulating Windows games on my 8GB M1 Mac, and they run fine. I think the base spec model is a great base spec, as it gives people a cheaper price of entry option to be able to benefit from the nicer display, the longer battery runtime, and the additional ports. Many people don’t need or want gobs of RAM, but they do want those things, and being able to get those cheaper is beneficial for them.
Personally I cannot see why anyone would defend the 8Gb situation on Apple computing devices. We've also been over the economics, as moving to a more sensible future proofing 16Gb would be little or no cost to Apple.
We don’t know how much Apple pays for their RAM, so we can’t know for certain how cheap or not cheap it would be. We don’t know how much it would cost to retool the 8GB line to 16GB to accommodate the change either. It seems the base spec models are the ones stores can’t keep stocked as well, so they likely sell the most, so the costs of retooling for the base specs could be quite significant. We just don’t know, everything you’re claiming about the costs is subjective. We cannot be certain because we don’t have any hard numbers from Apple HQ on production costs and such.
I am perhaps tired but why would there be retooling for 16 gig if it is already offered as an option on most of their line up that has 8 gig base models?
In general and for Apple, in particular, the whole “Pro” moniker is nothing more than just marketing. Putting a “Pro” label on a product just provides rationale to charge more money. If 8 GB is sufficient or insufficient, it is independent of whether there is a “Pro” label on the box.
They’d presumably need to retool the 8GB production to meet the demand. The base specs seem to ship the most, so they’d probably want to retool to meet that demand.
