Apple's Regular Mac Base RAM Boosts Ended When Tim Cook Took Over

[Rookbird¥]

Meanwhile, you can get a reasonably* capable mini PC with 16 GB of RAM and 500 GB SSD for less than $160: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZCQZ4TK

*) compared to the M1: https://nanoreview.net/en/cpu-compare/intel-processor-n100-vs-apple-m1

The linchpin is macOS. The main reason I believe people like Mac computers so much is because macOS is so much better than Windows. That’s the reason I like Mac computers so much. The problem is macOS seems to be getting buggier and buggier through the years. If that trend continues and Apple continues to try and charge crazy prices for upgrades that should come standard then Apple could hit a critical point where lots of people start jumping ship. It’s a whole lot easier to hold on to customers than it is to regain lost customers. Once people get to the point of jumping ship it’s going to be really hard for Apple to stop the bleed.

 

[collin_]

Not that Macs should start at 8GB, but wouldn't this mostly be due to just... 64-bit computing? And how it's been the standard for over a decade now?

But yeah IMO anything $1k+ should start with 16GB. It's a shame that likely the majority of all Macs sold have 8GB when we've seen how 16 really 'unlocks' the full capabilities of the M-series chips. Why would you take such a breakthrough SoC and give it Intel-like performance by crimping the RAM...?

 

[LewisClark25]

8 gigs of Ram is an absolute joke of an amount in current year 2024. Charging 200 dollars to upgrade to 16 gigabytes is highway robbery. the only difference apple has with standard off the shelf ddr5 is slower frequencies and a better controller.

 

[LewisClark25]

8GB is a huge amount of RAM for most users.

For those who need more, Apple provides seamless BTO options that are priced sensibly in correlation with the ultra-premium grade quality of the components used.

"Ultra-premium" is an interesting way to pronounce off the shelf in the same way "priced sensibly" is an interesting way to pronounce highway robbery.

 

[dumastudetto]

"Ultra-premium" is an interesting way to pronounce off the shelf in the same way "priced sensibly" is an interesting way to pronounce highway robbery.

Apple uses high-quality certified RAM that you won't find in any PC. Apple RAM is fast, reliable, safe and secure. It is deeply integrated within Apple Silicon to deliver unrivalled performance and incredible energy effiiency.

 

[LewisClark25]

Apple uses high-quality certified RAM that you won't find in any PC. Apple RAM is fast, reliable, safe and secure. It is deeply integrated within Apple Silicon to deliver unrivalled performance and incredible energy effiiency.

so, standard off the shelf samsung or SK hynix nand modules that run at DDR5 JEDEC standards of 6400 MT/s. I can literally go on amazon and buy a kit of Patriot viper extreme that runs at 8400 MT/s and has 32 gigs of capacity for 228 dollars. Apple's ram prices are an indefensible scam.

 

[mike2q]

Tim knows low RAM bottlenecks long term performance meaning people will have to update sooner.

This has been the strategy for both Mac and iPhone for a long time now. They've somehow convinced people that thorough "magic" they are able to defy the realities of computer science knowing full well that those people will have to upgrade sooner because it won't be enough in just a few short years. If you think Apple doesn't need as much ram because (insert control over hardware and software faulty logic argument here) then you just got scammed by the richest and most greedy company on the planet. Congratulations.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

This has been the strategy for both Mac and iPhone for a long time now. They've somehow convinced people that thorough "magic" they are able to defy the realities of computer science knowing full well that those people will have to upgrade sooner because it won't be enough in just a few short years. If you think Apple doesn't need as much ram because (insert control over hardware and software faulty logic argument here) then you just got scammed by the richest and most greedy company on the planet. Congratulations.

Yet all of that is for naught when Apple decides to kill off your Mac at a certain point regardless, whether it has 8/24/32/64GB of RAM. That's why I buy the base model and I purchased an M2 base Mini for $465 from Apple when it launched. When Apple decides to kill that off i'll buy another base Mini.

 

[AlumaMac]

Yet all of that is for naught when Apple decides to kill off your Mac at a certain point regardless, whether it has 8/24/32/64GB of RAM. That's why I buy the base model and I purchased an M2 base Mini for $465 from Apple when it launched. When Apple decides to kill that off i'll buy another base Mini.

Sad thing is it doesn’t take Apple to kill it off, just a RAM module or SSD failure will send it to the scrap heap.

 

[Harry Haller]

The linchpin is macOS. The main reason I believe people like Mac computers so much is because macOS is so much better than Windows. That’s the reason I like Mac computers so much. The problem is macOS seems to be getting buggier and buggier through the years. If that trend continues and Apple continues to try and charge crazy prices for upgrades that should come standard then Apple could hit a critical point where lots of people start jumping ship. It’s a whole lot easier to hold on to customers than it is to regain lost customers. Once people get to the point of jumping ship it’s going to be really hard for Apple to stop the bleed.

Why is macOS is so much better than Windows?

 

[MobiusStrip]

The most offensive part of all this is soldered-in RAM and SSDs. SSDs will fail, and RAM does fail.

This turns $3000-4000 computers into disposable items that might as well be hanging from pegs in blister packs at Walgreen's. It's embarrassing.

 

[LewisClark25]

The most offensive part of all this is soldered-in RAM and SSDs. SSDs will fail, and RAM does fail.

This turns $3000-4000 computers into disposable items that might as well be hanging from pegs in blister packs at Walgreen's. It's embarrassing.

I think the other offensive part is the prices apple charges to repair stuff when a product dies because the end user has no option other than to go to apple.

 

[Ethosik]

I don’t think that changes anything I said though. Yes some bugs can cause issues like that to happen no matter what, but then that’s not a good representation of the issue In that one case. It’s just a bug that should be fixed.

Just because you see red memory pressure doesn't mean you need more RAM. I cannot get more RAM on my computer and 1080p video editing only takes 2 GB of RAM anyway (both Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro only use this much).

 

[HVDynamo]

Just because you see red memory pressure doesn't mean you need more RAM. I cannot get more RAM on my computer and 1080p video editing only takes 2 GB of RAM anyway (both Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro only use this much).

Seeing Red memory pressure during normal tasks is by definition an indication that you need more RAM. That's literally the point of it. Apple even calls this out in their own support documentation...

• Green memory pressure: Your computer is using all of its RAM efficiently.
• Yellow memory pressure: Your computer might eventually need more RAM.
• Red memory pressure: Your computer needs more RAM.

Source:

Check if your Mac needs more RAM in Activity Monitor

Use Activity Monitor on your Mac to see if memory is being used efficiently and if you need more memory (RAM).

support.apple.com

 

[IlluminatedSage]

It’s time Apple listens to the volumes of customers who want them to include more Ram and SSD for the money we spend. Their locking down the computers upgrade ability sucks

 

[LewisClark25]

apps that require 16GB of ram? pretty rare for average consumer app.

BTW: Steam hardware survey shows only about ~27% of PC customers have 8GB of VRAM and ignoring about half of the lower user base. average PC game is targeting 8GB RAM/VRAM today. the Mac platform has the same proportions at the 16GB level.

it is currently a non issue with Macs having a base 8GB considering there's a much larger proportional group who opted in for more than 8GB of essentially VRAM compared to PC users.

so yeah, 8gb base? no problem.

8 gigs of VRAM. as in the memory built onto the graphics card. not the same thing as 8 gigs of system memory. Most games requiring 8 gigs of VRAM wouldn't run with 8 gigs of system memory.

 

[truthsteve]

8 gigs of VRAM. as in the memory built onto the graphics card. not the same thing as 8 gigs of system memory.

yes I'm well aware of the differences between VRAM and system memory. plenty of PC games target 8 gigs of VRAM and 8 gigs of system memory.

 

[LewisClark25]

yes I'm well aware of the differences between VRAM and system memory. plenty of PC games target 8 gigs of VRAM and 8 gigs of system memory.

name one from the last year.

 

[truthsteve]

name one from the last year.

lol
anyways:

STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor™ on Steam

The story of Cal Kestis continues in STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor™, a galaxy-spanning, third-person, action-adventure game.

store.steampowered.com

did this satisfy your arbitrary requirement?

 

[ric22]

The most offensive part of all this is soldered-in RAM and SSDs. SSDs will fail, and RAM does fail.

This turns $3000-4000 computers into disposable items that might as well be hanging from pegs in blister packs at Walgreen's. It's embarrassing.

Yep. As I've complained about before, my last MacBook Air suffered a RAM failure- game over, dead computer. Back in the day I had a RAM failure in a desktop PC, bought some replacement RAM on my way to get lunch, and had things up and running again 5 minutes after getting home. Decreasing repairability is horrible for consumers and for the environment.

...and yes, before anyone feels the need to say it, I know RAM isn't as prone to failure as it was, but that makes it no less galling when your own (rather expensive) device dies on you.

 

[dgdosen]

Saying iPhone increased storage/ram and therefore Mac should increase it proportionally is an extremely narrow take that doesn't even make sense at all.

How about saying it doesn't make sense that a single tasking device should have as much or more memory than a multi-tasking computer?

In looking at a few of your other posts, I'm wondering - In your opinion, is there any Apple behavior worthy of criticism?

 

[HVDynamo]

name one from the last year.

That's easy to do as some games released last year aren't as demanding as others, but the person you are replying to is unwilling to accept that newer games are starting to require more, even if some that are released still work with 8GB. It's not worth arguing with them, they won't listen. I gave a list of a number of newer games in the last couple years that require more than 8GB RAM a few pages back and they just decided that those don't count for whatever reason.

 

[trip1ex]

How about saying it doesn't make sense that a single tasking device should have as much or more memory than a multi-tasking computer?

In looking at a few of your other posts, I'm wondering - In your opinion, is there any Apple behavior worthy of criticism?

the problem with your logic is the device does have more RAM if you want more RAM.

So the criticism is really about price. And since when does Apple come out on top in price? They are always expensive.

 

[dgdosen]

the problem with your logic is the device does have more RAM if you want more RAM.

So the criticism is really about price. And since when does Apple come out on top in price? They are always expensive.

No.

I'm not talking about what a consumer can or might buy, I'm talking about what Apple is selling.

 

[trip1ex]

No.

I'm not talking about what a consumer can or might buy, I'm talking about what Apple is selling.

If the customer can buy it then Apple sells it. And Apple sells all Macs (every Mac) with 16gb if you want 16gb of RAM.