M2 Pro/Max Macbook Memory pricing

[albozr]

Here's a pricing experiment:

Since we now know the M2 chip is able to be loaded with up to 24gb of unified, with options of 8gb and 16gb, it stands to reason that the future M2 Pro/Max Macbooks will have up to 48gb and 96gb of unified memory respectively. Assuming M2 Pro MacBooks will have options of 16gb, 32gb and 64gb of memory, and M2 Max MacBooks will have options of 32gb, 64gb and 96gb of memory, here are some methods I imposed on how Apple can handle the pricing.

Apple's Macbooks usually have 8gb of memory additions for $200, 16gb of memory additions for (very annoyingly) $400, and 32gb of memory additions for $400. Considering the obvious fact that higher memory machines will cost more than lower memory machines, here are 4 main ways apple could price these upgrades:

1.
M2 Pro:
16gb -> 32gb $400 (ov. +$400)
32gb -> 48gb $400 (ov. +$800)
M2 Max:
32gb -> 64gb $400 (ov. +$800)
64gb -> 96gb $400 (ov. +$1200)

While this pricing method is objectively the worst one ($400 for 16gb of ram and 48gb ram costing the same as 64 gb ram), it stays consistent with Apple's models and is unfortunately quite likely.

2.
M2 Pro
16gb -> 32gb $400 (ov. +$400)
32gb -> 48gb $200 (ov. +$600)
M2 Max:
32gb -> 64gb $400 (ov. +$800)
64gb -> 96gb $400 (ov. +$1200)

The only difference in this pricing ladder is that the second installment of memory upgrades in the M2 Pro is (correctly) priced at $200. *Personally, I see this as the pricing ladder that Apple will likely use* as it stays consistent with current pricing while also giving options to M2 Pro users to have 16gb Memory for 'only' $200 more. This eliminates the problem of 48gb memory being priced the same as 64gb.

3.
M2 Pro
16gb -> 32gb $200 (ov. +$200)
32gb -> 48gb $200 (ov. +$400)
M2 Max:
32gb -> 64gb $400 (ov. +$600)
64gb -> 96gb $400 (ov. +$1000)

PLEASE DO THIS APPLE. While unlikely, this ladder eliminates the problem of the difference in memory pricing differences in the M2 Pro Macbook. This would be an incredibly positive change to high-end Macbook pricing (if you couldn't already tell, I can't stand the $400 for 16gb memory) and would allow all memory in high-end Macbooks to have the same price. If this ladder is in place whenever the new Macbooks come, I'll finally retire my intel Macbook.

4.
M2 Pro
16gb -> 32gb $200 (ov. +$200)
32gb -> 48gb $200 (ov. +$400)
M2 Max:
32gb -> 48gb $200 (ov. +$400)
48gb -> 64gb $200 (ov. +$600)
64gb -> 80gb $200 (ov. +$800)
80gb -> 96gb $200 (ov. +$1000)

Now this is by far the most far-fetched pricing apple will create, and while it does allow consistent memory upgrades for consistent prices, the problems of this cluttering Apple's elegant website and having them manufacture too many different Macbook models will be things apple won't overlook (not even mentioning reduced profit for apple.) But hey, the ladder is objectively great for the people purchasing the device, and we can always dream.

This is all under the assumption that the new chips will come with higher memory configs like the M2, and is mostly for fun anyway, don't take a single word here for analysed leaks. Sorry for the wall of text, but I hope you found this at least slightly interesting
What pricing ladder do you think apple would implement in this situation, I'd love to know your thoughts!

 

[theluggage]

Since we now know the M2 chip is able to be loaded with up to 24gb of unified, with options of 8gb and 16gb, it stands to reason that the future M2 Pro/Max Macbooks will have up to 48gb and 96gb of unified memory respectively.

I wouldn't second guess what the "M2 Pro/Max" RAM options will be without doing a deep dive into the state of the art of LPDDR RAM and Apple Silicon processor design, LPDDR bus widths, package configurations etc. as well as what theoretically possible module sizes are actually available in quantity...

Thing is, when it comes to memory controllers, the M2 is only playing catch-up with the M1 Pro/Max. The existing M1 Pro already has LPDDR5 vs. the regular M1's LPDDR4x and already has twice the bandwidth of even the M2 - so it's really not certain that any hypothetical M2 Pro/Max will be able to offer different RAM options to the M1 Pro/Max.

...and, anyway, Apple also has to make a strategic marketing decision as to which of the technically possible RAM configurations they should actually offer and how much to charge.

Pricing ladder wise, I don't think Apple would shift from $200-per-8GB on the Pro and $200-per-16GB on the Max.

 

[ian87w]

I would think the M2 Pro/Max RAM pricing will simply mimic the M1 Pro/Max. And the pricing tier will be doubling the RAM like the current M1 Pro/Max, from 16, 32, 64. I don't think Apple would bother with in-between configurations like 48 or 96GB of RAM. The 24GB RAM of the Macbook Air could simply be an outlier.

 

[thenewperson]

I would think the M2 Pro/Max RAM pricing will simply mimic the M1 Pro/Max. And the pricing tier will be doubling the RAM like the current M1 Pro/Max, from 16, 32, 64. I don't think Apple would bother with in-between configurations like 48 or 96GB of RAM. The 24GB RAM of the Macbook Air could simply be an outlier.

I could see 48 on Pro and 96 on Max for the same reason it's on the regular: it's possible and something they could charge more on. Don't see 24 and 48 on those respective configs tho.