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That70sGAdawg

macrumors 6502a
May 23, 2008
808
358
Athens, GA USA
If they're smart, they'll keep the software optimized for it, which will benefit everyone. Unfortunately I'm not really holding my breath for that one though, MacOS is already gotten a bit on the heavier side in terms of system resources.
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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Abazigal

Contributor
Jul 18, 2011
20,399
23,908
Singapore
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.
 
Apple is a for-profit company, more than they ever have been in their history.

They will give the least hardware resources they can, and charge the most money they can.

This is Tim Cook's Apple: Scary Fast ... Profits 🧛‍♂️

🤑

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.
 

SamboSoul

macrumors member
Nov 4, 2020
88
108
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.
 

Ethosik

Contributor
Oct 21, 2009
8,146
7,124
Why would you complain about an almost 4 year old computer, that would be stupid.

Complaining about something new is a natural reaction to being severely disappointed that it isn't enough for what you need.

M3 is four years old now?!
 
so
Eight is Enough is good only in 1970?

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
 

MBAir2010

macrumors 604
May 30, 2018
6,975
6,354
there
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!
 
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tornadowrangler

macrumors regular
Sep 5, 2020
168
336
Repeat what I have written in various threads: why do you want others to pay for your lusts?

Can you accept that for many people a base level iMac is all they will need? Can you?

And if you want and iMac with more memory, then just order one with more memory. You can now get an iMac with 24GB of RAM.
w
If that is not enough RAM for you, then buy a Mac Studio or MBP.
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.
 

Fishrrman

macrumors Penryn
Feb 20, 2009
29,294
13,406
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.
 
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Barnclos

macrumors newbie
Nov 15, 2015
26
15
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.
 

mpe

macrumors 6502
Sep 3, 2010
334
205
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.
 

Lift Bar

macrumors 6502
Nov 1, 2023
254
532
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.
 

ptfuzi

macrumors regular
Jan 9, 2019
147
33
I guess the base model will be the most sold, that's why they still keep that as a base
 

3Rock

macrumors 6502a
Aug 25, 2021
733
799
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
 
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

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.
 

anshuvorty

macrumors 68040
Sep 1, 2010
3,483
5,179
California, USA
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 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...
 
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ZebedeeG

macrumors regular
Apr 26, 2021
215
309
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.
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.)
 
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