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Apple has a memory problem and we're all paying for it

macworld.com

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Re: Apple has a memory problem and we're all paying for it

#281

Post by clippyplz »

Osiris wrote: post #56
aurareturn wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The average Mac is in use for far longer than your average upgradeable windows laptop from Walmart/Costco. One strong evidence for this is that macOS market share is actually 20% on desktop/laptops despite Macs selling only about ~8-10% of total PCs worldwide. [0] So yes, on average, Macs are significantly better for the environment. Having less RAM does not mean people replace their Macs more often than Windows comp…

My wife’s computer was getting slow so I stuck another 16GB of RAM in it for like $30. that upgraded added years to its life. I have a stack of old MacBooks I can’t use because they only have 256GB SSDs that can’t be upgraded and I was constantly running out of space on them. There is something to be said for being able to upgrade a machine to lengthen its usable life.

> I have a stack of old MacBooks I can’t use

For real? With prevalent cloud storage and cheap tiny external devices it's hard to believe they're totally useless.

Re: Apple has a memory problem and we're all paying for it

#282

Post by wilsonnb3 »

1000100_1000101 wrote: post #248
spaceman_2020 wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m in the market for a new Macbook. Should I get the M2 instead of the M3? The base M2 had 16GB RAM

The base M3 MBP isn't a true MBP. It's to replace the 13" MBP w/ touchbar, which was always a lower-end black sheep of the MBP family. Now that they've removed the touchbar, they've consolidated it into the regular MBP lineup, but it remains crippled. If you were considering a 14" or 16" M2 Pro MBP, the equivalent M3 Pro MBP would not be the base model, and WOULD be an upgrade... just avoid the base M3 (non-Pro) conf…

Yeah the base model MacBook Pro being gimped goes back even further than the recently discontinued Touch Bar pro.

When said Touch Bar pro was the top of the line, the cheapest pro was the one without a Touch Bar, missing half of the USB C ports, basically a MacBook Air in a pro shell.

I’ve never understood why they do this but it must sell well in some markets or something.

Re: Apple has a memory problem and we're all paying for it

#283

Post by gizajob »

satvikpendem wrote: post #215
ianai wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly hold off until next year if you can or when they announce the M4. Otherwise probably get whatever you can afford to upgrade the RAM.

Or just wait until the year after for the M5.

I hear that the M6 is likely to be the most powerful chip they’ve ever produced.

Re: Apple has a memory problem and we're all paying for it

#284

Post by sbuk »

tpush wrote: post #235
sbuk wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So disagreeing with someone else’s behaviour when choosing their tech means they have Stockholm syndrome? No, you may not think you’re being hostile, but you are.

> So disagreeing with someone else’s behaviour when choosing their tech means they have Stockholm syndrome? No, they perfectly explained why that isn't the case. Please read the post carefully instead of knee jerk responding.

> but you don't need to lick the company boot while you're at it.

That’s hostile. It’s obnoxious as suggesting a difference of opinion is “Stockholm syndrome”. It the same as saying “I’m not being rude, but you’re an idiot”. Yeah, you’re being rude.

Re: Apple has a memory problem and we're all paying for it

#285

Post by bluesign »

YetAnotherNick wrote: post #278
runjake wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Tech’s stagnated for over a decade I don’t know where to begin with this, but on topic, the M1 came out in 2020 and was a big tech leap in how PCs are done. Sure, all the individual technologies within existed elsewhere first. But Apple executed and delivered great products.

M1 was not that big of a leap for trillion dollar company. If you looked in A12 bionic or other processor from Apple before M1, M1 wasn't that different in IPC/core or any metric. Also Apple was 2 generation in semiconductor process ahead due to TSMC contracts. If you look closely, yes apple is bit better in manufacturing, bit better in materials etc. and I have many apple products, but its products isn't that differ…

This discussion is a bit like the dropbox/rsync comment, M1 was a huge leap for the users, I am yet to see anyone upgrading to M1 and not amazed around me. It was a technological huge leap or not is not the important part here in my opinion.

Re: Apple has a memory problem and we're all paying for it

#286

Post by wilsonnb3 »

pentae wrote: post #169
aurareturn wrote: post #8

8GB is still good enough for office workers and students. Heck, I used an M1 8GB Air for 1 year as a dev. Although I wish I had more RAM, it still served me well. For $899 (on sale sometimes), the 8GB M2 Air is absolutely a steal. The screen quality, thinness, battery life, build quality, SoC, quietness, coolness, metal enclosure, touchpad, and speakers are simply unmatched by anything in the PC world at that price -…

I think you missed the point - we're talking about computers marketed as "Pro" devices which should be able to handle "Pro" workloads. 8GB on the Airs is a completely different issue as these are not marketed as Pro devices. Consumers place a lot of faith in Apple as a brand so when they go and purchase a "Macbook Pro" they should be able to assume Apple has their back and it's actually going to do what it says on th…

People understand that Apple just uses Pro to mean “better than the not pro version”.

We’ve had AirPods Pro and the iPhone Pro for years now, the days of the word pro meaning “for professionals” are long gone.

Re: Apple has a memory problem and we're all paying for it

#287

Post by lamontcg »

elevation wrote: post #240
ianai wrote: post #181

I think the best reaction would be shame. Just a big round of shame for a trillion dollar company being so greedy to cripple their top equipment. Tech’s stagnated for over a decade and largely because of greed and at the expense of innovation. Prove me wrong? Do something genuinely new, like a mass produced cpu on germanium. Make a modern OS that’s a successor to unix-and plan9. Edit-Or at least a moddable iphone tha…

> The company is the problem here The author feigns indignance at Apple's margins, as if the only possible purpose for that markup is to line the pockets of Apple execs. But this isn't pure profit for Apple. Apple develops feature and security updates which they make available for free (at the point of use) for years to their hardware customers. The significant hardware markup is what enables this! Contrast this to c…

Yeah, everyone points out that "if its free, you are the product" then Google and Microsoft do all kinds of shitty stuff due to their products being cheap/free, then people scream about Apple's hardware markups.

Re: Apple has a memory problem and we're all paying for it

#288

Post by satvikpendem »

ianai wrote: post #221
satvikpendem wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or just wait until the year after for the M5.

Point being the jump from intel to M1 was much bigger than the jump from M1 to M3.

We don't know what they're upgrading from, they could have an M1 already. If they do have an Intel machine, then yes, they should ideally buy an M1 rather than spending more for M2 or M3 which don't really seem to be that large of a jump but for a proportionally higher cost.

Re: Apple has a memory problem and we're all paying for it

#289

Post by rudolph9 »

dahart wrote: post #245
ianai wrote: post #181

I think the best reaction would be shame. Just a big round of shame for a trillion dollar company being so greedy to cripple their top equipment. Tech’s stagnated for over a decade and largely because of greed and at the expense of innovation. Prove me wrong? Do something genuinely new, like a mass produced cpu on germanium. Make a modern OS that’s a successor to unix-and plan9. Edit-Or at least a moddable iphone tha…

Good luck! People have been trying to shame Apple for their premium pricing since the day they started selling computers, and it has never done a thing to change their strategy nor sales. I think the issue is that a lot of tech people don’t fully understand what Apple is selling, what value is there, and why it appeals to so many consumers, despite whatever reasons we think we have. Nobody needs to prove you wrong, b…

I think the shame is more around calling it a “MacBook PRO” and getting people to pay premium for something that is clearly not to their own high standards and carefully curated image for the “PRO” line of a product.

It’s like in the 90s when the base ford mustang became a poorly made vehicle with little power that looked like a sports car but really they selling out and taking advantage of their customers.

I would have more respect for Apple if they just charged $200 more for the base and put 16GB of ram it instead passing off machines with insufficient amount of ram as a premium model of their devices.

Re: Apple has a memory problem and we're all paying for it

#290

Post by x0x0 »

2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote: post #243
runjake wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Tech’s stagnated for over a decade I don’t know where to begin with this, but on topic, the M1 came out in 2020 and was a big tech leap in how PCs are done. Sure, all the individual technologies within existed elsewhere first. But Apple executed and delivered great products.

What was the leap though? Pay huge sums for the best TSMC node and put as much as possible on package? Own the whole stack?

I don't know what the leap was, just the effect: a combination of perf and battery life that puts everything else to shame.
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