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

Post by brucethemoose2 » Fri, Nov 10, 2023, 7:34 AM UTC

Osiris wrote: post #27

brucethemoose2 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

8GB of LPDDR5X does not cost Apple $200. Its... Maybe $20?[1][2] Its so cheap that it probably costs Apple more to manufacture the extra Macbook/CPU SKU, test it, support it and so on than to just sell 16GB as the baseline. Its literally, purely just to upsell the 16GB version. There is effectively no savings for the consumer even if 8GB is "enough." 1: https://www.dramexchange.com/ 2: https://www.mouser.com/c/semico…

I am no expert. I would guess that the kind that can get added to the same package as the CPU might be specialized enough to have a premium over commodity DRAM. So maybe $30? It’s clear to be that the 8GB isn’t intended to sell in volume. It’s just there so they can advertise a lower “Starting at “ price. It’s literally just for marketing.

Post by brucethemoose2 » Fri, Nov 10, 2023, 7:36 AM UTC

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #22

brucethemoose2 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

8GB of LPDDR5X does not cost Apple $200. Its... Maybe $20?[1][2] Its so cheap that it probably costs Apple more to manufacture the extra Macbook/CPU SKU, test it, support it and so on than to just sell 16GB as the baseline. Its literally, purely just to upsell the 16GB version. There is effectively no savings for the consumer even if 8GB is "enough." 1: https://www.dramexchange.com/ 2: https://www.mouser.com/c/semico…

> purely just to upsell the 16GB version It’s market segmentation. Memory isn’t the only difference between those models.

Post by flohofwoe » Fri, Nov 10, 2023, 7:40 AM UTC

coldtea wrote: post #97

pjmlp wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No it isn't, because of lazy developers that keep pushing Electron apps for those office workers and students.

I use Electron apps (VSCode, Slack, etc). They are bloated compared to native apps, but that running a few of them somehow makes 8GB "not enough" is overblown. You get by just fine. It's wanting to run big VMs that is the real pain point with 8GB.

Post by aurareturn » Fri, Nov 10, 2023, 7:45 AM UTC

deafpolygon wrote: post #107

aurareturn wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> No it's not. A ton of programs used by regular people (Chrome etc.) are RAM hogs, if you are a dev, then Docker is also an egregious example. If you happen to play games (a big thing for average people), that 8GB will be shared between the CPU and the GPU. Even the Steam Deck, admittedly a budget device, comes with 16GB. That's why I said normal office workers and students. I never said 8GB is enough for devs. It w…

> That's why I said normal office workers and students. What? NO. 8GB is not enough for browsing and the proliferation of Electron apps these days. The solution shouldn't be constantly swapping, which is what all 8GB Apple devices do. This will lead to early SSD death and since the SSD is soldered on, that means the entire device is useless.

Post by aurareturn » Fri, Nov 10, 2023, 7:47 AM UTC

tntaben wrote: post #101

aurareturn wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I talked about that point here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38215666

macOS market share is actually 20% on desktop/laptops despite Macs selling only about ~8-10% of total PCs worldwide. ------ So that's older Macs still in use and doesn't mean that the current 8GB Macs is still trending that way.