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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

#301

Post by armchair_expert »

xw3090 wrote: post #271
wafriedemann wrote: post #196

The problem I have with 16GB as a upgrade is that the base model is widely available and often on sale. 16GB does exist as preconfigured option, but it is a lot harder to come by. It's mainly sold as BTO, which means you have to pay full price. That makes that extra 8GB of RAM ridiculously expensive. I mean it's already ridiculously expensive, but the fact that base models sell with huge discounts increases it even f…

Why does APPLE RAM cost so much?? (Apr 19, 2005) https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/why-does-apple-ram-cost... Maybe one day Apple will lower memory prices. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it...

Because they put themselves in that position by soldering the ram to the board. This way, people can't buy off the shelf RAM, the only way to upgrade is buying a more expensive mac.

They did the same with the storage. Even on expensive Mac Studios, even though the SSD can be taken out, it's incompatible with off the shelf SSDs. You can't even buy used, you have to go to the Apple store and pay the Apple premium for an SSD, and they reprogram your soldered SSD controller to work with the new drive.

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

#302

Post by layer8 »

xw3090 wrote: post #259
pentae wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

> computers marketed as "Pro" devices "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." Which is the problem in a nutshell. No one knows what it means. The parent worked as a dev for a year with the machine and was happy with it. I am also a dev, and am still on a M1 8gb Air that I got in early 2021, and I'm very happy with it. Probably the best laptop I've ever had the pleasure to work on.…

I think it’s pretty clear that Pro Max stands for profit maximization. ;)

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

#304

Post by gamblor956 »

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?

Marketing. It was a huge marketing leap for Apple to take credit for TSMC's node upgrades and claim it as some sort of great technological leap.

Given that the next generation Snapdragon offers comparable performance to Apple's M line, it appears that node advances were responsible for a very large percentage of any performance gains.

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

#305

Post by dsign »

While I agree with the general feeling of the article, I would like to bring some attention to the fact that Apple’s competition is on the business of monetizing their user base in a worse manner.

Windows is so shock-full of dark patterns these days (I’m speaking of the start menu, the upgrade wheel, the survtech in the browser and the OS), that I will be between the sword and a dark place when I need to upgrade my hardware next time. The Windows 11 upgrade is free, which speaks to Microsoft’s commitment to make me their product.

Who knows, maybe I will end up paying five grands for a Mac Studio. In terms of hardware, that same amount of money would buy me a beefy workstation that I could arm myself, but Linux won’t run more than half of the software I use these days.

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

#306

Post by spaceman_2020 »

satvikpendem wrote: post #224
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

What is your current computer? I still have my M1 Pro and it does everything I need it to right now.

Currently have a desktop as my primary device with an AMD Ryzen 5600x. Never felt that I was pushing that system. Had a Macbook Air 2019 that was starting to feel sluggish.

Desktop was fine since I was working from home the last 2 years. But I’ve finally got an office and also need to travel so need something more portable

Will be switching over from Ubuntu to Mac as well

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

#307

Post by matthewdgreen »

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…

I wanted to download and local LLMs on my Macbook, but discovered that I just didn't have the RAM for this. Moreover I couldn't upgrade to handle the new use case, I'd need a whole new Macbook. But the cost of that new machine would be absurd.

To be clear I have no problem paying the Apple tax, the computers are worth it. The problem is that Apple has optimized the Apple tax in such a way it makes local AI applications impossible, which is a shame because they have such the best architectures for that use case.

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

#308

Post by satvikpendem »

spaceman_2020 wrote: post #306
satvikpendem wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is your current computer? I still have my M1 Pro and it does everything I need it to right now.

Currently have a desktop as my primary device with an AMD Ryzen 5600x. Never felt that I was pushing that system. Had a Macbook Air 2019 that was starting to feel sluggish. Desktop was fine since I was working from home the last 2 years. But I’ve finally got an office and also need to travel so need something more portable Will be switching over from Ubuntu to Mac as well

I've seen reviews of the M2 and M3 chips, they're not too much better than the M1 it seems, even MKBHD on YouTube concluded the same and stuck with his M1, so that's what I'd recommend as well. If you're looking for deals, /r/appleswap has some good ones.

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

#309

Post by kelipso »

lamontcg wrote: post #287
elevation wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

Apple does plenty of data collection too though I believe they keep most the data internal. "If it's free, you are the product" sure, but that doesn't imply that if it's not free, you are not the product.

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

#310

Post by beAbU »

runjake wrote: post #192
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…

> 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.

There was a time in the late 90s and early aughts when by the time you've unboxed your new computer it's already out of date.

I'm sure it was even more so in the 80's into the 90's, but that's a little before my time.

We have not really had a quantum leap in the last 20 years. Even longer. Apple's M-series chips are the closest we've gotten in recent times I think.

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