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M4 MacBook Pro

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Re: M4 MacBook Pro

#771

Post by crossroadsguy »

This is the first time they have not obscenely limited their starter offerings with 8GB RAM. The time it took them to do that is just pathetic. Now I guess this will happen until how long? Maybe 2034 - and starting RAM 16GB. I wish I could say it's a welcome change but in 2024 for such overpriced machine if they are starting with 16GB RAM then that's anything but special. Also, I am sure the SSDs and RAMs are still soldered tight :)

If only they could allow their iPads to be used as a Mac screen natively I might buy a Mini and an iPad and get done with it two use cases but why would Apple want users to be able to do that without extra expense.

Re: M4 MacBook Pro

#772

Post by brailsafe »

ldoughty wrote: post #140
redundantly wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The M4 tops off at 32 GB The M4 Pro goes up to 48 GB The M4 Max can have up to 128 GB

It seems you need the M4 Max with the 40-core GPU to go over 36GB. The M4 Pro with 14‑core CPU & 20‑core GPU can do 48GB. If you're looking for ~>36-48GB memory, here's the options: $2,800 = 48GB, Apple M4 Pro chip with 14‑core CPU, 20‑core GPU $3,200 = 36GB, Apple M4 Max chip with 14‑core CPU, 32‑core GPU $3,600 = 48GB, Apple M4 Max chip with 16‑core CPU, 40‑core GPU So the M4 Pro could get you a lot of memory, but…

Somehow I got downvoted for pointing this out, but it's weird that you have to spend an extra $800 USD just to be able to surpass 48gb, and "upgrading" to the base level Max chip decreases your ram limit, especially when the M4 Pro on the Mac Mini goes up to 64gb. Like... that's a shit load of cash to put out if you need more ram but don't care for more cores. I was really hoping to finally upgrade to something with 64gb, or maybe 96 or 128 if it decreased in price, but it's they removed the 96 and kept 64 and 128 severely out of reach.

Do I get 2 extra CPU cores, build a budget gaming PC, or subscribe to creative suite for 2.5 years!?

Re: M4 MacBook Pro

#773

Post by darylteo »

tomrod wrote: post #19

This is the first compelling Mac to me. I've used Macs for a few clients and muscle memory is very deeply ingrained for linux desktops. But with local LLMs finally on the verge of usability along with sufficient memory... I might need to make the jump! Wish I could spin up a Linux OS on the hardware though. Not a bright spot for me.

I've been lightly using ollama on the m1 max and 64gb RAM. Not a power user but enough for code completions.

Re: M4 MacBook Pro

#774

Post by beeflet »

sgarland wrote: post #643
dmz73 wrote: post #562

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mac OS calls home every time you execute an application. Apple is well on its way to ensure you can only run things they allow via app store, they would probably already be there if it wasn't for the pesky EU. If you send your computer/phone to Apple for repair you may get back different physical hardware. Those things very much highlight that "your" Apple hardware is not yours and that privacy on Apple hardware does…

With the sheer number of devs who use Macs, there is a 0% chance they’re going to outright prevent running arbitrary executables. Warn / make difficult, sure, but prevent? No.

The strategy is to funnel most users onto an ipad-like platform at most where they have basic productivity apps like word or excel but no ability to run general purpose programs.

Meanwhile you have a minimal set of developers with the ability to run arbitrary programs, and you can go from there with surveillance on MacOS like having every executable tagged with the developer's ID.

The greater the distance between the developer and the user, the more you can charge people to use programs instead of just copying them. But you can go much further under the guise of "quality control".

Re: M4 MacBook Pro

#775

Post by joshdavham »

thenaturalist wrote: post #642
joshdavham wrote: post #620

Question to more senior Mac users: how do you usually decide when to upgrade? I bought my first Macbook pro about a year and a half ago and it's still working great.

Ask 3 people, get 5 answers. Got the money, are in the consumerism camp: Switch to latest model every year because the camera island changed 5mm. Got the professional need in games or video and your work isn't covering your device: Switch to new model every couple of generations. Be me: I want to extend the lifecycle of things I use. Learn how to repair what you own (it's never been as easy), be aware of how you can…

Great answer, thank you!

Re: M4 MacBook Pro

#776

Post by joshdavham »

dgellow wrote: post #755
joshdavham wrote: post #620

Question to more senior Mac users: how do you usually decide when to upgrade? I bought my first Macbook pro about a year and a half ago and it's still working great.

Depends if it is a personal machine or paid by your company. 5+ years is what I generally expect from an apple laptop (been using them since around 2007-2009) if I own. For an M1-3 that could be a bit longer. If it is paid by your company, then whenever you have the budget :)

> 5+ years is what I generally expect

Sounds like a good rule of thumb.

Can I also ask what kind of work you do on it? I suspect that some work probably wears out computers faster than other sorts of work.

Re: M4 MacBook Pro

#777

Post by m-s-y »

beeflet wrote: post #774
sgarland wrote: post #643

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With the sheer number of devs who use Macs, there is a 0% chance they’re going to outright prevent running arbitrary executables. Warn / make difficult, sure, but prevent? No.

The strategy is to funnel most users onto an ipad-like platform at most where they have basic productivity apps like word or excel but no ability to run general purpose programs. Meanwhile you have a minimal set of developers with the ability to run arbitrary programs, and you can go from there with surveillance on MacOS like having every executable tagged with the developer's ID. The greater the distance between the…

> The strategy is to funnel most users onto an ipad-like platform at most where they have basic productivity apps like word or excel but no ability to run general purpose programs.

And you know this how?

This reads like every macOS fan’s worst nightmare, but there’s zero actual evidence that Apple is going in this direction.

Please share sources if you disagree.

Re: M4 MacBook Pro

#778

Post by kalleboo »

amelius wrote: post #579
lukev wrote: post #535

I really respect Apple's privacy focused engineering. They didn't roll out _any_ AI features until they were capable of running them locally, and before doing any cloud-based AI they designed and rolled out Private Cloud Compute. You can argue about whether it's actually bulletproof or not but the fact is, nobody else is even trying, and have lost sight of all privacy-focused features in their rush to ship anything a…

> Private Cloud Compute That's such a security theater. As long as nobody can look inside their ICs, nobody knows what's really happening there.

Does that mean you just don't bother encrypting any of your data, and just use unencrypted protocols? Since you can't inspect the ICs that are doing the work, encryption must all also be security theater.

Re: M4 MacBook Pro

#779

Post by kcplate »

dmz73 wrote: post #562
lukev wrote: post #535

I really respect Apple's privacy focused engineering. They didn't roll out _any_ AI features until they were capable of running them locally, and before doing any cloud-based AI they designed and rolled out Private Cloud Compute. You can argue about whether it's actually bulletproof or not but the fact is, nobody else is even trying, and have lost sight of all privacy-focused features in their rush to ship anything a…

Mac OS calls home every time you execute an application. Apple is well on its way to ensure you can only run things they allow via app store, they would probably already be there if it wasn't for the pesky EU. If you send your computer/phone to Apple for repair you may get back different physical hardware. Those things very much highlight that "your" Apple hardware is not yours and that privacy on Apple hardware does…

> Apple is well on its way to ensure you can only run things they allow via app store

I am totally ok with this. I have personally seen apple reject an app update and delist the app because a tiny library used within it had a recent security concerns. Forced the company to fix it.

Re: M4 MacBook Pro

#780

Post by satvikpendem »

medion wrote: post #597
jcmontx wrote: post #20

> "up to 1.8x faster when compared to the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro" I insist my 2020 Macbook M1 was the best purchase I ever made

Except for the usb c charge port - magcharge was the best invention and I’ll never understand why it was removed.

I have the M1 MacBook Pro with MagSafe and I still charge it via USB C simply because I can't be bothered to carry around another cable when all of my other peripherals are USB C.
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