Apple keeps flogging 8GB of RAM for its Mac computers but it's still a dead horse

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses Apple's claims about 8GB of RAM being sufficient for most mainstream tasks on Mac computers, and argues that this is not actually true. It highlights how 8GB of RAM can easily be insufficient even for basic web browsing, especially with memory-hungry applications like Chrome.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Apple's Claims About 8GB of RAM

1. What are Apple's claims about 8GB of RAM being suitable for many tasks on Mac computers?

• Apple claims that 8GB of RAM is "suitable for many tasks" on Mac computers, including browsing, video streaming, and even "light" video and image editing.
• Apple's Mac product marketing team leader, Evan Buyze, reiterated this view, stating that 8GB of memory is suitable for tasks like browsing the internet, streaming, messaging, and even light photo/video editing and casual gaming.

2. Why does the author disagree with Apple's claims?

• The author argues that 8GB of RAM is not actually sufficient, even for basic web browsing, especially with memory-hungry applications like Chrome.
• The author provides an example of having 15 Chrome tabs open, with 3 of them using over 500MB of RAM each, resulting in a total RAM usage of 12.5GB on a 16GB MacBook Air.
• The author states that they previously had an 8GB Apple silicon MacBook Air, and found it to be "a nightmare, constantly running out of memory just browsing the web."

3. What are the author's views on Apple's RAM upgrade pricing?

• The author notes that Apple charges a "ridiculous $200" to upgrade from 8GB to 16GB of RAM on many of their entry-level Mac models, including the MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and MacBook Pro 14.
• Additionally, due to the unified memory architecture of Apple silicon, users are stuck with the factory RAM configuration and cannot add more RAM later.

[02] Implications of Insufficient RAM

1. What are the potential issues with having only 8GB of RAM on a Mac?

• The author argues that 8GB of RAM is not even enough for basic web browsing, as it can easily run out of memory, especially with memory-hungry applications like Chrome.
• The author provides an example of having 15 Chrome tabs open, with 3 of them using over 500MB of RAM each, resulting in a total RAM usage of 12.5GB on a 16GB MacBook Air.
• The author states that their previous 8GB Apple silicon MacBook Air was "a nightmare, constantly running out of memory just browsing the web."

2. How does the author view Apple's positioning of 8GB of RAM as suitable for "light" tasks?

• The author questions what exactly "light video editing" or "casual gaming" really means, suggesting that it may imply tolerating low frame rates (e.g., 15fps) or other performance compromises.
• The author argues that even if an 8GB Mac can handle such "light" tasks tolerably well, 8GB of RAM is still not acceptable, as it can easily run out of memory just from basic web browsing.