Apple Makes 16GB RAM Standard on MacBook Air

(Wednesday October 30, 2024 @12:44PM (msmash) from the moving-forward dept.)

Reference: 0175361335
News link: https://apple.slashdot.org/story/24/10/30/1637227/apple-makes-16gb-ram-standard-on-macbook-air
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Apple has boosted the default RAM to 16GB across its MacBook Air lineup while maintaining existing prices. The memory upgrade [1]affects both M2 and M3 models , with base prices staying at $999 for M2, $1,099 for 13-inch M3, and $1,299 for 15-inch M3 versions. The move comes as AI features demand increased memory capacity.

[1] https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/every-macbook-air-now-starts-with-16gb-of-ram-at-no-extra-cost-150041320.html

Maybe... (Score:2)

by timeOday ( 582209 )

Maybe hey couldn't find anybody to manufacture a modern 8gb module because [1]this [bestbuy.com] is what is an 8 GB machine now.

[1] https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-15-6-chromebook-laptop-intel-processor-n200-8gb-memory-64gb-emmc-natural-silver/6535992.p?skuId=6535992

Not an anti-Mac guy, by any means, but.... (Score:2)

by King_TJ ( 85913 )

It's pathetic Apple needed this AI craze to justify putting more RAM in their notebooks as standard.

People have been forced to buy Apple's "high spec" version of machines for many years now, to get an adequate amount of RAM (and a reasonably sized SSD for mass storage). And with RAM being integrated in with the processor with the "M" series systems, it's obvious they're never getting upgraded in the future. Buying a Mac in 2024 with only 8GB of RAM amounts to a coach picking an athlete with a bad knee as hi

More wasted RAM (Score:2)

by xack ( 5304745 )

Just remember that apps (especially electron and AI-generated apps) will now be even more inefficient and be using RAM for no reason. I regularly catch Firefox using 10GB of RAM these days, and it goes hand in hand with the obesity and inflation epidemic, as people expect number go up all the time. The original Macbook in 2006 had only 512 megabytes, or only one 1/32 of this Macbook's ram, and MacOS Tiger worked just fine on the amount of ram back then. I expect in a few decades people will be whining that

With 8GB reserved for AI (Score:2)

by omnichad ( 1198475 )

I'm sure this is because they are going to force you to keep an 8GB LLM model in-memory at all time even if you don't use the feature. You might still only have 8GB usable.

What are AI features (Score:2)

by OrangeTide ( 124937 )

And can I remove them?

I remember upgrading my DOS-based 486dx2-66 to 8MB of RAM. And despite having 1/2000th the RAM, it nearly had about 2000 times more games for it than a Mac.