Apple doubles down on 8GB Macs despite calls to increase the base spec ahead of M4 devices

News
By Lloyd Coombes
published

Don't expect 16GB as standard just yet.

The 2024 MacBook Air M3 on a wooden table in front of a bookshelf.
(Image credit: Gerald Lynch / Future)

Apple's latest MacBook Air, packing the M3 chip, has been a resounding success. We awarded it five stars in our review, but there's a significant drawback for buyers.

That's the fact that despite the relatively low base price (for an Apple laptop, that is), the default configurations come with just 8GB of RAM. Increasing it to the 16GB offered by many competitors at the same price range will cost you an extra $200.

While this felt like the year the discourse around 8GB reached a fever pitch across tech enthusiasts, reviewers and content creators alike, it appears Apple is ready to upgrade the base RAM just yet.

As spotted by 9to5Mac, Apple's Mac marketing executive Evan Buyze, and VP of hardware engineering, Kate Bergeron, have been speaking with IT Home (in Chinese). 

Buyze pointed to web browsing and media playback as examples of things 8GB of RAM is enough for most tasks, as well as casual gaming and some light editing of photos and videos.

The 2024 MacBook Air M3 on a wooden table in front of a bookshelf.

(Image credit: Gerald Lynch / Future)

Is 8GB of RAM enough?

Bergeron explained that the 8GB of RAM works in tandem with Apple Silicon chips to offer unified memory architecture. This means all 8GB of RAM is used more efficiently.

Part of the issue is that Apple charges so heavily for the increased RAM options in its build-to-order options that it often feels like a hidden tax for anyone looking to push their Mac a little further than the tasks Buyze identified.

The MacBook Air (M3) begins at $1099, but it's $200 more to take it to 16GB, and then a further $200 for 24GB. That's on top of upping the storage from a miserly 256GB which also feels low (and also costs $200 to double).

Would you buy a Mac with 8GB of RAM? If not, what's your ideal number for a new machine?

More from iMore

Lloyd Coombes
Lloyd Coombes
Contributor

Lloyd Coombes is a freelance writer with a specialism in Apple tech. From his first, hand-me-down iMac, he’s been working with Apple products for over a decade, and while he loves his iPhone and Mac, the iPad will always have his heart for reasons he still can’t quite fathom. Since moving from blogging to writing professionally, Lloyd’s work can be found at TechRadar, Macworld, TechAdvisor and plenty more. He’s also the Editor in Chief at GGRecon.com, and on the rare occasion he’s not writing you’ll find him spending time with his son, or working hard at the gym (while wearing an Apple Watch, naturally). You can find him on Twitter @lloydcoombes.

4 Comments Comment from the forums
  • theoldcoot
    Not it is not. 16 isn't even enough. 64 on a M2 is just barely enough. Not sure why Apple would go that route except they figure they would diminish sales by saying you need more that 8GB
    Reply
  • EdwinG
    theoldcoot said:
    Not it is not. 16 isn't even enough. 64 on a M2 is just barely enough. Not sure why Apple would go that route except they figure they would diminish sales by saying you need more that 8GB
    8GB of RAM is not enough, especially if you’re browsing the current-day Internet.

    But 16GB should be sufficient.

    I’m really not sure why someone would need 64GB for office-type tasks (browsing the Internet, reading email, word processor, and YouTube videos)?
    Reply
  • Just_Me_D
    theoldcoot said:
    Not it is not. 16 isn't even enough. 64 on a M2 is just barely enough. Not sure why Apple would go that route except they figure they would diminish sales by saying you need more that 8GB

    I use a MacBook Pro M1 for work, and I tend to have at least 30 tabs open (Chrome and Safari combined). GitHub, Jenkins and bitrise.io are included. With that being said, I used Zoom, Slack, and Transport in conjunctions with the above open tabs and yet, my MBP running 16 GB RAM handles it all quite well. I can’t speak in regard to an M4, but 64 gigs on the M1/M2 would be overkill for most people in my opinion.
    Reply
  • Trees
    If I were recommending a minimum RAM configuration for a family member or friend who is considering purchasing a new computer, then 16GB would be the suggestion for a Chromebook, Mac, Linux or Windows system if budget were not a primary requirement or constraint.
    Buyze pointed to web browsing and media playback as examples of things 8GB of RAM is enough for most tasks, as well as casual gaming and some light editing of photos and videos.As the iMore article mentions (quote above), if the use case is light, then perhaps Compressed memory or swap to SSD is utilized; since compression or swap is essentially seamless and transparent to the user.
    https://support.apple.com/guide/activity-monitor/view-memory-usage-actmntr1004/machttps://support.apple.com/guide/activity-monitor/check-if-your-mac-needs-more-ram-actmntr34865/mac
    Reply