Adam Kos When Apple launched the MacBook Pro with the M3 chip last fall, which was based on 8GB of RAM, it received a wave of criticism. This has now been repeated with the new MacBook Airs. Even then, Apple tried to iron out the situation by claiming that 8 GB on a Mac is like 16 GB on a Windows PC. Now he's doing it again.
Mac Marketing Manager Evan Buyze v conversation for IT Home defends Apple's 8GB policy. According to him, 8GB of RAM in entry-level Macs is enough for most of the tasks that most users do with those computers. He used web browsing, media playback, light photo and video editing, and casual gaming as examples.
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The interview was focused on the recently launched M3 MacBook Air, so in his case these answers are actually true. In fact, users can run most basic tasks with them without much worry. However, those who plan to use their Mac for video editing or programming may face some disadvantages due to the lack of more RAM.
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Apple works differently with RAM
The problem isn't that the MacBook Air has 8GB of RAM. When you take the current generation of the M3 chip in the basic Air for 32 thousand CZK, you cannot be dissatisfied. Airs are not Pros and are intended for ordinary customers, for whom, of course, the computer can handle really demanding work. The problem is that even a computer like a MacBook Pro has the same amount of RAM as an iPhone 15.
But Apple has been proving for a long time that it simply works differently with RAM. Even when Android phones offer more than 20 GB of RAM, they still do not achieve the same smooth operation as current iPhones (basic models have 6 GB). I personally work with an M1 Mac mini with 8 GB of RAM and an M2 MacBook Air with 8 GB of RAM, and I haven't felt any of its limits with either of them. But right now, I don't edit video and I don't play in Photoshop, I don't even play games and I don't program anything. I'm just probably a typical regular user of such a device, which is really enough and fulfills its requirements.
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Apple may well keep 8GB of RAM in the entry-level machines if it makes sense. But the professionals would surely deserve more. But it's about money, and Apple pays handsomely for additional RAM. It is also his clear business plan in that users prefer to go straight for a higher configuration, which typically only costs a few crowns more. It is the same with the currently sold M2 MacBook Air and M3 MacBook Air, when the first one is only two thousand cheaper and its purchase practically makes no sense.
woefully little, and I've had a Mac for over ten years
It's not enough. Full stop.
Air 13 M2, normal work you will not find limits and when editing photos it started to bite up to 100 MPx RAW which had several layers of effects and I did resampling with Super Resolutions functions. Until then, even the 100 MPx RAW in Pixelmator plus Safari and 2-3 windows in it had a RAM load of around 5-6 GB. So plenty is enough.
Yes, if you load 100 such photos at once, not even a MacBook Pro will be enough for you. But a home user can easily take 2-3 photos one at a time and then that's enough - regardless of the fact that he probably doesn't have a 100 megabyte medium format.
It is VERY little.
I will not buy a 30k+ laptop for browsing the internet, photos, videos. That's enough for me for 10.
I saw a comparison of the M3 with 4K video processing. It took 8-3x longer on 5GB RAM compared to 16GB RAM. Whoever buys 8 GB of RAM, good for him.