Vratislav Holub Operating memory is an integral part of computers and mobile phones. In the case of computers and laptops, 8GB of RAM memory has been taken as an unwritten standard for a long time, while in the case of smartphones, a universal value is probably impossible to determine. In any case, we can observe interesting differences in this direction when comparing the Android and iOS platforms. While competing manufacturers bet on significantly higher operating memory, Apple makes do with an order of magnitude fewer gigabytes.
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iPhones and iPads are moving forward, Macs are standing still
Of course, Apple's mobile devices can afford to operate with a smaller operating memory, thanks to which they still have no problem with more demanding tasks and can handle everything practically with ease. This is possible thanks to the great optimization and interlinking between software and hardware, both of which are directed directly by the Cupertino giant. On the other hand, manufacturers of other phones do not have it so simple. Even so, we can observe an interesting phenomenon in recent years. With the latest generations, Apple subtly increases the operating memory. However, it should be noted that the Apple company does not officially publish the RAM size of its iPhones and iPads, nor does it ever advertise these changes.
iPhone 13 (Pro)
But let's look at the numbers themselves. For example, last year's iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini models offer 4GB of operating memory, while the 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max models even got 6 GB. There is no difference compared to the previous "twelves", or compared to the iPhone 11 (Pro) series. But if we look a year further into history, i.e. to 2018, we come across the iPhone XS and XS Max with 4GB of memory and the XR with 3GB of memory. iPhone X and 3 (Plus) also had the same 8GB memory. The iPhone 7 even worked with only 2GB. The same is the case with the mentioned iPads. For example, the current iPad Pro offers 8 to 16 GB of operating memory, while such an iPad 9 (2021) only has 3 GB, the iPad Air 4 (2020) only 4 GB, or the iPad 6 (2018) boasted only 2 GB.
The situation on Mac is different
In the case of Apple phones and tablets, we can observe an interesting increase in operating memory during the last few years. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Macs. In the world of computers, there has been an unwritten rule for years, according to which 8 GB of RAM is optimal for normal work. The same is true for Apple computers, and this trend continues even now in the days of Apple Silicon models. All Macs that are equipped with an M1 chip from the Apple Silicon series offer "only" 8 GB of operational or unified memory as a base, which of course may not suit everyone. More demanding tasks simply require their portion of "RAM". At the same time, it is necessary to mention that the mentioned 8 GB may not be enough nowadays.
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Adam Kos It is more than enough for normal office work, browsing the Internet, watching multimedia, editing photos and communicating, but if you would like to edit a video, design an application UI or engage in 3D modeling, believe that a Mac with 8GB of unified memory will put you to the test your nerves.
It has its own logic. While iPhones and iPads are all made in the same memory configuration, Macs are in optional configuration mode. Therefore, it makes no sense to cram an unnecessary maximum into the foundation, and the configuration will be adjusted by the customer.
What delusion is this. Is the Mac standing still? When the base version has 8gb or 16gb? The operating memory in the M1 works completely differently. And the machine where the 32GB drive was not enough can handle just fine with 16GB. On the contrary, with new processors coming to the Mac mini, etc., Macs will be better than drives.
Yes, and you can fit more on a 256 GB disk than on a 512 GB one.
Yes, the number is higher. But thanks to that, for e.g. from 16 to 32G, it's another 12 (I hope I'm writing correctly) there's no need to pay extra for the M000 at all. You look at bus speed, disk speed. So it swaps a bit, so what, as a result, the unknown broke. See foreign articles, videos. Maybe even if the author had studied, he wouldn't have written this article... I went to 1G + 16SSD and I still have ntb for 512-10 years...
Mirka, are you speaking from practice? Because I replaced the Macbook Pro M1 Max with the M1Pro version with 16 GB and I had to return it again and go back to the Max, because 16 GB of memory is not enough. Compared to the Max (it has 32 GB by default), the computer was lagging a lot, swapping even during normal operations, and in a few years I would have to get rid of it, because it wouldn't last..