The-$400-cheaper base 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro ($1599) ships with just 8GB of unified memory, a significant downgrade over the previous 14-incher ($1999) sporting twice the RAM.
You know what other MacBook Pro shipped with 8GB of RAM? The discontinued $1299 13-inch model with Touch Bar. The more RAM you have, the smoother your computer multitasks, switches between apps and edits large documents. 16GB is considered the absolute minimum in a computer today, but Apple appears willing to challenge that notion publicly.
It dispatched vice president of worldwide product marketing Bob Borchers to convince buyers that 8GB is like having 16GB “on other systems.” Borchers didn’t name “other systems,” nor did he provide any proof for his claim.
Apple: 8GB of unified memory equals 16GB of regular RAM
Bob Borchers, via AppleInsider:
Comparing our memory to other system’s memory actually isn’t equivalent because of the fact that we have such an efficient use of memory, and we use memory compression and we have a unified memory architecture.
Tell us how we should look at it then.
Actually, 8GB on an M3 MacBook Pro is probably analogous to 16GB on other systems. We just happen to be able to use it much more efficiently.
I see. So specs don’t matter that much?
This is the place where I think people need to see beyond the specs, and actually go and look beyond the capabilities, and listen to trusted people like you who have actually used the systems. People need to look beyond the specifications and actually go and understand how that technology is being used. That’s the true test.
Eyes just rolled in the skull.
I’m sorry, but 8GB is 8GB
Apple’s argument is ingenious. Yes, Apple silicon uses unified memory, resulting in a more efficient performance than on a regular computer that typically uses separate system and video memories.
Unified memory allows all parts of Apple silicon to access the same data without copying it between multiple pools of memory. This boosts performance and efficiency. Apple also compresses memory on the fly.
But despite all those advantages, unified memory simply isn’t the magic wand that can suddenly make an 8GB machine perform on the same level as with 16GB of working memory.
Because the memory is shared across all subsystems, some of the RAM will be allocated to video memory. macOS also needs the RAM to function.
As a result, the amount of usable working RAM the user gets to run their apps and edit documents will be lower than 8GB. You may think that’s not much of a problem on a 16GB system. But on an 8GB laptop, it causes constant page swapping.
Apple knows its customers all too well
A much more pressing issue is Apple’s greed. Sometimes, it feels like Tim Cook’s company has become this selfish monster that recklessly destroys customer goodwill Steve Jobs’s Apple had spent decades building. Opting for a base MacBook Pro in 2023 means a paltry 8GB work environment unless you cough up an extra $200 to double the RAM. Not $400 cheaper after all… In fact, it costs $300 more than the discontinued Touch Bar model with 8GB of RAM!
Another problem: Apple knows its customers too well. It knows folks in the market for an entry-level MacBook Pro will upgrade the RAM before the machine comes off the assembly line. The RAM on Apple silicon Macs is soldered on the processor module on the mainboard, and isn’t user-replaceable.
Don’t fall for Apple’s tricks
A smart buyer shouldn’t fall for a $400 price drop. An intelligent shopper will probably spend extra to get a model with the amount of RAM they need. Above all, a really savvy buyer in late-2023 shall not consider a $1600 laptop with just 8GB of RAM that can’t be expanded in the first place.
A pro laptop with less than 8GB of usable memory? Right…
A quick shameless plug before we sign off: iDB has outlined other compromises Apple has made to make the new 14-incher $400 cheaper than last year’s base 14-inch MacBook Pro.