[snarkyturtle]

> Is this the year where Apple increases the memory on the base model above 8GB

Nope, the opposite. They're doubling down.

> In an interview with IT Home, Mac marketing executive Evan Buyze spoke in favor of Macs equipped with 8GB of RAM. According to Buyze, the 8GB of RAM in entry-level Macs is enough for most of the tasks that most users do with these computers. He used web browsing, media playback, light photo and video editing, and casual gaming as examples.

Source: https://9to5mac.com/2024/04/12/apple-8gb-ram-mac/

[littlecranky67]

I was in the same department but changed my opinion - when my 32GB 2019 Macbook Pro 16" died of sudden heat death, I bought a base-model 8GB M2 MacMini (retail price 650€) and was amazed that it actually is faster for all my day-to-day tasks - this includes software development (C#/ASP.NETcore, TypeScript/React both using VSCode) plus running some (smaller) docker containers. Originally intended as an interims solution, I am still on the MacMini with no intention to upgrade - there is no way I could tell it has only 8GB RAMs and never run into any problems - it is in all matters of regular daily use faster than my ~3000€ 32GB MBP16.

[qwytw]

> TypeScript/React both using VSCode

If you're using any Jetbrains IDE and want to also run your app/nodejs/etc. you mac will start freezing and and input lagging. Of course it's a pretty bloated Java app that could be optimized a bit more but I can't really blame them, RAM is so cheap nowadays that there is no reason why you'd have less than 16GB or even 32...

Also having any mildly memory intense app + Chrome (with > 10-20 tabs opened) is a no go etc.

[neonsunset]

As a Rider/VS Code C# user myself, while not a Mac Mini but base 14" MBP with M1 Pro was by far the best $2K I spent on hardware in years.

[mixmastamyk]

16GB is under $40 today. Less when buying by the million. No reason to limit device longevity besides propping APPL earnings.

[zshrc]

For today, sure. For 5 years down the line, probably would be a different story...

Also note that he's probably not using a Chromium-based browser for his "web browsing" experience... base Safari does fine with 8GB, even with a large amount of open tabs.

[s1gsegv]

I also think we should progress past 8GB baselines but an interesting point: I said this “5 years down the line” back when the M1 first came out, in 2020. Maybe memory requirement inflation is truly starting to slow down.

[blackeyeblitzar]

I think that is in context of the recently launched M3 MacBook Air. The future ones may be different and they’ll change their narrative then.