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Re:Apple Readies M4 Chip Mac Line, Including New MacBook Air... by s1gsegv on Monday April 15, 2024 @11:00AM (#40041449)
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.
Re:Apple Readies M4 Chip Mac Line, Including New MacBook Air... by RetroTechie on Monday April 15, 2024 @11:31AM (#40041901)
> I also think we should progress past 8GB baselines

Perhaps the contrary: 8GB is already a humongous RAM size. Especially if backed up by a fast SSD.

That really should be enough for everyday jobs like the examples mentioned (waaay more than enough, imho).

As for pro-level / servers / serious gamers / engineering jobs etc: sure, go ahead and deck it out to whatever budget & product offerings allow.

Just remember this is a decidedly different market segment than average consumer.

Re:Apple Readies M4 Chip Mac Line, Including New MacBook Air... by qwytw on Monday April 15, 2024 @12:08PM (#40042412)
There is still no reason not to have >= 16 GB besides Apple wanting to upcharge its customers since they have no choice. Also no, it's hardly enough unless you're using you Mac the same way you'd use an iPad..
Re:Apple Readies M4 Chip Mac Line, Including New MacBook Air... by s1gsegv on Wednesday April 17, 2024 @10:13AM (#40064902)
> Especially if backed up by a fast SSD

Ooh, relying on swap to your limited write cycle irreplaceable mass storage seems like a bridge too far to me. I know they do it, but I worry it will shorten the device lifespan if it’s relied on too much.

I am not a fan of the idea that we’d engineer a device to consume a limited resource like that in normal operation.

Re:Apple Readies M4 Chip Mac Line, Including New MacBook Air... by randomopining on Monday April 15, 2024 @11:34AM (#40041935)
I think use cases stopped expanding.