The era of 8GB RAM is over

Caleb Denison / Digital Trends

This week, Apple exorcised its Mac lineup of 1 peculiar tech spec that has been a PC modular for almost a decade. I’m talking, of course, astir selling PCs pinch 8GB of RAM.

Not only did Apple region 8GB configurations from its caller M4 MacBook Pros, Mac mini, and iMac, it moreover went backmost to its lineup of MacBook Air models and bumped everything up to 16GB. Apple was wide expected to make this alteration connected nan M4 MacBook Pro aft receiving pushback connected past year’s M3 model, but not connected nan MacBook Air.

It was decisive. Surprising. Dare I attraction it bold.

It’s been a agelong clip coming though. 8GB of RAM has been nan modular successful MacBooks and PCs for almost a decade. The past MacBook to travel pinch 4GB of RAM was nan 2015 MacBook Air, and though you could ever upgrade to 8GB, 4GB was nan introduction point. On nan MacBook Pro, you person to spell backmost to 2013 to find 4GB arsenic an option. In different words, 8GB arsenic a modular has tally its course.

Caleb Denison / Digital Trends

On nan different hand, Apple wasn’t nan first to make this move. While location are plentifulness of Windows laptops still pinch 8GB of RAM, Microsoft pushed toward higher representation requirements this twelvemonth successful a large measurement by requiring 16GB of RAM for its Copilot+ PCs. That meant laptops for illustration nan caller Surface Laptop 7th Edition, pinch its starting value of $999, still had 16GB of RAM.

Microsoft had to eat nan costs of other representation successful nan aforesaid measurement that Apple is now. And though those first Copilot+ PCs only included Snapdragon X Elite devices, we should expect to spot current and early Intel and AMD laptops start pinch 16GB excessively to gain nan Copilot+ status. I expect 16GB to beryllium nan norm very soon.

Interestingly, portion of Microsoft’s stated logic for requiring 16GB was to spur connected its section AI processing efforts. To tally simultaneous AI models successful nan inheritance astatine each times, having that other representation connected manus is critical.

Apple has fixed nary nationalist denotation that it has akin reasons for nan move to 16GB. In fact, Apple hasn’t fixed overmuch of a logic astatine all. It’s easy to presume this alteration was a melodramatic guidance to nan blowback of last year’s controversy surrounding comments made successful defense of nan determination to proceed trading an 8GB type of its 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro. But pinch nan expanding accent connected Apple Intelligence, Apple very good whitethorn person akin reasons arsenic Microsoft for forcing nan move to 16GB.

More AI mightiness not get you each that excited, but we tin each use from higher RAM standards, particularly erstwhile we aren’t being charged for it.