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by ferguess_k 103 days ago
Do you think the RAM is too weak while the CPU is too strong for the use case? Like, with just 8GB RAM it can't do much that needs that kind of CPU. And with the same price point I can easily get a refurbished 16/32GB Dell mobile workstation -- which I admit won't last as long as a Macbook, but 8GB is only enough for light usage, which could just use a much older and maybe cheaper CPU.

*Edit*: just read about education discount, so yeah, $499 or lower is more competitive.
3 comments
kstrauser 103 days ago
My sibling comment was right about nvme swap. It wouldn’t be excellent for a dev-heavy workflow, but for the kinds of things you might use an iPad for, the target market of this won’t notice much of a difference.

But this is going to be vastly more pleasant ergonomically than a Dell mobile workstation refurb. On paper, a Cybertruck has better specs than an old Miata, but I know which would be more fun to zip around in.

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ferguess_k 103 days ago
Yeah I think there are a couple of advantages of a Macbook versus a Dell mobile workstation. it is definitely lighter and more pleasant got general use. I'm only concerned that modern apps usually take amount of RAMs that are close to or north of 500MB, so if you have say a word processor plus 10+ Chrome tabs you quickly run out of RAMs (I tend to have way more on my personal gig but I'm a developer). But maybe swapping is not a big issue on the Mac as both comments said.
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thewebguyd 103 days ago
Swapping isn't a big issue on the apple silicon macs, the storage is generally fast enough.

I had an M1 Air w/ 8GB when it first came out, and although I haven't used Tahoe on it, it handled anything I threw at it no problem while swapping. Tons of Chrome tabs, mail, music, terminal, VSCode all open without so much as a hiccup. macOS also has really good memory compression compared to Windows.

Trying to do the same on an 8GB Windows machine would be an effort in frustration.

I do wish it had 12GB, but AFAIK Apple didn't make an A18 Pro with 12GB. I suspect if they refresh it in a couple years with the A19 Pro, it'll have 12GB of RAM.

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odo1242 103 days ago
I feel like the 8GB limit is partially market segmentation. If they had a 12GB or 16GB model, everyone would buy that instead of the Air/Pro and they would lose money
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NetMageSCW 103 days ago
Apple has never cared anout that. They would rather be the one to sell you a laptop than someone else. The issue is this was made to hit a price point many thought they couldn’t make. Doing so required some compromises.
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toraway 102 days ago
Apple cares a lot about that. Their pricing structure across all models in any particular vertical are precisely engineered to keep you effortlessly moving up notches on the pricing ladder into higher margin models by selectively omitting/upselling specific choices.

For the Neo, it's:

  + $100 -> $699 Macbook Neo (well, I probably want Touch ID like my iPad...) 
  + $100 + $400 -> $1099 M5 Macbook Air (8 GB feels a little tight, but this new Air has 16GB plus a better CPU...)
For iPhones, currently the 120Hz vs 60 Hz "ProMotion" being locked to higher models, better camera sensors, Face ID etc. iPads also with screen variations, Pencil variants, Face ID, etc. The matrix of available options always have "holes" in the lower models that force you to bundle something you don't care as much about to get a specific missing feature/option at a higher price.
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kstrauser 103 days ago
Chrome’s kind of a hog. I wouldn’t think twice about having Pages and dozens of Safari tabs open side by side on an iPad. I’m confident this could zoom through the same workload.
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basch 103 days ago
RAM need shave changed slightly post nvme. Normal people apps can swap just fine with a pretty seamless experience. Average people aren’t opening single files that can’t fit into 5gb of ram.

RAM is also an insanely high percentage of computer price right now. https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/hp-says-memory-co...

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AnotherGoodName 103 days ago
Fwiw i have an 8gb macbook air m1 with 8gb and it’s pretty decent. Factorio (not megabasing past the endgame), Baldurs Gate 3 and Newstower all run well. General browsings no issue and it’s well beyond whats needed to plug into tvs for streaming.

The tiny screen basically encourages one app being used at a time and it seems to use swap fast enough with the ssd.

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