When Apple introduced its first Apple Silicon Macs in 2020, I was sure the company would soon have a cohesive lineup, and it would leave behind the previous years of terrible Intel computers. With the M2 Mac Studio and Mac Pro introduced in mid-2022, Apple finally moved its entire Mac lineup over to Apple Silicon.
Now, a year and a half later, the company started a new revolution of its Macs with the M4 chip. Besides an important spec bump that could make M1 owners upgrade, Apple really wants its customers to ditch their Intel Macs for this new lineup.
Despite the new processor, the most important change is the double amount of RAM across the entire lineup. If you go to Apple’s website right now, you’ll see that even the previous M2 and M3 versions of the MacBook Air are available starting with 16GB of RAM while still maintaining the same price.
That strategy seems to be related to upcoming Apple Intelligence features on Mac requiring more RAM to work. Still, it also ends that controversial argument Apple gave a few months ago that 8GB of RAM was enough on a Mac, and it was like having 16GB of RAM on Windows. By upgrading the base models, the company makes their computers future-proof and a better choice for customers overall.
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Image source: Apple Inc.
While I still recommend upgrading every Mac with at least 512GB of storage, Apple’s new RAM strategy shows a commitment to the people who usually go for the entry-level model. For example, the new M4 Mac mini is a solid upgrade for anyone wanting to start a Mac ecosystem. It begins at $599, and students can get it even cheaper.
Although there’s a higher jump going with an M4 Pro option, you also get a better chip, 24GB of RAM, and double the storage. The same is worth it for the M4 MacBook Pro. Despite the lack of Thunderbolt 5, the base-model Mac gets all the perks from the higher-end models, including a better display, a new color, and more RAM. In addition, users get the best battery life in a Mac: 24 hours.
That’s an exciting period for Mac users, and I can’t wait for the announcement of the M4 MacBook Air early next year and the powerful M4 chip for the upcoming Mac Studio and Mac Pro devices.
