Apple’s latest MacBook Air, packing the M3 chip, has been a resounding success. We awarded it five stars in our review, but there’s a significant drawback for buyers.
That’s the fact that despite the relatively low base price (for an Apple laptop, that is), the default configurations come with just 8GB of RAM. Increasing it to the 16GB offered by many competitors at the same price range will cost you an extra $200.
While this felt like the year the discourse around 8GB reached a fever pitch across tech enthusiasts, reviewers and content creators alike, it appears Apple is ready to upgrade the base RAM just yet.
As spotted by 9to5Mac, Apple’s Mac marketing executive Evan Buyze, and VP of hardware engineering, Kate Bergeron, have been speaking with IT Home (in Chinese).
Buyze pointed to web browsing and media playback as examples of things 8GB of RAM is enough for most tasks, as well as casual gaming and some light editing of photos and videos.
Is 8GB of RAM enough?
Bergeron explained that the 8GB of RAM works in tandem with Apple Silicon chips to offer unified memory architecture. This means all 8GB of RAM is used more efficiently.
Part of the issue is that Apple charges so heavily for the increased RAM options in its build-to-order options that it often feels like a hidden tax for anyone looking to push their Mac a little further than the tasks Buyze identified.
The MacBook Air (M3) begins at $1099, but it’s $200 more to take it to 16GB, and then a further $200 for 24GB. That’s on top of upping the storage from a miserly 256GB which also feels low (and also costs $200 to double).
Would you buy a Mac with 8GB of RAM? If not, what’s your ideal number for a new machine?