At the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple made an announcement that indirectly implies that 8 GB of RAM is no longer sufficient for modern Mac users. The latest version of Xcode, Xcode 16, introduced a feature called Predictive Code Completion, which uses machine learning to predict and write code. However, this feature requires an M-series chip with at least 16GB of memory, indicating that 8 GB RAM is becoming obsolete for certain tasks.
Previously, Apple argued that 8 GB of RAM on a Mac was equivalent to 16 GB on a PC and was suitable for most users. However, with the introduction of the 16GB memory requirement for M-series chips, it appears that Apple might be moving away from its reliance on 8GB as the base configuration for Macs.
While machines with 8 GB of RAM can still run Xcode 16, they won’t be able to utilize the Predictive Code Completion feature. This change has prompted requests from Apple customers to increase the base model’s RAM from 8 GB to 16 GB, as they have been advocating for this upgrade for years. However, Apple has been charging an additional $200 to double the RAM, making it challenging for many customers to afford Macs with higher memory capacity.