Tim Hardwick
After unveiling new MacBook Pro models last week, Apple surprised some by introducing a base 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M3 chip, replacing the discontinued 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 in Apple's Mac lineup.
The 14-inch diagonal MacBook Pro M3 comes with 8 GB of single memory price from 1599 US dollars. . That makes it $300 more expensive than the now-discontinued 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 with 8GB of storage at $1,299. Users can choose 16GB or 24GB at checkout, but these configuration options cost an additional $200 and $400 at the time of purchase, respectively, and cannot be upgraded later due to Apple's Unified Memory Architecture.
It's left to Apple is open to criticism from users who argue that 8GB is not enough RAM for most creative professional workflows and that 16GB should be the minimum for a machine marketed as a “Pro” rather than costing a few hundred dollars more. .
In a recent interview with Chinese machine learning engineer and content creator Lin Yil Yi, Apple Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing Bob Borchers addressed these criticisms directly. After YilYi described the base MacBook Pro M3 with 8GB of RAM as the “main concern” of potential buyers, Borchers responded:
Comparing our memory with the memory of another system is not really practical. It's not equivalent because we're so memory efficient, we use memory compression, and we have a unified memory architecture.
In fact, 8GB on the MacBook Pro M3 is probably similar to 16GB on other systems. It's just that we can use it much more effectivelyAnd I would say that I would love for people to come and try what they want to do in their systems, and I think they'll see incredible performance. If you look at the raw data and capabilities of these systems, it's truly phenomenal. And this is where I think people need to look beyond the specs, look beyond the capabilities, and listen to trusted people like you who have actually used the systems.
People need to look beyond the specifications and actually go and understand how this technology is used. This is a real test.
Although the 14-inch MacBook Pro with 8GB of unified storage is $300 more expensive than the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 it replaces, there are a number of other benefits worth considering beyond the more a faster processor such as a larger and brighter Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED display, support for ProMotion 120Hz refresh rate, and improved battery life. Other improvements include additional ports, an improved FaceTime 1080p HD camera, a six-speaker sound system, Wi-Fi 6E support and Bluetooth 5.3.
What do you think of the 8GB of unified storage that comes with the base M3 configuration? MacBook Pro? Does it meet your requirements or does it make the “Pro” machine not powerful enough for your use case? Let us know in the comments.
Related review: MacBook Pro 14 and 16 inches. Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro 14 and 16 inches (Buy Now). Forum on topic: MacBook Pro [543 comments]
