Apple recently held its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), where it announced a host of new hardware and software, including Apple Intelligence. At the conference, Apple also announced new software for developers, including Xcode 16, which is used to create apps for iOS and macOS. One of Xcode's features now requires M-series silicon with at least 16GB of unified memory, marking the first time Apple has tacitly admitted that 8GB of memory won't be enough in 2024.
The Xcode 16 feature that now requires more than 8 GB of memory is called predictive code completion. according XDA Developers. This feature uses machine learning to predict what code the author might want to write next, and it will simply write the code itself. From what we understand, this is becoming a hot topic in the programming world as AI-powered chatbots become increasingly effective at generating code. The company announced the Xcode 16 beta at the event and noted that this new feature will require an M-series chip with 16GB of unified memory.
Apple will still offer 8GB of memory in a $1,799 laptop in 2024.
Credit: apple
There are likely to be millions of M series machines with 8GB of memory, as that has been the base model configuration since the M1 first arrived in 2020. Those machines will also be able to run Xcode 16; They simply won't be able to use this new feature. apple Release Notes state, “Xcode 16 includes predictive code completion, powered by a machine learning model specifically trained for Swift and Apple's SDK. Predictive code completion requires a Mac with Apple Silicon and 16 GB of unified memory, running macOS 15. ( 116310768).
The 16GB memory requirement with an M-series chip is the first time Apple has made such demands and could be the beginning of breaking Apple's reliance on 8GB as the base model configuration for its Mac hardware. In November 2023, Apple was still arguing that 8 GB on a Mac is like 16 GB on a PC—So, it was more than enough for most people. We don't doubt this is true for an entry-level machine like the MacBook Air or a 24-inch iMac. But it's a crime against humanity to offer 8GB of memory on a machine designed for demanding workloads like the MacBook Pro.
Apple customers have been begging the company for years to increase the minimum amount of memory in its base configuration from 8GB to 16GB. However, Apple likes money and it costs $200 to double the RAM in its laptops, so doubling the specs of the base model would have a detrimental impact on the number of people who opt to upgrade before buying a new Mac. Still, given the new Xcode feature requirements, it seems possible that the arrival of AI and related tasks will finally convince Apple to meet its customers' demands.
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