The MacBook Pro M3 is quickly proving to be the least favorite model in the latest MacBook Pro M3 lineup. And it took a further hit recently when Apple claimed that the 8GB MacBook Pro M3 memory is equivalent to 16GB RAM on other systems. Unsurprisingly, that stirred controversy in the tech spaces, with critics claiming the hardware capacity inside this laptop will soon become obsolete.
The 8GB RAM has come under scrutiny
When asked why the $1600 “Pro” laptop even comes in an 8GB configuration, Apple’s VP of marketing, Rob Borchers, had this to say, “Comparing our memory to other systems’ memory actually isn’t equivalent…8GB on an M3 MacBook Pro is probably analogous to 16GB on other systems. We just happen to be able to use it much more efficiently.”
And that defense works, to an extent. The M3 MacBook Pro doesn’t use a traditional memory arrangement. It features an SoC or a system-on-chip, much like smartphone processors. That hardware offers much faster speeds. Apple argues that with the faster speeds, you don’t need the same capacity.
Analysts are calling foul though. Tech experts are warning that 8GB RAM throttles performance even today. The bottleneck problem will only get worse as the years go by.
Apple’s upgrade pricing is out of touch with the industry
Worse still, Apple is asking $200 to upgrade the MacBook Pro M3 to 16GB of RAM. In Windows laptops, where 16GB RAM is the baseline for most modern laptops, doubling adding 16GB memory costs half of what Apple is charging for 8GB.
To many critics, 16GB RAM is the absolute minimum. And if you want to get that extra 8GB, the price of the base MacBook Pro jumps to $1800. Groundbreaking as it is, the eyewatering prices of the M3 MacBook Pro series dull its appeal to consumers.
The new SSD lends a performance boost
That’s not to say there aren’t performance gains in the base MacBook Pro M3. The previous M2 generation MacBook Pro had a single NAND 512GB SSD. But the new model rocks a dual NAND 512GB SSD, which means it’ll work faster with the same 8GB RAM.
