Apple’s big trio of M4 Mac announcements is over. But one of the week’s biggest surprises gives us a hint into what Apple has in store for the Mac’s future, especially in the realm of new Apple Intelligence features.
16GB RAM is now standard, faster than expected
Leading up to this week’s announcements, Mark Gurman had reported that Apple might start new M4 Mac models at 16GB of RAM.
And I didn’t believe it.
My disbelief was partly due to Gurman not seeming convinced himself, and also Apple’s tendency to only rarely bump standard configs.
Apple Intelligence requires 8GB of RAM, so keeping the entry Mac configs at 8GB seemed likely.
But Apple surprised me.
They surprised me not only by launching all new Macs with 16GB of memory, but also, shockingly, by bumping the M3 and even M2 MacBook Air models to 16GB base RAM too.
Why didn’t they just wait until the M4 MacBook Air debuts early next year?
Because clearly, there’s software coming that will really need that extra RAM, and Apple doesn’t want holiday MacBook Air purchases to get left out.
Standardizing 16GB across the full Mac lineup points to big new features coming to Apple Intelligence.
Apple Intelligence is just getting started
Apple Intelligence currently requires a minimum of 8GB of RAM to support it. That’s why last year’s iPhone 15 got left off the list of compatible AI devices, but the iPhone 15 Pro made the cut.
To be clear, I don’t expect that RAM minimum to change any time soon.
But Apple’s quick move to 16GB on all Macs, including the Air, hints at some big new features on the horizon.
Next June when WWDC arrives, Apple will have completed its initial Apple Intelligence rollout. Every currently announced feature should be available.
But as the company has made clear over and over, the age of AI is just getting started.
Mac-exclusive Apple Intelligence features likely on the way
I fully expect that next year’s WWDC will be just as heavy on Apple Intelligence as this year’s was. But one difference is that we may start to see certain platforms gain exclusive new features.
The Mac, for example, could add new Apple Intelligence capabilities that only work on devices with 16GB of RAM or more.
In Apple’s product lineup, the Mac has always been a truck. It’s meant to have more power than iPhones and iPads. And there’s no doubt we’ll start to see that power flexed with exclusive Apple Intelligence features, sooner or later.
For example, Apple may bring new AI capabilities to Final Cut Pro, Xcode, or any of its other pro apps. Those features could require 16GB minimum RAM.
After year one of Apple Intelligence, Apple will have finished shipping some of the most consumer-friendly AI features. Thus, making way for more pro-focused AI efforts in macOS 16 and beyond.
And as much as I’m enjoying Apple’s current AI offerings, I’m excited to see what comes when the power of the Mac is truly tapped into.
What AI features do you want to see on the Mac? Let us know in the comments.
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