Apple Shifts Gears to AI: Announces Free Upgrade to 16GB RAM for Older MacBooks Without Changing Prices

In a move that surprises many, Apple has announced a free upgrade of RAM to 16GB for MacBooks powered by the M2 and M3 series chips. Traditionally, Apple's RAM and SSD upgrades have been notoriously expensive, often likened to the cost of gold. This upgrade applies even to models that originally come with 8GB RAM, a specification that previously fell short of the recommended requirements for Apple's AI services.

Despite the fact that Apple's AI services were accessible on devices with only 8GB of RAM, potentially due to public pressure, the company acknowledges that optimal performance of these services indeed benefits from higher memory capacities. The primary motive behind this complimentary upgrade appears to be to enhance the user experience with Apple Intelligence services.

For instance, upgrading a MacBook Air to a 16GB RAM variant previously incurred an additional cost of $200$. With this policy change, the need for such an upgrade—and its associated costs—will vanish. Apple is likely to discontinue the production of new MacBooks with less than 16GB RAM, although this leaves existing users of 8GB models without the option for this upgrade.

Over time, it's expected that the entire Mac product line will standardize on a minimum of 16GB RAM. Given that the Mac platform is more open and versatile compared to the iPhone—which still manages AI services with 8GB RAM—it's a logical step forward in ensuring all Mac users can fully leverage the capabilities of Apple's AI services without hardware limitations.