Not all RAM is created equally. Better memory management means less RAM can be better than more RAM. Pair that with superfast flash storage for SWAP and you might not even be able to tell the difference between 16 and 32.
Besides, this release cycle is 100% optimized for an impressive speed boost, tempered by a need for a more impressive battery life.
> Better memory management means less RAM can be better than more RAM
No, it can't. If more RAM means it's slower RAM then maybe it can be better to have less of it in some workloads. But otherwise it's never better to have less RAM than more RAM. Better memory management can make the impact of less RAM be less severe, but it's still unambiguously worse.
Especially if you have workloads that actually need the RAM like large ML models or editing 8K videos.
> better memory management absolutely can be better than just throwing more RAM at the problem.
Those are not competing in any way. Better memory management does not require nor benefit from less RAM.
Apple doesn't give you a different kernel when you choose the 8GB SKU instead of the 16GB one. It's the same software, just with less RAM. And having that less RAM is best case break-even in "day to day" experience, but never better.
It's true that if the OS could predict exactly which memory pages to keep and which to swap out, we could save memory wastage, but so far I haven't seen any memory management scheme that can reduce memory consumption by half.
For me personally, I won't even consider a machine with less than 32GB ram in 2020/2021. With 32GB, I never close out of applications that I use regularly, and so it allows me to switch state instantaneously for not that much more money. My workloads are typically read-heavy & multiple GBs - editing/screening/cataloging hundreds of RAW photos, loading of multi-GB games, having about 50 tabs open in FF, etc. After having switched careers I rarely code anymore, and I don't think these are uncommon requirements.
Yes that's true, for the "average consumer" that really only needs that RAM to power the 100+ browser tabs they have open. But if you're doing lots of virtualization or containerized work, super fast SWAP isn't going to cut it.
I no longer code so I'm probably close to the 'average consumer' now. I personally consider 32GB to be the minimum amout of RAM that anyone should consider in 2020,2021 (with obvious caveats on money). My multi-GB workloads are read-heavy and include loading multi-GB games, editing hundreds of RAW images, opening 50+ tabs, etc, all without leaving the cosy confines of my RAM - which I still sometimes do. I have a 100GB system commit limit on my W10 box, and with my current usage pattern, I hit about 50GB @ peak.
Besides, this release cycle is 100% optimized for an impressive speed boost, tempered by a need for a more impressive battery life.
The proof will be in the pudding.Time will tell.