Apple on Wednesday increased the RAM in the base model M2 and M3 MacBook Air from 8GB to 16GB. And the enhancement comes without a price increase.
Seems like Apple’s days of being stingy with RAM are over. The Apple store no longer sells a Mac with only 8GB.
MacBook Air gets more RAM for the same price
MacBook Air is a consumer-oriented notebook, and Apple doesn’t build in pro-level specifications. That included RAM. Most configurations included 8GB, though the computer could be configured with 16GB.
That changed Wednesday.
“MacBook Air continues to be by far the world’s most popular laptop, and with Apple Intelligence, the best consumer laptop on the planet gets even better,” said John Ternus, Apple SVP for hardware engineering. “Now, on models with M2 and M3, we’re doubling the starting memory to 16 gigabytes and keeping the starting price at just $999.”
Ternus didn’t explain the reason for the increase, but he did mention the most likely reason for it: Apple Intelligence. Apple’s implementation of artificial intelligence runs on the local computer as much as possible, which makes it something of a resource hog. While 8GB is enough for AI, more is better (obviously). And the long wait is over: Apple Intelligence debuted in the macOS Sequoia 15.1 upgrade introduced on Monday.
Today’s increase is important because MacBook Air RAM can’t be upgraded after purchase. No computer running a M series processor can get more. The M-series’ unified memory architecture makes CPU and RAM part of a single “system on a chip.”
The change did not affect the storage capacity of the base MacBook Air. That still starts at 256GB, though more can be added at the time of purchase.
Get more RAM now
Those eager to get an M2 and M3 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM for under $1,000 can order one today.
Buy it from: Apple
Alternatively, the computer can be configured with up to 24GB. A unit configured with that much RAM costs at least $1,499, though.
Just be aware that a version of the MacBook Air with the newer M4 processor is expected in early 2025. And when it does, it’ll surely have at least 16GB of RAM, too.
