This was exactly Apple's reasoning for using refcounting in Swift. Although, as I understand it they worked around problem (2) by building their own silicon. I

This was exactly Apple's reasoning for using refcounting in Swift. Although, as I understand it they worked around problem (2) by building their own silicon. If you're on the server then just buy more RAM and use a GC, I agree. But if you're making consumer software then buying more RAM isn't an option. Additionally, RAM costs battery life even when it isn't in use.