5 ms·

I agree, 8GB is enough for a large number of people. But it shouldn't be in the pro line, and the upgrade pricing is insane.

kalleboo 3y ago
The problem is that "Pro" in the name of an Apple product no longer actually means Pro, even though that was true on the Mac line for longer than in the rest of their line. AirPods Pro aren't meant for people doing professional audio production. iPhone Pro isn't for people who are professional... phone...ers???
- bombcar 3y ago
  It’s just giving in to the “prosumer” styling, which is an excellent financial decision on Apple’s part. And allowing an 8gb option lets them snag more of those. Of course, the sneaky people wait for the refurbished units.
  - thejohnconway 3y ago
    Well, sure, but it's obviously brand dilution too. Pros now know Pro doesn't mean much, and so it's premium is wearing off. It's short-termism.
    - bombcar 3y ago
      Actual professionals are going to be looking at the specs and what they need to do their profession, so if was named the MacBook Wussie Edition for Idiots and it was what they needed, they'd still buy it.
- thejohnconway 3y ago
  Apple's naming of things is just getting worse and worse. What does "Air" mean? Lighter? Sometimes...? Cheaper? Sometimes...? Standard (Mac) or special (iPad)? "Max" and "Ultra", so max isn't the max? I think the serious people at Apple have given up on naming, and whatever happens at normal corporations is happening. Part of it in genuine confusion in the product lines though. They need another Jobsian reset.
  - SAI_Peregrinus 3y ago
    I expect the USB-inspired "Apple MacBook Pro Gen 5.8 Ultra×Max" any day now.
quitit 3y ago
Pro is a feature level. An 8gb MacBook Pro can run stable diffusion. Find me a PC with a total memory footprint of 8gb that can even boot windows?
- smoldesu 3y ago
  A 512mb Raspberry Pi can run Stable Diffusion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSSUJ2bwcgU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSSUJ2bwcgU Pro is a hardware distinction. If that wasn't true, there would be the same hardware in normal Macs and "Pro" ones alike.
  - quitit 3y ago
    1. The Macbook pro with 8gb won't take 24 hours to render a single image. Unlike the Raspberry Pi. It also runs the standard version of stable diffusion, not the cut down model to suit the raspberry pi. It's relevant to talk about stable diffusion because it's a memory hog. 2. You're inventing categorisations to suit your argument. The MacBook pros all have a common design. That changes the moment you switch to another Apple computer 3. This is a lot of bitching and whining about making an affordable entry point, how dare they! 4. The computer works and runs well. Your expectations are driven from different computing platforms. Why not actually go to an apple store and try one, they're on display.
    - smoldesu 3y ago
      My point is that "stable diffusion" is just about the most-arbitrary and least-applicable example you could surface. It runs on so many different types of hardware that bragging about it on Mac is like boasting about having a rich-text word processor. If memory serves, Stable Diffusion didn't even have acceleration on Mac until Apple gave in and pushed GPU acceleration patches to Pytorch. It's going to be a subjective matter regardless of how either of us frame it. I've played this game before, I know how it works. The base-spec Macbook Pro 14 is more insulting than both the 13" it replaced and the 14" base-model it undercut. That is how I feel. > Why not actually go to an apple store and try one, they're on display. Because I spent the first half of this decade porting software to Apple Silicon, and before that I daily-drove Mac for years. Compared to 10 years ago, the amount of respect Apple affords me is nonexistent. If you don't remember the times when we took functionality for granted, I really do pity you.

kalleboo 3y ago

The problem is that "Pro" in the name of an Apple product no longer actually means Pro, even though that was true on the Mac line for longer than in the rest of their line. AirPods Pro aren't meant for people doing professional audio production. iPhone Pro isn't for people who are professional... phone...ers???

bombcar 3y ago
It’s just giving in to the “prosumer” styling, which is an excellent financial decision on Apple’s part. And allowing an 8gb option lets them snag more of those. Of course, the sneaky people wait for the refurbished units.
- thejohnconway 3y ago
  Well, sure, but it's obviously brand dilution too. Pros now know Pro doesn't mean much, and so it's premium is wearing off. It's short-termism.
  - bombcar 3y ago
    Actual professionals are going to be looking at the specs and what they need to do their profession, so if was named the MacBook Wussie Edition for Idiots and it was what they needed, they'd still buy it.
thejohnconway 3y ago
Apple's naming of things is just getting worse and worse. What does "Air" mean? Lighter? Sometimes...? Cheaper? Sometimes...? Standard (Mac) or special (iPad)? "Max" and "Ultra", so max isn't the max? I think the serious people at Apple have given up on naming, and whatever happens at normal corporations is happening. Part of it in genuine confusion in the product lines though. They need another Jobsian reset.
- SAI_Peregrinus 3y ago
  I expect the USB-inspired "Apple MacBook Pro Gen 5.8 Ultra×Max" any day now.

quitit 3y ago

Pro is a feature level. An 8gb MacBook Pro can run stable diffusion. Find me a PC with a total memory footprint of 8gb that can even boot windows?

smoldesu 3y ago
A 512mb Raspberry Pi can run Stable Diffusion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSSUJ2bwcgU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSSUJ2bwcgU Pro is a hardware distinction. If that wasn't true, there would be the same hardware in normal Macs and "Pro" ones alike.
- quitit 3y ago
  1. The Macbook pro with 8gb won't take 24 hours to render a single image. Unlike the Raspberry Pi. It also runs the standard version of stable diffusion, not the cut down model to suit the raspberry pi. It's relevant to talk about stable diffusion because it's a memory hog. 2. You're inventing categorisations to suit your argument. The MacBook pros all have a common design. That changes the moment you switch to another Apple computer 3. This is a lot of bitching and whining about making an affordable entry point, how dare they! 4. The computer works and runs well. Your expectations are driven from different computing platforms. Why not actually go to an apple store and try one, they're on display.
  - smoldesu 3y ago
    My point is that "stable diffusion" is just about the most-arbitrary and least-applicable example you could surface. It runs on so many different types of hardware that bragging about it on Mac is like boasting about having a rich-text word processor. If memory serves, Stable Diffusion didn't even have acceleration on Mac until Apple gave in and pushed GPU acceleration patches to Pytorch. It's going to be a subjective matter regardless of how either of us frame it. I've played this game before, I know how it works. The base-spec Macbook Pro 14 is more insulting than both the 13" it replaced and the 14" base-model it undercut. That is how I feel. > Why not actually go to an apple store and try one, they're on display. Because I spent the first half of this decade porting software to Apple Silicon, and before that I daily-drove Mac for years. Compared to 10 years ago, the amount of respect Apple affords me is nonexistent. If you don't remember the times when we took functionality for granted, I really do pity you.