Amid criticism over entry-level Macs continuing to ship with just 8GB of RAM, Apple is doubling down on its stance that the amount is sufficient for most consumers’ needs. The company argues its unified memory architecture offers performance advantages, but power users may want to pay for an upgrade.

When Apple launched its M3 chip and the latest MacBook Pro models last year, a recurring complaint from reviewers and customers alike was the base configuration’s 8GB of RAM allotment. Despite premium pricing, the new professional-grade laptops retained the same memory specification as lower-tier devices like the MacBook Air.

At the time, Apple responded that thanks to performance optimizations on its custom silicon, 8GB of RAM on an M-series Mac was the equivalent of 16GB on an Intel-based Windows PC. The company is now reiterating that position as the debate rages on.

“The 8GB of RAM in entry-level Macs is enough for most of the tasks that most users do with these computers,” stated Evan Buyze, a marketing executive for the Mac division, in a recent interview with IT Home. As examples, he cited web browsing, media playback, light photo and video editing, and casual gaming as activities the base memory configuration could handle without issue.

Kate Bergeron, Apple’s Vice President of Hardware Engineering, echoed the stance, praising the unified memory architecture of Apple Silicon for allowing Macs to “take full advantage of the hardware built into these chips.” A company spokesperson last year similarly claimed the M-series’ integrated approach enables more efficient RAM utilization versus traditional PC architectures.

The latest comments appear geared toward the just-released M3 MacBook Air, for which 8GB may indeed prove adequate for many buyers’ needs. However, the same arguments don’t necessarily apply to pro-oriented devices like the MacBook Pro intended for more demanding workloads.

Stepping up to 16GB of unified memory currently commands a $200 premium on all M-series Mac models, a price that could dissuade some from future-proofing their purchase.