killroy

mjtomlin said:

sbdude said:

Genuinely curious, why not include higher capacity memory modules if there's demand for it? I imagine the pin outs are the same for every capacity Apple uses, so why not include more than 192 GB for those tasks that demand greater amounts of memory? Or are M Series chips unable to address that much memory?

Are you sure they don't already use the highest density memory chips (considering size constraints) on those packages!? They need 8 (24GB) chips to achieve that 800GB/s bandwidth (1 chip per 100GB/s controller). Another thing to consider is the amount of power drawn by the increase in memory. Having that much power draw in such a relatively small area might be limiting.

With the M2 Max topping out at 96GB (4x 24GB), I'm thinking the 24GB chips they're currently using are probably the highest capacity chips they could fit in the given area.

auxio said:

DuhSesame said:

The biggest strength from wintel is they’re standardized, but for every standard, they’re limiting themselves.  Intel does want something like Apple’s UMA, but imagine building a PC like that.  No customer will be happy.

The biggest strength from Wintel is that they maintain backwards compatibility for a very long time (software written for Windows 30 years ago often still runs). This is why enterprise loves them, but it's also what keeps the platform from being used anywhere but traditional PCs/laptops/servers. They're basically the Big Blue of this generation.

coolfactor said:

newisneverenough said:

Probably this is common knowledge, but why has Apple made so much Not user upgradable? Is it to sell more new machines ? Is it to eliminate technical problems when users upgrade? Conceptually, I want more control of the thing I pay thousands for. 

Apple likely has data that tells them that most users never upgrade a machine, so the extra cost involved in making it upgradeable is just a waste and adds unnecessary cost for everyone involved.

By building a highly-integrated machine, you can deliver optimal performance for users across the full spectrum, and the most common upgrades can be achieved by plugging in external devices.

Apple views their devices as "appliances". You aren't pulling apart your microwave and doing upgrades on that, or your flatscreen TV. You expect them to "just work" for what you bought them for at the time.