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Comment by drooopy | Hacker News Reader

This is probably going to be my new laptop next year if it gets the A19 Pro with 12 GB of RAM.

I'd bet these things are going to be on a two-year upgrade cycle, instead of yearly. Will be super happy to be proven wrong.

They released the 17e a year after 16e so there’s hope.

The new naming of iPhones makes sense for a yearly update, not so much for the Neo.

Apple has products in their lineup where they refresh and keep the name. Example: Mac Studio is the same every refresh.

Literally the only thing wrong with these is the RAM is so borderline in 2026. 12GB would have been right on the money for an upgrade options.

100% that. So frustrating. Their lifespan is artificially short because of this.

Not saying you are wrong or the option shouldn't exist, but what specifically makes 8 GB too little but 12 GB sufficient? Planned obsolescence and software that is written with the idea that "8 GB is borderline in 2026" seems to be blame. But perhaps there are genuine limitations that 8GB RAM runs into. Certain AI models, rendering at certain resolutions maybe?

My 8GB M1 Air is my daily driver for over 5 years now and so far it has worked out well. Sometimes, I have to replace badly optimised software for good alternatives. I hope that by the time that MacOS becomes unusable, Asahi Linux is mature enough to replace the OS rather than the hardware. I'm still on Sequoia and from what I've heard going to Tahoe would be terrible for the usability of my Air. So, no idea how much longer I will be able to hold out and if Asahi is ready now. It looks ok on first glance.

Edit: On second glance it seems not ready at all https://asahilinux.org/docs/platform/feature-support/m1/ "Video Decoder: WIP"

This one will be my new laptop this year, and I'll then see what happens next year.

might as well get an air

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