This says it comes with a generic wired USB mouse and keyboard (even though there is a picture with an apple keyboard with touchid). Anyone want to take bets as to whether that generic keyboard/mouse has the correct USB-3 (USB-C) shape, since I’m pretty sure this computer doesn’t have any USB-A ports?
We’ve sold hundreds of these and similar for quite a while. I haven’t heard any customer complaints about that.
Great computer for the parents!
But not great for work/remote work with just 8GB ram.
This is puzzling.
8 core CPU M1 but only 8GB of RAM? That would incredibly hamstring the processor, sitting there waiting for data to process it can’t get fast enough.
I feel like this needs a RAM upgrade to be powerful enough to do anything.
MacOS does fine with 8GB of RAM unlike Windows. I can’t remember the source, but I do recall reading that the Virtual Memory on these machines is as fast as the RAM. You won’t miss the additional memory unless your tasks include high-end video editing, large code compilations, etc.
Eligible for Apple Care?
Hi there - according to the vendor, these are NOT eligible.
quote: @manichawla “Virtual Memory on these machines is as fast as the RAM. You won’t miss the additional memory unless your tasks include high-end video editing, large code compilations, etc./”
Depending greatly upon year/model–some have random access memory of 2GB (+|-) ddr5 dedicated graphics card. Add those factors along with PCIe-based Solid State Drive storage…
Me being pedantic but also hopefully helpful: USB-C is correct, USB-3 is not.
There’s no single USB 3 connector shape. On the computer side, it comes in USB-C/Type C (as on this device) and Type A (the regular old rectangular connector). On the device/peripheral side, it comes in Type C, Type B, and Micro B. Type B is similar to what most folks probably think of as a ‘printer’ cable, a square with two notched corners, but the USB 3 version adds a little rectangular hat on top to differentiate it from the 2.0 version. Micro B is essentially just a Micro USB connector with second, smaller rectangular connector stuck to the side, commonly found on external hard drives. The connector shape doesn’t actually tell you anything about the actual capabilities of the port.
USB 3 tells you part of the story about the capabilities behind the port. In the case of this device, for example, two of the four ports have a little lightning bolt logo above them; Those are Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 ports, which you can use for connecting a second screen or high-speed (up to 40GB/s) storage along with anything else you’d normally use USB for. The other two ports are second generation USB 3 ports, which may correctly be called either USB 3.1 Gen 2 or USB 3.2 Gen 2, support speeds up to 10GB/s, and don’t support an external display, but do support everything else you might expect from any old USB port.
TL;DR: The connector shape is USB-C, and USB-C refers only to the shape.
Separate comment regarding RAM: The 8GB built into these systems, as @manichawla says, is more than sufficient for any ‘regular’ use case. Unless you’re planning to use this machine for heavy 4K+ video editing or similarly memory-dependent tasks, you will absolutely not need more.
This criticism is particularly hollow given that 8GB of RAM is also sufficient for regular Youtube/email/word processor use in Windows as well. It’s still possible to purchase Windows machines with 4GB of RAM, and that’s marginal at best even for the aforementioned regular use case.
You don’t actually need a ton of RAM, you just need to understand that your computer is a tool and it’s possible to use it incorrectly. If you have more than 30 tabs open in Chrome, yeah, 8GB probably isn’t enough, but unlike adding more RAM, saving bookmarks and closing tabs is free. It’s like complaining that your Corolla doesn’t have great handling at 120 miles per hour, or you’re having a hard time driving screws into your shelving unit with a hammer.
Apple silicon is all unified memory, so no additional GPU RAM in these or any M# Mac. That said, reiterating my previous comment, the idea that the 8GB in these is not enough to work from home or whatever is simply wrong.