Macworld Podcast: Your hot takes on App Store fees, Mac RAM, M4 Macs, and more

Macworld

This episode is all about social media hot takes. You have thoughts and we share and respond to what you wrote.

This is episode 897 with Jason Cross, Michael Simon, and Roman Loyola. 

Listen to episode 897 on Apple Podcasts









Listen to episode 897 on Spotify

Watch episode 897 on the Macworld Podcast YoutTube channel

Social media hot takes discussed on the show

The first topic is about news from Monday, August 12. Patreon, the company that provides a membership platform for online content creators, announced that Apple is forcing them to switch the Patreon iOS app to Apple’s payment system. That means Apple is going to take their 30 percent cut off of  Patreon memberships paid for through the app. Patreon is advising creators to either raise its fees to accommodate Apple’s cut, or to tell new subscribers not to use the iOS app. 

Christopher Lawley (@chrislawley_), who does the Comfort Zone podcast for MacStories, had some thoughts. He said: 

This has been one of the hardest times to be an independent creator. AD revenue is in the toilet, everyone and their mother has a membership, so good luck trying to start a new one, and platforms want their cut (:cough: YouTubes 45%:cough:). Even I have considered going and getting a regular job, and I hate regular jobs. How does Apple not see they aren’t taking 30% from Patreon, they are taking 30% from independent creators?? The people they claim to love. 
@chrislawley_ (Threads), August 12, 2024 

Our next topic is about the 8GB of RAM in Macs issue. On X, software developer Hasen Judi posted a screenshot of his M2 MacBook Air with 8GB of memory. He had no apps open except Activity Monitor and 4.7GB of that memory was in use–over half the amount of RAM in his MacBook Air. 

Macbook Air, M2 Chip, 8GB RAMNothing is open, but half the memory is gone4.7GB in use pic.twitter.com/Q2PEFO7wYT— Hasen Judi (@Hasen_Judi) August 11, 2024

Our final topic of the show is the upcoming M4 Mac lineup. They’re reportedly going to start rolling out this fall and into the spring of next year. Roman wrote an article that said that Apple should’ve skipped the M4 and not update the Mac until the M5 is ready. The main reason this should happen is because the M4 is now in the iPad Pro, and the Mac should have a better chip than the iPad Pro. Here are a couple of email responses sent to Macworld to the article:

[The] iPad Pro did not beg for more performance with a M4, its issues do not involve its lack of performance. Apple needs to start addressing the elephant of iPad OS out growing the impressive hardware the iPad Pro was already capable of.  But when you already have impressive results with the M2 and M3. It’s going to get harder to upsell a new M series with every iteration. 
John S. via email, August 9, 2024 

On everything you were saying about the M4 chip I was nodding my head saying yes and yes. I have the M4 iPad Pro. I’m typing this note to you right now. I also have the MacBook Pro M3 Max which I use on my website. It is a beast of a machine but I see no reason to buy the M4 when it arrives. I will buy the M5 Max for sure. I’m sure lots of people feel this way. I do believe Apple shot themselves in the foot. 
Richard H. via email, August 8, 2024 

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