Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit
Aurornis | on: Apple has new Mac app coming to make running local AI models easy
> Would that imply the entry-level MacBook will have 128GB

Most people neither need nor want to run large LLMs locally.

The entry level MacBook Neo costs $599. Even if RAM prices revert to the pre-AI mean, the entry level models are not going to be that stacked with RAM.

Eventually we'll get to a doubling where entry level means 16GB of RAM, but most people won't be running anything more than simple models for light local work.

Have you ever tried running large LLMs on a MacBook Pro? It's hot, loud, and makes your battery level disappear at rates you didn't know were possible if you're not plugged in. It's a very niche hobby.

LUmBULtERA | parent | next
The first time my family bought standalone RAM to upgrade our PC, it cost over $100 for 2 MB. Not GB, but MB. Consumers will get much larger stacks of RAM at some point, likely sooner than later.
CompoundEyes | parent | next
Don’t underestimate porn. There will be a moment when the average consumer can create personalized porn and erotica fully offline with a local LLM.
whycombilater | root | parent
Well, they've captured the paedophile market then.

Personally, I find the whole idea of AI porn pretty depressing. Porn is very bad acting, or no acting, but at least the people are real.

otabdeveloper4 | parent | next
> running large LLMs on a MacBook Pro

Whatever local LLM device comes out of this, it certainly won't be a laptop.

(I envision a black box like a router you plug into a socket and let sit in a corner of some room.)

usrnm | parent
> Most people neither need nor want to run large LLMs locally

I'm old enough to remember the time when most people neither needed nor wanted a phone with a large screen and no buttons

AdamN | root | parent
I'm old enough to remember in NYC when people knew the number of their local car service and that tools like Uber were 'dumb' because how could they compete with something that was already so simple ...