Predictive code completion, a new feature for Xcode that, as its name might imply, helps developers by completing lines of code automatically thanks to the power of a machine learning model, will require not only a Mac running on macOS 15 that features Apple silicon, but also 16 GB of unified memory, according to the release notes that Apple has published for the latest beta of its integrated development environment (IDE) for macOS. The news comes a few months after Evan Buyze, an Apple marketer, mentioned that 8 GB of RAM was enough for most tasks as part of an interview regarding the new MacBook Air and its memory specifications.
Apple on the new features and requirements behind the Xcode 16 beta:
- “Xcode 16 includes predictive code completion, powered by a machine learning model specifically trained for Swift and Apple SDKs. Predictive code completion requires a Mac with Apple silicon and 16GB of unified memory, running macOS 15. (116310768)”
- “Copy and paste from the build settings editor now uses xcconfig file syntax. (14333348) (FB5925390)”
- “The Project Navigator’s ‘Open As’ context menu now supports choosing default editors per file type (24666459)”
A look at predictive code completion in action:
From an April 2024 interview (machine translation):
We know that the starting memory and storage of the MacBook Air are still 8GB+256GB, and this combination does not seem to be very friendly in terms of cost performance, long-term use, and office experience. In this regard, Evan Buyze from the Mac product marketing team said that 8GB of memory is actually suitable for many tasks , such as browsing the web, doing some streaming media, or sending messages, light editing of photos and videos, including some casual entertainment games, running productivity-related apps, etc. 8GB is a very suitable memory choice for these user scenarios.