I think the idea goes something along the lines of the OS uses a fair chunk of the available memory to cache stuff from the disk that it thinks you might be wanting to use in the near future.
If you decide to open some or other application or do something that actually needs the memory the OS can drop the stuff it thought you might want in a split second and use the memory it's just freed to hold the application you've decided to use.
Although it says 50% is in use it might not actually need all of that to function; the other whatever percent is there to save grabbing it from the disk later.
In any case I'm a Mac convert. I don't really play games so that's not a problem and otherwise it scratches all of the geeky itches I had for a few years - I have a 64 bit Dual Processor (ok core but it's the same difference as far as my itches are concerned) that runs UNIX.
I'd imagine a few of the new converts will install bootcamp as a safety net, but the whole OSX experience is bound to win most of them over. Most things (I've wanted to do) do 'just work' and the system doesn't sing and dance and tell you about it when they do (I know I'm connected to a network because I just plugged the f* cable in!).
I got one of the previous generation iMacs a few months ago. They do seem expensive but you'll be hard pressed to get a PC that sits behind the monitor and is nearly silent. Plus there's all that software that comes with it (most of which I don't use) which is just the stuff that people seem to buy computers for.
And the display (pre-that glossy crap) is crisp and wonderful to behold.
They're a good bit of kit them Macs (apart from when the power cables burst into flames and stuff) and these days you hear of people buying them.
Which is a shame because I won't be able to be as smug and superior when they become common. Oh well, I'll just have to content myself with enjoying using my computer.
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@Mike Moyle
I think the idea goes something along the lines of the OS uses a fair chunk of the available memory to cache stuff from the disk that it thinks you might be wanting to use in the near future.
If you decide to open some or other application or do something that actually needs the memory the OS can drop the stuff it thought you might want in a split second and use the memory it's just freed to hold the application you've decided to use.
Although it says 50% is in use it might not actually need all of that to function; the other whatever percent is there to save grabbing it from the disk later.
In any case I'm a Mac convert. I don't really play games so that's not a problem and otherwise it scratches all of the geeky itches I had for a few years - I have a 64 bit Dual Processor (ok core but it's the same difference as far as my itches are concerned) that runs UNIX.
I'd imagine a few of the new converts will install bootcamp as a safety net, but the whole OSX experience is bound to win most of them over. Most things (I've wanted to do) do 'just work' and the system doesn't sing and dance and tell you about it when they do (I know I'm connected to a network because I just plugged the f* cable in!).
I got one of the previous generation iMacs a few months ago. They do seem expensive but you'll be hard pressed to get a PC that sits behind the monitor and is nearly silent. Plus there's all that software that comes with it (most of which I don't use) which is just the stuff that people seem to buy computers for.
And the display (pre-that glossy crap) is crisp and wonderful to behold.
They're a good bit of kit them Macs (apart from when the power cables burst into flames and stuff) and these days you hear of people buying them.
Which is a shame because I won't be able to be as smug and superior when they become common. Oh well, I'll just have to content myself with enjoying using my computer.