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macOS 27: Workaround to avoid downloading AI models and save storage

240 points · 123 comments · ano-ther

  1. jtbayly · · focus · HN ↗
    Yeah, I’ll wait to update my computers until Apple gives us an actual choice.
    1. sleepybrett · · focus · HN ↗
      why is a local model any different than any other file they want to install with their os?
      1. hbn · · focus · HN ↗
        Well because it could be an extra ~20GB which is not nothing if you have a 256GB disk.
      2. soapdog · · focus · HN ↗
        because some people don't want AI and would rather even the files were not present in their computer.
        1. compiler-guy · · focus · HN ↗
          I do want (some, carefully curated as to certain usecases) AI. But I don't want to waste my diskspace for this AI.
      3. njovin · · focus · HN ↗
        It's 14GB of something I don't want, need, nor have any use for, on a machine that is notorious for making storage upgrades difficult.
      4. SkyeCA · · focus · HN ↗
        By that logic why not fill the hard drive with OS data? This is a company mind you that still sells some laptops with a base configuration of 256GB, so 10-20GB isn't an insignificant amount to many users especially when it's taken by a feature they may not even use.
      5. alwillis · · focus · HN ↗
        Friendly reminder:

        Many apps (like dictation apps) ship with their own models totally separate from Apple Intelligence.

        For example, Co-Typist [1] is very useful, but it requires a model installed with it, ranging from Gemma 3 1B at 0.8 GB to Gemma 4 26B A4B Pro at 15.7 GB. It recommended Gemma E2B (3.2 GB) for my 16 GB, M1 Pro MacBook Pro.

        It works really well; the autocompletion is so good, it knows what I'm going to type before I do!

        Here's the thing: you may not be aware of the amount of storage being used by models in various 3rd-party apps.

        The open-source app What The Model [2] scans your machine and reports all the models it finds and gives you the total amount of storage being used.

        [1]: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;cotypist.app" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;cotypist.app

        [2]: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;github.com&#x2F;powtac&#x2F;wtm" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;github.com&#x2F;powtac&#x2F;wtm

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