Binary prefixes

The way binary sizes are represented depends on which standard is followed. According to the IEC standard:

• 1 KB equals 1000 bytes

• 1 MB equals 1000 KB

• 1 GB equals 1000 MB

It is a decimal-based system commonly used by Apple when reporting disk capacities.

In contrast, the JEDEC standard, widely adopted by Microsoft and many other vendors, defines:

• 1 KB as 1024 bytes

• 1 MB as 1024 KB

• 1 GB as 1024 MB

This binary interpretation aligns with the way RAM and Microsoft Windows report capacity.

Nexthink adopts an approach that is familiar to the majority of its users. When querying or exporting data, it interprets 1 KB as 1024 bytes, 1 MB as 1024 KB, and 1 GB as 1024 MB, thus following the binary (JEDEC) model. However, it labels these binary values using the decimal symbols KB, MB, and GB, rather than the IEC’s binary-specific units (KiB, MiB, GiB).

This ensures consistency with Microsoft’s conventions and common user expectations for memory-related values. Although it may lead to apparent discrepancies when compared with Apple’s IEC-based reporting of disk capacities, these differences are only in labeling; the underlying byte counts remain exactly the same.