Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
2018 iPad Pro With 1TB Storage Has 6GB RAM, Lower Capacities Have 4GB
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
And Apple offers the 256GB iPad Pro for $150 more. If the Surface meets you needs at a better price then it is a better value for you.
Sure, 128gb at the 64gb at the 64gb price would have been nice; but there are iPad users for whom 64gb will be more than enough storage and would nit benefit from a higher price for 128gb.
And those iPad users are probably not "Pros". I bought the 256GB AT&T iPad pro a day prior to the Apple announcement.... and promptly returned it. I should have just kept it and saved the $40 restock fee.
Recommended (for your sensible and well-explained answer as to what does not suffer from 'fragmentation,' namely Apple's devices!), despite your use of "iPads Pro"...Rene Ritchie, is that you? LOL. I don't believe anyone else writes iPads Pro vs. iPad Pros.
[doublepost=1540960563][/doublepost]
Here in NYC, with our 8.25% tax (it may be higher...), that $1800 cellular 12.9" 1TB model will cost $1,949! So, just $50 shy of $2K—for a tablet.
I'm going to have to compromise and get the 11" iPad Pro, and I'm deciding between the 64GB and 256GB. Buying higher storage does not pay off when selling a device later on, all of the used product prices move toward the mean resale price, which is that of the base model.
But 64GB is just a little too small for me. 128GB would have been perfect.
So, of course you (I) have to shell out $150 to jump up a storage tier, with an additional $150 bump in price for cellular (which is a necessity for me), so that's $300 above the base model cost.
So the minimum I can spend is around $1190 with NYC tax. For the mid-low end tablet with 256GB! LOL.
I am VERY TEMPTED to JUST WAIT A FEW MONTHS and buy one USED at a discounted cost!
My current 12.9" Pro (1st Gen), which I love...is very heavy, and while I love the screen size, I really don't like carrying it out to meetings and travel since is is 60% heavier than the old 10.5" and current 11" model. Even though they nicely slimmed and curtailed the size of the new 12.9" Pro, and reduced the weight to 1.4 LB, the 11" 1 LB is just better for carrying around.
Cellular update used to be $100 but now is $150 which is a 50% increase. Salaries and costs have not increased by 50% in China (I can assure you of that). Apple is also not paying their OEM Manufacturers 50% more now. I reckon that some of the tax increases from Trump are being factored in now with China due to tariff increases
Let's try to stay accurate here. Cellular used to be a $129 option. We're talking about closer to a 15% price increase.
[doublepost=1540998402][/doublepost]Does anyone have any idea about why they would do this? It doesn’t seem like marketing to try and sell the more expensive model because Apple doesn’t even disclose the amount of RAM.
Following Apple's event in Brooklyn this morning, more information has come to light about the new iPad Pros, particularly how much RAM is included in each model of the updated tablets. Using Xcode, developer Steve Troughton-Smith has discovered that the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models with 1TB of storage have 6GB of RAM, compared to 4GB for previous generation iPad Pros.
This is the first time that any iPad Pro model has supported 1TB of storage, and 6GB is the highest amount of RAM seen on Apple's pro-level tablets, if the data is accurate. For any storage capacity below 1TB, including 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB, each iPad Pro model retains the previous generation's 4GB of RAM. RAM isn't an aspect of the iPad that Apple details to customers, so this information hasn't been confirmed, but the Xcode test appears largely accurate.
At 1TB, Apple sells the 11-inch iPad Pro for $1,549.00 and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro for $1,749.00, making them the most expensive iPad models ever sold. Apple has increased the RAM in both iPad and iPhone over the years. The iPhone X, for example, had 3GB RAM, while the iPhone XS and XS Max have 4GB RAM. The lower-cost iPhone XR retains the iPhone X's 3GB RAM.
Article Link: 2018 iPad Pro With 1TB Storage Has 6GB RAM, Lower Capacities Have 4GB
You are correct, prices have increased over the years
[doublepost=1540999203][/doublepost]
They only disclose the amount of RAM when they want to which is usually when selling the big ticket items
. For Apple this seems to be a small ticket item for them
Recommended (for your sensible and well-explained answer as to what does not suffer from 'fragmentation,' namely Apple's devices!), despite your use of "iPads Pro"...Rene Ritchie, is that you? LOL. I don't believe anyone else writes iPads Pro vs. iPad Pros.
[doublepost=1540960563][/doublepost]
...........
I am VERY TEMPTED to JUST WAIT A FEW MONTHS and buy one USED at a discounted cost!
Lol, when Phil sent out that tweet, outlying the “proper” pronunciation of iPad pluralities... I laughed of course. I started referring to them that way just b/c it amused the hell out of me, but now I can’t seem to stop! =)
With regards to the iPad purchase... similar boat. I just can’t do the $1k base of the larger; I’m going to have to settle for 11”, & I’m buying on Black Friday, since it’s right around the corner!
Perhaps, but that is not the point. Apple applies the Pro moniker to its higher end products as part of a market segmentation strategy. The Pro line offered higher specs and a higher price than the non-Pro models. As such, they've offered a range of products at price points designed to appeal to potential customers and not just on a "pro" segment. This lets them sell a lot more than if they only produced a high end pro device.
Even what is a pro is debatable. Some might say unless you make a living with the device you are not a pro. Others would disagree. For me, a pro isn't defined by the equipment they use but the quality of their work.
Ok, so it's not the machine for you. Others do.
YMMV. Professional poster on a closed network. Do not attempt this at home. This post approved by jlc1978.
[doublepost=1541004158][/doublepost]
Apple has a tariff exemption.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/18/app...ot-really-great-to-tariff-apple-products.html
That was previously from before but things may change soon
https://www.google.com/amp/s/gizmod...g-tariffs-on-everything-import-1830086982/amp izmodo.com/trump-reportedly-preparing-tariffs-on-everything-import-1830086982/amp
I am all in and preordered a 12.9 1TB for the 6gb ram. In my world, thats the only way to go if upgrading.
YOLO!
I wonder how many of you who buy maxed out Pros are going to be upgrading next year.
Before one only had to fork out around $929 to get the top CPU and Top RAM although not the most space but today you have to fork out almost double in order to get 2 more GB of RAM. This is why I don’t like how Apple does now allow for you to add external storage cards.
I... I don't...what? Like seriously wtf
[doublepost=1541033540][/doublepost]
How did this not get more upvotes? This is a brilliantly funny comment
Agreed.
They did this with the first iPad Pro 9.7", which had only 2GB RAM; while the 12.9" iPad Pro Gen 1 had 4GB RAM. That really pissed me off and was a deciding factor in my purchase of the 12.9" model. I had already experienced on the iPhone 6 Plus how too little RAM manifests in reloads of every single application each time you switch windows. 2 Safari tabs was too much! Check email and come back—reload! If you happened to be filling out an online form, BYE(!), ALL GONE!
I updated to the 6S Plus and lo, the problem was resolved...due to the doubled RAM. it took many, many tabs and apps open to cause refreshes. Had it not been for the RAM increase, I would have waited at least another year before upgrading. I skipped the 7 for the X. And, I did upgrade this year to the XS Max (stupid, stupid name!). Kissy (XS) "Max" brings to mind for me a German Shepard dog detective show! LOL. Upgraded for the larger screen. Definitely will not upgrade for 2 years at least now (phone) as I doubt anything new and compelling will be coming down the pipeline for at least 3 years now.
[doublepost=1541042788][/doublepost]
I was just looking at the Wikipedia iPad Pro hardware descriptions for Gens 1, 2, and 3. Gen 1 (2015) 12.9" had 4GB RAM; 9.7" had 2GB RAM. Gen 2 (2016) 12.9" had 4GB RAM; 9.7" had 4GB; then the 10.5" launched with 4GB RAM as well. Gen 3 (this 2018 Gen) both 12.9" and 11" have 4GB RAM (probably, to be confirmed...but this is exactly what Apple does to suck the last drops of blood out of our bodies! LOL.). No way in hell will I be purchasing the 1TB model for 6GB RAM...especially when 2019 or maybe an early 2020 release will increase RAM to 6GB across the board on all models. Just like Apple did with the first iteration of the "Pro" models.
So 4GB RAM will suffice for at least 2 years. Frankly, I'm surprised at how well my ancient iPad Air circa 2013 performs. It has only 1GB RAM! I only use it for reading or quick web browsing. I use my 12.9" Gen1 (2015-16) most of the time, and the 4GB RAM is fine.
So, while the additional RAM in the highest tiered model doesn't seem to offer any current benefits, it's just annoying that with a device on which you'll spend at minimum over $1K, and probably a good deal more...Apple includes the lowest spec they can get away with. Like the 64GB storage option as the base...
I will be waiting until next year at least. Even though I want one, I can't justify spending the money on something I really don't need. And I can think of many other things on which I'd rather spend the $1K.
What with System usage and some applications, a 64GB iPad would have maybe 30-35GB free for use. Having that little available would leave me feeling I need to constantly worry and check to be sure I'm not consuming all of my free space with music, video, or whatever else. 64 is really just a little too little. Even 96GB would have been fine. The correlation of course is how long Apple kept the 16GB models on all of their iPads and phones as options...leaving people without enough storage to even install System updates! Remember? LOL. So after, what 8 years, they increased the base models to 32GB. And now after the $250+ price increases (over the last 2 years) to all model costs...the new 'base' is 64GB. Again...just barely enough to cover System resource requirements, ability to install updates (since more space is needed that will actually be used for the preparation process) and have a few applications and some media (but not much). Oh, and then to receive ANNOYING Apple notifications every week about your free 5GB iCloud storage being almost/ALL used up, and would you like to subscribe for just $2.99/mo for an additional 50GB iCloud storage?
I really do love the hardware, I like the software (yes, there are many shortcomings, but I still prefer iOS and MacOs to Ughdroid and Windoze). So, yes, I'm griping but I have no intention of abandoning Apple anytime soon. I don't see any viable alternatives for me. Not saying the same applies all around.
[doublepost=1541044207][/doublepost]
Yeah, the tariffs are coming for Apple too, now. No more exemptions once tRump's 'negotiations' fail with Xi.
Obviously, Trump's great business sagacity is at play here as he negotiates cost INCREASES for all American products! and drives more U.S. companies offshore! This IS winning!
[doublepost=1541044511][/doublepost]
LOL...well, it is catchy! and yes, funny, too. I'm always amused when I read "iPads Pro." In my mind this rendering is always said in the voice of the crusty old Downton Abbey Dowager Countess played by Maggie Smith.
And, good idea about waiting for Black Friday, or as the case may be, Black Monday following the holiday when no one is working but rather web-shopping while at work! Though, do you think there will be any savings so soon on these models?
[doublepost=1541045165][/doublepost]
When you factor in the increased $200 cost per model tier (20%) with the 15% cellular increase, we see it's around a total 35% increase in consumer price. I also find it hard to believe Apple has seen significant price increases with their suppliers, especially, as they're known to be demanding and canny negotiators with suppliers. I do agree that they're likely anticipating increased costs due to the ongoing and worsening trade debacle. No, Apple won't be losing any profit however bad things get for the rest of us...and the rest of our economy. That is, until or if the costs become so high that Trump entirely destabilizes and crashes the U.S. economy. Then I expect that Apple's profits will drop, since people will stop spending on elective purchases and step up saving instead. I'm sure you've seen how all stocks have crashed in the last month...particularly tech stocks, despite excellent profits for all.
Last edited:
The option would be to head over to a Shenzhen and get a small upgrade. There are people there that do this 24/7 and have it down really well. I reckon the cost of RAM there is very little and so is storage
It isn’t five years old. What are you talking about? Also, the A10 is still a better processor than the Snapdragon you’re going to find in any competing Android tablets.
Apple should be up front with the ram specs. I ordered the 512GB model but will see what the tear down reveals. 400 more the 1TB model is kind of crazy though.
Edit: I went ahead and ordered the 1TB one. Apple is killing me but I need mah ram.
Edit: I went ahead and ordered the 1TB one. Apple is killing me but I need mah ram.
Last edited:
While I agree that most pro users will want more storage and no doubt buy a higher capacity machine, I think there is a set of users that will find 64gb meets their needs. Some of them are the ones still quite happily using 5 or 6 year old iPads with the base storage configuration who simply want a newer faster model with a much better screen, for example.
The biggest storage hog, in my anecdotal experience, are photos. I know a number of people who max out their phones with their selfies, group shots, etc. For some reason, they want to store years worth of photos on their phones, thus driving the constant need for more storage. As phone cameras get more complex and produce higher resolution and larger file sizes the need for storage just grows as well.
In my case, I'll probably opt for the 256GB model to replace my Gen1 12.9" Pro. It follows my philosophy of doubling the storage with each succeeding computer; even if I have not maxed out the current storage. I however, do use my machine as a replacement for my Mac at times and thus store a lot of stuff on it I would not have if I didn't do that.
Oh yea, been there, got the t-shirt.
As for winning, he did say America would get tired of it; he just didn't say why.
I am going to think on it a few days about just canceling my current 256gb order and maybe save up to get the 1T with 6GB of RAM.
Not judging but the only reason they keep doing this nonsense year after year is because people keep paying for it. $1899 for an iPad. I mean, think about that for a minute.
Something tells me the full Photoshop version for iPad is going to need the 1TB 6GB model and will have acceptable performance on the 4GB models. The demonstrator said no lag in UX during the keynote, however I noticed there was lag with the abrupt scrolling stop on the layers window, zoom-in/out. It’s possible that the version demoed is a beta version and I will revisit my thoughts on it when it is finally released.
Her hand was shaking during the demo not due to nervousness, rather that she was balancing the iPad in one hand while making adjustments with the Pencil.
I don‘t know how old the Air 1 is, but all the upgrades that the Air 2 got in terms of chassis, display etc were undone when they decided to use the whole Air 1 design for the current-gen iPads except for the processor and modem. So besides speed, it IS a very dated design.
Apart from that... back in the day, I built up my first computer from the ground up with the mere basic components. Didn't even have a tower to put things in. With time passing, I added a case and switched out components when they became bottlenecks or if there was a good bargain of something that offered much improvement for a minimal buck, same with software. I was not a pro user as I didn't use tools to create complex data files, but I did play games and I did multitask which meant that I had to buy a good amount of RAM if I didn't want my other applications to be thrown in the pagefile, and loading things from the pagefile makes these applications run slow for a few moments and your prior application will be slower once switching applications will be complete. On iOS it's even worse, your other apps can't sustain the RAM usage of your primary app, they completely shut down even though multitasking masks the last state with a screenshot of it. They call this optimizing and it's a mere marketing term for programming.
To put it short: How much RAM you have or how speedy your processor is does not determine if you're a pro or not, it just determines how much you want to be able to work with at the same time (and how tolerant you are towards having "multitasking" resetting your apps) or how much resources you allow your apps to eat up (given the bad "optimization" with all the Unity-based apps flooding the store, that is plenty even for small apps) and how hard you allow apps to challenge your specs, like game graphics - or how much heat you want to diminish because newer processors need less CPU load and are easy on the battery (longevity) for the same performance provided.
Last edited: