A tablet that could be so much more - "Form over function", the future of apple with Ive running most of the show(seemingly everything but supply chain).
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All iPads iPad Air - how severe is the RAM problem?
- Thread starter vmflapem
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A tablet that could be so much more - "Form over function", the future of apple with Ive running most of the show(seemingly everything but supply chain).
Yes it is, because a Tablet is designed as an assistive device, not a full computer replacement. Despite the Microsoft fanboys who shake the pom poms over the Surface Pro for being a "true" Windows computer capable of installing all Windows software, at the end of the day it's a 10" screen and "Power users" (as you tend to call people) are not going to be doing any mission critical work using software such as Adobe CS on a 10" screen.
Actually it hasn't been a long time and you need to check the history of the iPhone OS. It was released in 2007 when there was NOTHING out there like it. Then fast forward 3 years later Apple changed the name to iOS because more of their devices aside from the iPhone would be using it. In 2010 came the iPad when there was NOTHING out there like it. Apple had to prove that the iPad was better than the over-saturated market of Netbooks. Well Apple obviously did something right since there are no more Netbooks to be found. It's only been in existence for 4 years. The iPad is pretty advanced from where it started.
The iPad and iOS have always been marketed as an "assistive" device within Apple's ecosystem. Most people have an iMac or a Macbook but needed something small to take on the go and do many tasks until they get back to their machine.
Sorry, but there's nothing severely crippled about it. You have different expectations and you are severely in the minority. You need to drop the mentality that the millions of satisfied people use it for basic tasks. Yeah, tell that to banking institutions, hospitals (that use specialized iPad applications) and the military.
Actually iOS is quite an amazing system and I run an insurance office. All the agents are using iPads for business. I do a lot of content creation on my iMac and do minor editing and finishing touches while on the go with the iPad while checking business emails and doing banking. I use Dropbox for business files and it works perfectly offline.
You're right, the iPad is not for YOU but please don't come here telling people that it's severely crippled and needs this and needs that. No, YOU need this and need that.
Just be be clear, I'm always hoping for improvement and there are few things "I" would like for the iPad and iOS to do for me so I'm not here to say, "It's perfect so shut up", I'm just saying you're taking it too far in this thread as if YOUR needs equate to most people's. They don't. The iPad wouldn't be as successful as it is with millions of satisfied customers if that weren't the case...so please.
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This reminds me of when laptops first came out and were very limited compared to their desktop counterparts. People complained that they are wanted similar functionality in a more portable package so they didn't need to buy two devices.
Today, laptops can do 99% of what desktops can do. I'm hopeful that tablets will be able to do what even 80% of what laptops do.
Asking and wishing for this position is NOT a bad thing. And it isn't anti-Apple. Asking to maintain the status quo is actually anti-Apple.
I'm pretty sure it's because marketing has decided on the $499 price point as a key selling strategy. Plus Apple love simplifying things, and $509 fits into Apple's price structure nowhere. Apple believes in those simple price points enough to keep the storage bumps at $100 intervals when you know they don't cost near $100.
Why not reduce another component by $10? Perhaps the over-engineered battery?
The reality is a lot more complex than that. I don't doubt that there is some level where Apple chooses this RAM to make the next generation more appealing, but Apple has always been extremely stingy with RAM for iOS devices - not, in my opinion because of cost, but in order to force developers to write very efficient code, something they have been very successful at. Every other platform has always made RAM plentiful and as a result we get programs that are extremely sloppy with its management and hence, we need ever more of it. iOS is the one mainstream exception to that rule.
I use Windows and Android tablets frequently as well and they all have their own issues that dwarf the small amount of RAM on the iPad. Can I do more advanced things on those tablets? Sometimes. Do I want to? Not typically because overall the experience is so mediocre.
I'm sure you are aware of this, but third-party browsers offer a much better Internet experience than Safari in many ways. I use Mercury and since iOS 7.1 I virtually never have crashes and can typically keep 8-10 tabs open without reloading.
We are still speaking about memory issues on iDevices but I ask you a question: did you install iOS 7.1 ?
Because, like I said on other threads, since iOS 7.1 installation I have ZERO LowMemory crash reported in my logs. ZERO.
Before that I used to have at least a crash every 2-3 days, especially with the web browser involved.
I think iOS 7.1 is not perfect, but is a good step in the right direction, and it demonstrates that 1 Gb is not such a problem in actual generation.
Don't get me wrong: I'd like to have 2 Gb in my next iDevice for sure.
Because, like I said on other threads, since iOS 7.1 installation I have ZERO LowMemory crash reported in my logs. ZERO.
Before that I used to have at least a crash every 2-3 days, especially with the web browser involved.
I think iOS 7.1 is not perfect, but is a good step in the right direction, and it demonstrates that 1 Gb is not such a problem in actual generation.
Don't get me wrong: I'd like to have 2 Gb in my next iDevice for sure.
I've been on jailbroken 7.1B3 for quite some time now (since whenever it was released) and have been very satisfied with my Air. 7.0.x was a different ballgame though for 64bit devices IMO.
Of course I wish I had more RAM, but it does not appear to be effecting the device in my use cases.
Of course I wish I had more RAM, but it does not appear to be effecting the device in my use cases.
It sure seems to me that the bigger issue for Joe/Jane consumer about the Air is its form factor since the rMini has very good resolution now, not what the Air cannot do.
We're not talking about Safari crashing anymore... We're talking about tab reloads, which are not going to show up in the crash log.
Do you still have many ?
I can open 3-4 tabs right now without any problem. I don't know about more tabs, since I don't really need more than 3-4, but iOS 7.1 definitely improved my browsing experience.
Safari stability has improved, but I gave an example above where even a small number of tabs opened gives a bad user experience. In my use, the tab reload is identically bad.
Not everyone has the tab reloading issue and many who do eliminate the problem by exchanging their iPad (the tab reloading problem goes away). I feel sorry for you but you should have exchanged your iPad till you found one you were happy with.
To have the first tab reload on iOS 7 now I opened Safari with three tabs, then real racing 3, Mail, then back to Safari the three tabs reloaded. But I think it's absolutely acceptable.
I am extremely skeptical of this. Tab reloading has been a staple of iOS since day 1. The reasons are well understood and not a result of hardware variances.
Apple may have started the iPad out as an "assistive" device, but that is no longer entirely true. Apple now allows iOS devices to print directly to supported printers, directly download apps from the appstore, directly backup, restore, and install OS updates, all without ever having to own a desktop/notebook PC.
They (Apple) added support for bluetooth keyboards. They're working within their sandboxed model to allow applications to read and write files to could services. They're working on bringing the OSX and iOS versions of iWorks into closer unity.
Apple most certainly is moving the iPad to become a full alternative to a notebook computer. Maybe not for poweruser/professionals, but certainly targeting the typical mom-n-pop users out there. Just because they are doing it in Apple's trademarked glacial pace doesn't mean they're not doing it.
I agree. The iPad has stopped being just an assistive device. Many people use it for a lot more than that, and Apple is also trying to sell iPads are fully autonomous devices.
The iPad as it is, works well for a certain user category, but not for all. It lacks important features that must exist before power users can think of using it instead of a laptop.
For those of you that wrote that by adding these features, the iPad would have worse battery life and also stop being that intuitive, I disagree. Apart from real multitasking, which can cause more battery drain, every feature I have listed can be implemented in an intuitive, simple way.
For example, I am not asking for direct access to the file system. No. I would like to see a central iCloud files and folders repository. Maybe Apple should develop an app named Files.app with built in pdf and office viewing support. Then allow developers to access this iCloud repository for accessing files stored there.
The Email.app could easily use this repository to add attachments of any type.
The share dialog in all apps should also have a save to iCloud Files option.
This can be done intuitively and by not sacrificing any usability.
About Safari and plugin support, ok, I agree with some of you that wrote that this can lead to battery drain. There are alternatives here in what Apple should do:
- Integrate AD blocking functionality
- rewrite Safari so that it never reloads tabs
- allow a very specific set of plugins (approved by Apple)
You see, there are ways for Apple to offer us more functionality. The problem is that Apple isn't focused on that. They know that a typical consumer doesn't really care about these missing features. Anyone with a computer background though, will miss them and eventually get disappointed when he/she finds out that the iPad is so limited.
I can go on and on about how Apple can make the iPad a better device, without sacrificing any of its design principles.
I thought I was a fanboy, but some of the comments here exceed even my worst "fanboyism"...
Guys, don't get insulted because someone writes something bad about your favorite device. It is well meant..I just want a tablet that does more for me than the current iPad can. A device that isn't that limited. Why is it so hard to understand that?
Yes I still have many, many reloads. At times it's reloading with only 2 tabs open and no other apps open.
Are you sure both of you installed iOS 7.1 ?
Because it very difficult to understand why you are experiencing an issue that seems to be solved with iOS 7.1 ....
You haven't made any point against what I said. I never said Apple has no intention of bringing more functionality to the iPad, I said they've always marketed it to be an assistive device. They still do and that hasn't changed. Those features you mentioned are common. Bluetooth peripherals and wireless printing and being independent of a computer in terms of downloading and installing apps. That doesn't bring the iPad closer to a full fledged computer. You can do all of that currently on a cell phone.
I installed 7.1 the first day it was out. I have a much more stable safari experience, but the reloads are the same. No other apps open, 4 tabs of investigating cars for purchase. I go to show my wife, and after we look at the first tab, the subsequent tabs, that were all queued up with sorting and selections, all reloaded. All the time invested in finding the right trims, options, etc... were all lost. Crap experience. I don't see how anyone can defend this.
I purposely did NOT restore this air from a backup. It was fresh from the box. I copied music over from iTunes, freshly installed apps from the App Store, and freshly copied over videos. No restored data at all. Tab reloads like crazy, with nothing else open. Again, crap experience.
I really have no idea who is saying this issue is solved. It's not solved on my iPad Air or my wife's Retina iPad mini. We were both on the beta for 7.1, and each time a new release would come out - we'd both say, "NO, not fixed!"