True Tone is interesting, but I'm skeptical. The fact that the 9.7" Pro has "Hey Siri" is only more evidence that you shouldn't sweat over specs because Apple is going to do what they want. I didn't even realize the larger Pro didn't have Hey Siri. THat's lame (though I don't use it).
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iPad iPad Pro has 2GB of ram not worth the upgrade if you have air 2
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True Tone is interesting, but I'm skeptical. The fact that the 9.7" Pro has "Hey Siri" is only more evidence that you shouldn't sweat over specs because Apple is going to do what they want. I didn't even realize the larger Pro didn't have Hey Siri. THat's lame (though I don't use it).
People seem to be caught up with the 2gb of ram. I was looking forward to it and am disappointed but I don't think it is as bad and dramatic as people are making it. Let's put it into perspective. Other competitor tablets have:
Google Pixel C - 3 gb
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 - 3 gb
Nexus 9 - 2 gb
Microsoft Surface 3 - 2 to 4 gb
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 & 4 - 4 to 8 gb (16gb option for 4)
IOS is more optimized to the hardware and is always less resource intensive than android and windows. The only tablets out there with 4gb and up are surface and surface pros and they are definitely more resource intensive than ipads (even the ipad pro 12.9). Android phones are just now getting 4gb of ram and they are more resource intensive than ipads.
Second, by the time that the OS and apps take advantage of 3gb and 4gb of ram, you will probably have upgraded by then because it is going to be awhile. The majority of ipads out there are ipad 4 and below. The majority of iphones out there are 5s and below. It is going to take a long time just to get people to upgrade from a 1gb product to a 2gb product. Additionally, apps kind of stink now and are not resource intensive. We are told about how our ipads and iphones can handle console quality games but we are stuck with mainly freemium junk that can be run on anything. We are told that the ipad pros can be used for work but office apps are dumb down versions that can be used on a 1gb device fine.
Third, people are going crazy about the price increase and Apple must be out of its mind because of the state of the tablet market. It stinks, I agree. However, you have to keep in mind the single goal of a corporation is to maximize shareholder value. Apple with all its resources has probably done enough research and sensitivity analysis to know that they maximize profits at these prices with the correlated demand. More sales do not necessarily mean more profit or sufficient marginal profit. Making us think that they care about the consumer and making us happy is just a means to an ends.
Is the ipad pro compelling enough to upgrade from an Air 2? That is up to you and what you think of the different updates. If I had to make a guess, I think the ipad air line is done and we will not see annual updates to all the ipads. If there was significant competition, I think there would be more and better updates. However, no one else comes close to Apple in the tablet market so they don't have to worry too much about it.
Google Pixel C - 3 gb
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 - 3 gb
Nexus 9 - 2 gb
Microsoft Surface 3 - 2 to 4 gb
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 & 4 - 4 to 8 gb (16gb option for 4)
IOS is more optimized to the hardware and is always less resource intensive than android and windows. The only tablets out there with 4gb and up are surface and surface pros and they are definitely more resource intensive than ipads (even the ipad pro 12.9). Android phones are just now getting 4gb of ram and they are more resource intensive than ipads.
Second, by the time that the OS and apps take advantage of 3gb and 4gb of ram, you will probably have upgraded by then because it is going to be awhile. The majority of ipads out there are ipad 4 and below. The majority of iphones out there are 5s and below. It is going to take a long time just to get people to upgrade from a 1gb product to a 2gb product. Additionally, apps kind of stink now and are not resource intensive. We are told about how our ipads and iphones can handle console quality games but we are stuck with mainly freemium junk that can be run on anything. We are told that the ipad pros can be used for work but office apps are dumb down versions that can be used on a 1gb device fine.
Third, people are going crazy about the price increase and Apple must be out of its mind because of the state of the tablet market. It stinks, I agree. However, you have to keep in mind the single goal of a corporation is to maximize shareholder value. Apple with all its resources has probably done enough research and sensitivity analysis to know that they maximize profits at these prices with the correlated demand. More sales do not necessarily mean more profit or sufficient marginal profit. Making us think that they care about the consumer and making us happy is just a means to an ends.
Is the ipad pro compelling enough to upgrade from an Air 2? That is up to you and what you think of the different updates. If I had to make a guess, I think the ipad air line is done and we will not see annual updates to all the ipads. If there was significant competition, I think there would be more and better updates. However, no one else comes close to Apple in the tablet market so they don't have to worry too much about it.
I don't think that Apple is well known for that. The specs for their products are rarely "premium". That is one of the reasons why critics call Apple products "boutique" items. Decent specs yes, but not premium.
But I do agree that it is confusing to have 2 Pro iPads with different RAM specs.
It is all moot for me now because for $50 more than the price of a 128GB 9.7 iPad Pro I just bought a 128GB 12.9 iPad Pro. (Staples currently has a sale on them, $150 off)
It's fine. I don't mean to marginalize it as I think it's a neat device. What I meant, and I bet you and I both know, is that the cheaper 9.7" model will sell many more units. Starting at $799 you know full well that it will never come close to the cheaper sizes in market share. Here's how the early stages of app development work:
- Hey! I have a great idea for a new high-end "Pro" photography app on the iPad!
- Let's do some market research
- Turns out only 10% of iPad owners have the bigger 12.9" model. And of those people, only 40% are photographers. So 4% of the market. And by our estimates, we can maybe pull in 25% of those users from competing products. So 1%.
- Our app needs more power to run, so the 20% of the market which has the 9.7" Pro is unreachable for now. So it doesn't make financial sense for us to go to market right now. Let's come back to this at a later date.
TL;DR: It's niche compared to the rest of the iPad market, especially this early. Developers want to make money. The smaller, cheaper size will naturally be more popular, so it's unfortunate that they limited the RAM as it limits the types of Pro apps that companies will invest time into developing. They'll target the specs of the iPad Air 2 as the clear market leader.
It's funny that people are pissed off about a spec that Apple doesnt even advertise. Furthermore, these same people think everything is a pc and try to equate every spec with how it works on a windows/pc machine.
ipads generally run 1 app at a time. So memory isnt really an issue in the same way it is on Android's and PC's which have to have ram on hand for every app running at the same time.
Safari will be the only issue, but then the fact that the processor is much faster should make the re-loading of any browser tabs alot a better and less noticeable.
In real operation I think the 9.7 will probably outperform the 12.9 pro even if the processor is slightly slower on the 9.7. If i remember rightly the 12.9 is pushing so many more pixels that it has draw a frame in 2 steps. 9.7 will need none of that trickery and will be better for it. Same thing kind of happened when the ipad 3 came out with retina and eventually was slower than the ipad 2 in actual use.
Finally if the main selling ipad went to 4g now that will make your older ipads more obsolete more quickly as devs' would optimize less and just wait till more people bought the newer machines. So in some ways Apple is considering existing owners more by keeping the memory requirements more balanced.
People really should stop the whole spec junkie thing. This isnt a pc. Its funny hearing Surface owners comparing ram with the ipad as if the OS's use ram in anything like the same way. Crazy times...
ipads generally run 1 app at a time. So memory isnt really an issue in the same way it is on Android's and PC's which have to have ram on hand for every app running at the same time.
Safari will be the only issue, but then the fact that the processor is much faster should make the re-loading of any browser tabs alot a better and less noticeable.
In real operation I think the 9.7 will probably outperform the 12.9 pro even if the processor is slightly slower on the 9.7. If i remember rightly the 12.9 is pushing so many more pixels that it has draw a frame in 2 steps. 9.7 will need none of that trickery and will be better for it. Same thing kind of happened when the ipad 3 came out with retina and eventually was slower than the ipad 2 in actual use.
Finally if the main selling ipad went to 4g now that will make your older ipads more obsolete more quickly as devs' would optimize less and just wait till more people bought the newer machines. So in some ways Apple is considering existing owners more by keeping the memory requirements more balanced.
People really should stop the whole spec junkie thing. This isnt a pc. Its funny hearing Surface owners comparing ram with the ipad as if the OS's use ram in anything like the same way. Crazy times...
EXACTLY!!!! i have a ipad 2 that has been waiting to be replaced and had the ipad pro 9 had 4 gigs it would have been another 10 years before i would need to replace it
Let me put it into perspective hey people are reacting the way they are.
Apple stuck with 1GB RAM right up,to the point where 1GB RAM was unbearable. I have an iPad 4 that I got in 2012, and iOS update after iOS update had the device go from amazing in iOS 6 to rather annoying in iOS 9, Safar I Windows hardly staying in memory, slowdowns etc... The iPhone 6 Plus also suffers from the lowly 1GB RAM.
With Apple sticking with 2GB RAM on a 2016 tablet, that means that tablet will get outdated quicker than its predecessor, can you imagine how much more functionality is coming to iOS, especially the Pro devices?
This is almost the same situation as when Apple made the Air after the iPad 4, but this time the Air 2 and Pro 9.7 are the same size and weight, there really is not much distinguishing them apart.
I hate it, but it's the reality of the situation here. Just like in iOS games. With the hardware we have, we could have ALOT better games in the App Store. Like really console quality type. There are some, but man...game developers get nervous because they have to cater to MOST iPads instead of the latest and that can get pretty frustrating when you wanna see software move forward
I think with the way things are moving though, the larger 12.9 iPad will become more of a thing. Screens in general have been getting bigger and bigger for years and with Apple pushing the "iPad that will replace your laptop" narrative, more people will be giving a larger iPad a try. I never thought I would want it. At the first iPad Pro keynote I wasn't interested at all. Then I saw one in person and my opinion completely changed. Now I can't imagine going back to a smaller screen and most of my work is done on an iPad Pro. All because of that 1 time in an Apple Store seeing the new iPad in person. It's these perspective changing moments that can change the market. So we'll see how things are in 5 years
Need some honest Advice. Was set on and looking forward to the 9.7 Pro until the 2gb of Ram was revealed. Have seriously been considering the Pro 12.9 and am very close to getting it although I don't particular want the larger screen. My main concern is a device that will last and run well for ID say 3 years.
But the talk of Air 2's being cheaper has got me thinking, maybe that isn't such a bad idea after all.
Honestly how long can I realistically expect an IPad Air 2 to run well?
I'm coming from an iPad 4. This will be my second iPad.
But the talk of Air 2's being cheaper has got me thinking, maybe that isn't such a bad idea after all.
Honestly how long can I realistically expect an IPad Air 2 to run well?
I'm coming from an iPad 4. This will be my second iPad.
Except for that premium specs part, you are correct.
Apple has ALWAYS been less than premium, when it comes to the specs. RAM in iOS devices, dedicated graphics cards, 16Gigs standard for 6 years, 5400 RPM drives in $1500 iMacs, etc...
The Air 2 is a great device, but is now of course already a year and a half old.
I don't see any issues with it being a solid performer for another 3 years. One "plus" of the new 9.7" Pro only having 2gb is that it will probably end up being supported even longer than if the Pro had 4gb.
It will be interesting to see if the iPad Air 2 are still going to be discounted another $100 by Target/Staples/BB at times. That would bring the 16gb down to $299 and the 64gb at $399. Also will be interesting to see how quickly they start discounting the 9.7" Pros.
You explained the decision making process perfectly.
The ironic part is that by keeping the 9.7" "Pro" at 2Gigs of RAM, it lessens the incentive for developers to make ACTUAL Pro apps.
Apple's big push of "Pro" iOS devices is DOA, right out of the gates, from the total faceplant.
Enjoy the continued freemium "quality" and dumbed down apps.
Thinking about it more, I'd probably get either the 9.7 Pro or the 12.9. How long can i realistically expect the 9.7 to last and still run well?
I think they made a mistake naming team Air and Pro they are not Mac books. The new IPad is sufficient.
Apple have made a mistake the past few years holding features back from smaller devices. The larger Pro is a niche the most popular size is 9.7 as Jobs wanted. The IPhone 6 held back optical image stabilization was it and the face icons in messages?
I think the IPad mini 3 was missing features and was runours they would ditch it and instead they brought out a 4 and brought it upto the Air standard.
Depends on what you "run". Lots of people are still sporting the iPad 2, just to stream Netflix, email, iMessage,etc..
If you are looking to push the boundaries of apps being released 3 years from now, on 2-3 more iterations of iOS, I'd say you'd begin seeing some issues. Certainly you will be experiencing problems with split screen apps, for example - no matter what SOME people might say.
My current iPad 4 seems to take forever to even do simple things like Safari. It's reasons like this that we are looking to upgrade.
Dear OP,
You can't draw with RAM. But you can draw with a pencil.
All iPads however, offer vigorous spell check/autocorrect. Please buy one of these fine devices. Soon.
You can't draw with RAM. But you can draw with a pencil.
All iPads however, offer vigorous spell check/autocorrect. Please buy one of these fine devices. Soon.
Can't agree more.
That's the way it goes, always.But then they couldn't raise the price.
I liked it a lot more in person too, especially the huge screen for web browsing. Would probably be great for drawing too. But I'd have to use it for a week before I'd be willing to shell out $949 for it, plus the Apple Pencil and a ridiculously expensive new case. Maybe version 2 or 3 I'll buy both and return one after trying them. IDK. I'm just super hesitant after trying to stick with an iPhone 6 Plus and getting stuck with it for a year. Felt so good to go down to the 6s.
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I think they'll get there someday. I haven't given up hope just yet. Just might take them a while to get it right. They'll shape up if sales are lagging and Pro software is nowhere to be found. I think we'll definitely look back on this as a misstep along the way to eventually great devices. I hope there is a team working on Apple branded Pro software to lead by example. But given what they did to Aperture the other year, I'm not holding my breath.
Nobody other than those strongly influenced by the placebo effect have issues with RAM on the air 2.
You forgot to list the important specs, like transistor count and device thickness.
Yeah, the RAM is an issue that will probably keep me from upgrading and I'm an Air 1 owner that already knows what low ram means. My device runs fine and I'm not a power user by any means but I do prefer specs to have some semblance of "future proofing" or whatever you want to call it. The problem is that the actual upgrades of the pro over the Air 2 are fairly trivial. Pencil support? Couldn't care less. An underclocked new processor? Meh. Better camera? Meh. Screen less reflective? OK but not a huge deal. The speakers I'll admit would be nice since I'm not a headphone user that much.
What I'm saying is that I'd be much smarter to just get a now discounted Air 2 since hardware wise it has most of the oomph of the pro version. Of course, the Air 2 has damned vibrations that drive me nuts when I tested one out so I really can't buy one anyways. Oh well. I'll stick with my Air. Or, wait for the 12.9" version to keep getting cheaper which I suspect will happen.
What I'm saying is that I'd be much smarter to just get a now discounted Air 2 since hardware wise it has most of the oomph of the pro version. Of course, the Air 2 has damned vibrations that drive me nuts when I tested one out so I really can't buy one anyways. Oh well. I'll stick with my Air. Or, wait for the 12.9" version to keep getting cheaper which I suspect will happen.