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iPhone 4 Confirmed to Have 512MB of RAM (Twice the iPad and 3GS)

DylanLikesPorn said:
iPad already obsolete. Go Apple! :D
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haha absolute classic apple move, release something...say its a revolution...then deliberately hold it back tech and feature wise so a new revision can be cashed in on in a few months
So glad i didnt buy iphone 1G and ipad 1G for this exact reason.
 
zen said:
I'm not so sure the iPad only has 256MB RAM. The only place this info comes from is iFixIt.com, and they weren't 100% sure when they looked at the iPad's memory board. As I recall they worked the RAM out by counting chips on the board and comparing it to the specs from another device by the same manufacturer (I think).
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The 256MB figure for iPad was also verified by software devs who queried the hardware.

arn
 
Only 256 MB of RAM....

Okay, so I read the blurb on the front page today about the iPhone having 512 MB RAM, and the iPad only 256. It was a little grating, given I haven't taken my iPad out of the box yet...but I digress.

For those of you with iPads, has the 256 been a hinderance? Any slowdowns, etc? I'm thinking the use of flash memory will cancel out any negatives from less RAM, but who knows?
 
Take this for what you think it is worth, but an Apple engineer told me, during the release of the iPhone 3G, that the plan was to have the OS support the current and last hardware generation fully. So the 256 upgrade in the 3Gs was essentially for multitasking. This way they did not alienate recent purchasers and motivated upgrade eligible peeps, I assume. I recognize FaceTime departs from this, but it remains interesting.

Maybe the 512 is to support expanded multitasking in iPhone 5 or something I can't think of.

Wolf
 
spookmag said:
It has a 1ghz ARM cortex A9 Multi-core processor with Apples seal of approval. Apple did not make the A4. ARM did and then Apple purchased ARM and called it an Apple processor. I'm sure Apple tweaked it a bit but ARM did all the work before the chip maker was acquired my Apple. The chip is technically 1.3ghz but has been clocked down by Apple to reduce heat and power consumption. Apple does this quite often with chips such as intel in imac, which are also all under clocked slightly.
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I thought it had been independently verified that the A4 wasn't the Cortex A9 architecture, but rather the A8 with modifications done by the recent Apple acquisition Intrinsity, who specializes in supercharging chips? Apple purchased rights to the ARM Cortex A8 architecture and then used their in house people to modifiy it to their liking, making it probably as much an Apple designed chip as it is an ARM chip.
 
I must say that this has been the least disappointing product update that I've ever followed apple to release. (as opposed to MacBook pros where I get let down easy/expect too much) big ups to apple on this one!
 
Sweet deal. I had my iPhone pre-ordered regardless, but was hoping for 512MB of RAM. Now just tell me the clockspeed of the A4 is 1GHz but
scales up and down for saving power based on need and I'll say this was an A+ upgrade!
 
chrmjenkins said:
Reason to upgrade to next one.
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True kinda seems lame though. Although for us early adapters this is what we get. Processor wise they will be the same at least. I'm sure Apps like iMovie will take advantage of the 512 especially while doing other tasks. But will rendering a movie make the phone bog down?

Quite a bit of CPU power goes into exporting a movie on a Mac even.
 
Dwalls90 said:
1) iPad can't record video, so you're telling me that you'd sync movies to the iPad from your computer ... to edit them on your iPad? Sounds backwards to me

2) I would expect an updated iPad with a camera, bumped specs and a slightly altered design at the iTunes event this fall when Apple upgrades the iTouch.
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Looks like I'll be doin' iPhone then iPad, then iPhone then iPad every year.
Oh wait, that's the intent!
Well they got me! lol
 
WilliamG said:
Who is "Apple?" Is there a guy named Apple? I have seen no "confirmation" yet. So I'm skeptical. Is it unlikely the iPhone 4 has 512MB? No. But I won't believe it till there's a reputable source.
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He was joking, obviously. Nobody is THAT stupid.
 
Not that I have noticed. It is a bummer that my new 4 will have double the RAM as my $800 iPad:(
 
Wow, this really puts the iPhone into the gaming market. The specs are much better than the PSP which was designed just to game.
 
Cabrewolf said:
Take this for what you think it is worth, but an Apple engineer told me, during the release of the iPhone 3G, that the plan was to have the OS support the current and last hardware generation fully. So the 256 upgrade in the 3Gs was essentially for multitasking. This way they did not alienate recent purchasers and motivated upgrade eligible peeps, I assume. I recognize FaceTime departs from this, but it remains interesting.

Maybe the 512 is to support expanded multitasking in iPhone 5 or something I can't think of.

Wolf
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Makes sense in regards to the phone but that leaves the first gen iPad abandoned. Some people will be mad.
 
Robbadore64 said:
Well that's about the dumbest thing I've heard all day. On a side note, I just remembered I know how to walk so I guess that means my car is completely useless. :rolleyes:
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You have that backwards. You have a car, so now your legs are useless. Might as well sell them for iPad v2 money.

BryanLyle said:
Awesome news. Now if I could only make and receive phone calls, I'd be set.
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The new antennas should help.

spookmag said:
It has a 1ghz ARM cortex A9 Multi-core processor with Apples seal of approval. Apple did not make the A4. ARM did and then Apple purchased ARM and called it an Apple processor. I'm sure Apple tweaked it a bit but ARM did all the work before the chip maker was acquired my Apple. The chip is technically 1.3ghz but has been clocked down by Apple to reduce heat and power consumption. Apple does this quite often with chips such as intel in imac, which are also all under clocked slightly.
Click to expand...

ARM did not make the A4. The physical design was done by folks from Apple and Intrinsity (as far as we can tell) based on soft IP from ARM. It was fabricated by Samsung. ARM didn't "make it." Apple did not "purchase ARM." It is not a cortex A9. It is based on A8.

The chip is not "technically 1.3ghz." A chip does not have a "technical" clock speed. It is clocked at whatever speed it is clocked at. There is no such thing as "clocking down." There is a maximum clock speed for a given voltage and temperature, above which you fail to meet the set-up time of the state elements and the chip fails to work. The chip is generally clocked at a speed less than this, but not so low as to cause the hold time requirements of state elements to be violated. People use the term "underclocking" properly to mean setting the clock speed to less than the speed the clock is at out-of-the-box or what it is sold to run at.

Chips on imacs are not "underclocked."


imwoblin said:
I'm sure glad I bit my tongue and held off on purchasing iPad v.1...
So we know know that iPad v.2 will have at least one camera (facetime video) and more useful ram to run all the goodies of IOS 4. For once my addiction for all things Apple didn't cause a money dump..
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In the mean time lots of folks are getting great use out of their iPads.
 
Robbadore64 said:
Well that's about the dumbest thing I've heard all day. On a side note, I just remembered I know how to walk so I guess that means my car is completely useless. :rolleyes:
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Well he has a point. The iMovie app is exactly what could be cool on the iPad, but since the iPad is so short RAM it can't run on it from a technical stand point. 256MB ram was and is really too low for the iPad.
 
WilliamG said:
Who is "Apple?"
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Apple is "an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers." From Wikipedia. Much of this forum is concerned with new and rumored events and products from Apple.
 
I hope there is 512

I find my self screaming at my iPhone 3G all the time, because it's sSOOOO Fing slow! It better have 512 or I'm going to flip out! I can't stand slow computers.
 
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