All iPads Is the Air the new iPad 3 (1GB RAM)?

[Kendo]

iPad 3 was an excellent iPad with the exception of the underpowered A5. It aged at a much faster pace than normal. Even the App Store now lags.

With AnandTech's review how the memory footprint takes up 20 to 30% more for 64-bit architecture, does this mean that the Air will be "underpowered" in terms of RAM? I don't mean NOW but later after a few iOS releases. Remember the iPad 3 was fluid for the most part when it was first released but quickly became underpowered with each iOS.

This won't affect my decision in buying an Air but it does affect which model I buy. In other words, I'm thinking of getting a 16GB model as a "loaner" so I can get the most resale value for the iPad Air 2.

But if this will be sufficiently powerful, I might get the 32GB version and just keep this for years to come.

 

[FrankySavvy]

iPad 3 was an excellent iPad with the exception of the underpowered A5. It aged at a much faster pace than normal. Even the App Store now lags.

With AnandTech's review how the memory footprint takes up 20 to 30% more for 64-bit architecture, does this mean that the Air will be "underpowered" in terms of RAM? I don't mean NOW but later after a few iOS releases. Remember the iPad 3 was fluid for the most part when it was first released but quickly became underpowered with each iOS.

This won't affect my decision in buying an Air but it does affect which model I buy. In other words, I'm thinking of getting a 16GB model as a "loaner" so I can get the most resale value for the iPad Air 2.

But if this will be sufficiently powerful, I might get the 32GB version and just keep this for years to come.

Good question, considering I'm going from an iPad 3 to the iPad Air. Hopefully someone can answer this properly. I for one think the A7 processor alone is a substantial upgrade in performance, enough so that the 1GB ram should suffice for a considerable amount of time.

Hopefully someone can give us a better answer.

 

[Ryox]

I hope not, but holding out any longer for me is not an option anymore.

 

[FrankySavvy]

OP, you think a 16gb iPad Air will have better resale value then a 32gb?

 

[Zerilos]

iPad 3 was an excellent iPad with the exception of the underpowered A5. It aged at a much faster pace than normal. Even the App Store now lags.

With AnandTech's review how the memory footprint takes up 20 to 30% more for 64-bit architecture, does this mean that the Air will be "underpowered" in terms of RAM? I don't mean NOW but later after a few iOS releases. Remember the iPad 3 was fluid for the most part when it was first released but quickly became underpowered with each iOS.

This won't affect my decision in buying an Air but it does affect which model I buy. In other words, I'm thinking of getting a 16GB model as a "loaner" so I can get the most resale value for the iPad Air 2.

But if this will be sufficiently powerful, I might get the 32GB version and just keep this for years to come.

Per anandtech.com:

"With the A7, Apple takes a step back in memory interface width - so is it enough to hamper the performance of the iPad Air with its 2048 x 1536 display?

The numbers alone tell us the answer is no. In all available graphics benchmarks the iPad Air delivers better performance at its native resolution than the outgoing 4th generation iPad (as you'll soon see). Now many of these benchmarks are bound more by GPU compute rather than memory bandwidth, a side effect of the relative lack of memory bandwidth on modern day mobile platforms. Across the board though I couldn’t find a situation where anything was smoother on the iPad 4 than the iPad Air."


"That’s the other aspect of what makes A7 so very interesting. This is the first Apple SoC that’s able to deliver good amounts of memory bandwidth to all consumers. A single CPU core can use up 8GB/s of bandwidth. I’m still vetting other SoCs, but so far I haven’t come across anyone in the ARM camp that can compete with what Apple has built here. Only Intel is competitive."

 

[Count Blah]

Hmm, retaining 1Gig of RAM with more memory demanding 64-bit apps AND naming it iPad Air(mini, Air, Pro), I think might be it .

The one question I do have, and will be interested in hearing the answer to - Is what happens when you are using an iWork app, are in the middle of editing something, and you switch to another application? In safari, if you are in the middle of a macrumors post and do the same, all your work is toast as the tab is refreshed.

That same RAM starved situation seems very likely, and would be totally unacceptable to happen in the iWork environment.

 

[Kendo]

OP, you think a 16gb iPad Air will have better resale value then a 32gb?

You get more money but you get a lower return of investment. If you can sell a 16GB used iPad for $400, you would only get $450 for a 32GB (so in scenario 1 you lose $100, but in scenario 2 you lose $150).

You never get a full dollar for dollar in terms of extra storage. It is more like 50 cents on the dollar when you sell used. So you lose the least if you always buy the base.

 

[FrankySavvy]

Hmm, retaining 1Gig of RAM with more memory demanding 64-bit apps AND naming it iPad Air(mini, Air, Pro), I think it might be.

The one question I do have, and will be interested in hearing the answer to - Is what happens when you are using an iWork app, are in the middle of editing something, and you switch to another application? In safari, if you are in the middle of a macrumors post and do the same, all your work is toast as the tab is refreshed.

That same RAM starved situation seems very likely, and would be totally unacceptable to happen in the iWork environment.

I don't think Apple would be releasing a product that is touted as a productivity tablet, and promote their iWork apps to just have people experience crashing when multitasking, there has got to be more to it....

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You get more money but you get a lower return of investment. If you can sell a 16GB used iPad for $400, you would only get $450 for a 32GB (so in scenario 1 you lose $100, but in scenario 2 you lose $150).

You never get a full dollar for dollar in terms of extra storage. It is more like 50 cents on the dollar when you sell used. So you lose the least if you always buy the base.

Oh I see, the problem is, this time around I need 32gb, my iPhone is 32gb and I only have 2gb free....problem is I want this new iPad to become my laptop substitute...update my website (wordpress), edit a video or two, plug my guitar into the iPad and jam with garageband etc...

So I need to space...

 

[offall]

yes, I would like to understand if anyone experienced these situations?
Does IOS smart enough to save it before evict it from the ram?

Hmm, retaining 1Gig of RAM with more memory demanding 64-bit apps AND naming it iPad Air(mini, Air, Pro), I think it might be.

The one question I do have, and will be interested in hearing the answer to - Is what happens when you are using an iWork app, are in the middle of editing something, and you switch to another application? In safari, if you are in the middle of a macrumors post and do the same, all your work is toast as the tab is refreshed.

That same RAM starved situation seems very likely, and would be totally unacceptable to happen in the iWork environment.

 

[walmartmartyr]

OP, you think a 16gb iPad Air will have better resale value then a 32gb?

it will have better resalablility. I proved it, sold my 16gb mini for $280 but can't shake my 32gb for $370.

 

[C5Longhorn]

I'm wondering the exact same thing as the OP and have debated buying a 16gb model as a stop gap until the next ipad release. That or pick up a Nexus 7.

Rick

 

[uberpooter]

iPad 3 was an excellent iPad with the exception of the underpowered A5. It aged at a much faster pace than normal. Even the App Store now lags.

With AnandTech's review how the memory footprint takes up 20 to 30% more for 64-bit architecture, does this mean that the Air will be "underpowered" in terms of RAM? I don't mean NOW but later after a few iOS releases. Remember the iPad 3 was fluid for the most part when it was first released but quickly became underpowered with each iOS.

This won't affect my decision in buying an Air but it does affect which model I buy. In other words, I'm thinking of getting a 16GB model as a "loaner" so I can get the most resale value for the iPad Air 2.

But if this will be sufficiently powerful, I might get the 32GB version and just keep this for years to come.

If you don't even know how the SoC works, why ask the question? I love all these threads about 1gb RAM being risky. It's like watching 3rd graders judge the answer to a calculus problem. You don't even know what you are saying.

 

[Macalway]

When you buy a mistake, buy as little as possible. That's my moto!

 

[Vertigo1]

You should have done what I did - sold my iPad over a month ago in preparation for the new one.

PITA living without it for a while but, on the plus side, I have none of the "shall I, shan't I?" quandries - I've got no choice but to buy it lol

 

[Kendo]

If you don't even know how the SoC works, why ask the question? I love all these threads about 1gb RAM being risky. It's like watching 3rd graders judge the answer to a calculus problem. You don't even know what you are saying.

What does that have to do with anything? As an iPad 3 owner, I know how it feels when the entire user experience lags noticeably year after year. After all, I have been with the iPad 3 since the beginning.

So when you're used to accelerating at a certain speed in one car, and the other car accelerates half as fast, I have to understand every little tidbit of the insides of a car engine in order to develop an opinion?

Do I need to be an expert chef in order to know if something is palatable to my taste buds and what isn't?

 

[uberpooter]

What does that have to do with anything? As an iPad 3 owner, I know how it feels when the entire user experience lags noticeably year after year. After all, I have been with the iPad 3 since the beginning.

So when you're used to accelerating at a certain speed in one car, and the other car accelerates half as fast, I have to understand every little tidbit of the insides of a car engine in order to develop an opinion?

Do I need to be an expert chef in order to know if something is palatable to my taste buds and what isn't?

The A7 screams. It does not need more than 1gb of ram to DOUBLE iPad's 4 performance. Which by the way, was faster than your iPad 3. Read the Anandtech review, and please refrain from spamming this forum with stupid questions.

 

[rui no onna]

What does that have to do with anything? As an iPad 3 owner, I know how it feels when the entire user experience lags noticeably year after year. After all, I have been with the iPad 3 since the beginning.

The RAM wasn't the problem with the iPad 3. It was the CPU (and GPU for 3D heavy games). The iPad 4 already solves most of the problems and the iPad Air is a considerable improvement over the iPad 4. I think the performance delta between the iPad 3 and iPad 4 is ~1.5-2x (forgotten exactly) so performance jump from iPad 3 to iPad Air would be ~3-4x.

If you want to see an example of memory constrained, look at the original iPad (256MB). The 4th gen iPod Touch (256MB) is also a good example. Same processor as the iPhone 4 but much less responsive and prone to crashing.

 

[gCloud]

I don't think Apple would be releasing a product that is touted as a productivity tablet, and promote their iWork apps to just have people experience crashing when multitasking, there has got to be more to it.

My iphone 5s is reporting low memory and closing apps all the time, the newest ipad is gimped with 1gig ram.

 

[keigo]

My iphone 5s is reporting low memory and closing apps all the time, the newest ipad is gimped with 1gig ram.

how do you know it is reporting low memory? I have never see any idevice reporting low memory since the usage from iPhone1 till now.

What did you do that got this report?

 

[jtara]

My iphone 5s is reporting low memory and closing apps all the time, the newest ipad is gimped with 1gig ram.

This is perfectly normal and by design. Apps normally stay in memory until the memory is needed for something else. Once you've loaded-up enough apps, *of course* it is going to report low memory, and then the least-used app gets the boot.

 

[gCloud]

how do you know it is reporting low memory? I have never see any idevice reporting low memory since the usage from iPhone1 till now.

What did you do that got this report?

Settings general about diagnostics data

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This is perfectly normal and by design. Apps normally stay in memory until the memory is needed for something else. Once you've loaded-up enough apps, *of course* it is going to report low memory, and then the least-used app gets the boot.

Well duh, 1 gig ram is not enought as it will get used up quickly especially on ipad

 

[keigo]

Settings general about diagnostics data

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Well duh, 1 gig ram is not enought as it will get used up quickly especially on ipad

O you mean by that and here I though you experience it during using the apps and a pop up screen telling you it is facing low memory and close the apps and refuse to let you run it or you try running it and it just keep crashing and refuse to open.

 

[rui no onna]

This is perfectly normal and by design. Apps normally stay in memory until the memory is needed for something else. Once you've loaded-up enough apps, *of course* it is going to report low memory, and then the least-used app gets the boot.

Sure, it closes apps in the background but I'm guessing a force quit of the active app is considered a crash. Happens to me quite often with both Mobile Safari and Chrome.

 

[gCloud]

O you mean by that and here I though you experience it during using the apps and a pop up screen telling you it is facing low memory and close the apps and refuse to let you run it or you try running it and it just keep crashing and refuse to open.

U thought wrong

 

[jmgregory1]

These threads just make me want to pull my hair out - thank goodness I've lost most of my hair already, saving me that pain. But this weird thing people have with ram and Apple i products is beyond me. Others have noted previously, ram is just one piece of the performance puzzle. Blaming ram for issues that you've experienced on older models is not taking into account all the other things that make a device responsive like cpu and gpu (among other things).

And judging a product to have issues before even getting your hands on one, is just plain dumb. Can you say judge a book by it's cover - except you're judging a book by a cover you haven't actually had a chance to really see.

I will be happy to read about problems everyone (or more realistically those few that follow forums like this) is having after they release the iPad Air, and mini retina, but until then, it makes no sense to say, "if it's only got 1gm ram, I'm not buying". Fine - don't buy it...because it doesn't perform to your expectations...before you've even had a chance to use one.