New Entry-Level iPad With A16 Chip Has More RAM Than iPad 10

[MacRumors]

MacRumors has confirmed that Apple's new entry-level iPad unveiled this week is equipped with more RAM than the iPad 10 that it replaced.

The new iPad with the A16 chip includes 6GB of RAM, according to data from the latest beta of Apple's developer tool Xcode, released today. That is up from 4GB of RAM in the previous-generation iPad 10 with the A14 Bionic chip.

iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15, and iPhone 15 Plus models with the A16 chip also have 6GB of RAM, but the A16 chip has slightly reduced CPU and GPU specifications in the new entry-level iPad, so it was not entirely clear until now if the device would also have 6GB of RAM, or stick with the same 4GB as the previous model.

Unfortunately, the new entry-level iPad lacks support for Apple Intelligence, which currently requires at least 8GB of RAM.

Still, increased RAM contributes to faster performance, particularly for multitasking.

The new iPad can be pre-ordered now, and it is set to launch on Wednesday, March 12.

Article Link: New Entry-Level iPad With A16 Chip Has More RAM Than iPad 10

 

[abatabia]

I repeat: leaving Apple intelligence off of this iPad is a bone headed mood. Not that it’s any good right now but it may be in say a year from now. You then spent $350+ on a device that is hobbled from the start. Pure cash grab. The fragmentation is getting a bit much in my extremely humble opinion.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Tim COULD have used the same 8gb chips from the countless other products that use them.

But just think about the 5 cents he saved. It’s this thinking that fuels innovation.

 

[GMShadow]

A16/6GB is the right spec for this price point. A solid upgrade over the 10.

The market for these is people who just want a basic tablet. Most of them were happy buying the 9th gen last year despite it dating to 2021. This is a significantly better experience.

 

[EugW]

Excellent. I was hoping and predicting 6 GB. Glad to see that confirmed. So:

50% increase in RAM ✅
100% increase in storage ✅
30% increase in single-core CPU ✅
30% increase in GPU performance ✅
No change in price ✅

 

[MacAddict1978]

Typical Apple. I guess they hope this pushes people to trade up? Why can they never have an iPad line up without holes that make it swiss cheese?

 

[Warped9]

A decent upgrade while holding the price.

 

[AusMness]

This iPad is just tragic…
Lack of Apple intelligence alone leaves it DOA and on limited support immediately :/

 

[t0rqx]

This is not an upgrade. RAM is now produced with certain amounts. 6GB is now standardz

 

[Tripps9000]

Wow 6gb stellar not lol there are lots of people who knew when Apple said a16 that is all the ram there would be and no Apple intelligence🤣😆😂

 

[t0rqx]

Tim COULD have used the same 8gb chips from the countless other products that use them.

But just think about the 5 cents he saved. It’s this thinking that fuels innovation.

fuels the Apple bank more likely.

 

[Paddle1]

Seems like a bit of a missed opportunity not having Apple Intelligence. Image Playground seems like a good match for a device like this.

 

[gpat]

Come on... it's a solid upgrade.

 

[BelgianChoklit]

I repeat: leaving Apple intelligence off of this iPad is a bone headed mood. Not that it’s any good right now but it may be in say a year from now. You then spent $350+ on a device that is hobbled from the start. Pure cash grab. The fragmentation is getting a bit much in my extremely humble opinion.

Apple Intelligence is barely a thing right now. But most of all, be realistic. This is such a cheap iPad, you can't have everything. Putting an A17 Pro or A18 in this would have not been possible with this price. IMO this is the right move, better to have a 410€ iPad without a half cooked AI than a 470/500€ iPad with it, which would hit schools and companies buying these in bluk hard.

 

[sigmasirrus]

Yeah I don’t want Apple intelligence but I agree that Apple clearly does not have a unified vision and a good game plan with it. Some products get it, some don’t. Features trickle in rather than being released all together. And the iPhone 16s that were supposed to be the AI phone just gave Siri a new coat of paint at launch. The flubbed it.

 

[JPack]

Apple Intelligence is barely a thing right now. But most of all, be realistic. This is such a cheap iPad, you can't have everything. Putting an A17 Pro or A18 in this would have not been possible with this price. IMO this is the right move, better to have a 410€ iPad without a half cooked AI than a 470/500€ iPad with it, which would hit schools and companies buying these in bluk hard.

All Apple needed was 8GB RAM. A16 NPU is faster than M1 already.

I’m expecting iPad 12 to have it.

 

[brofkand]

For an OS that barely supports multitasking, 4GB was already plenty tbh.

Not giving this device a chip capable of Apple Intelligence really makes it seem like Apple is talking out of both sides of their mouth, tbh. Either Apple Intelligence is amazing and everyone needs it, or it isn't. If it was so incredible wouldn't Apple want their "fleet" iPad, the one that millions of school kids use daily, to have it?

 

[brofkand]

Apple Intelligence is barely a thing right now. But most of all, be realistic. This is such a cheap iPad, you can't have everything. Putting an A17 Pro or A18 in this would have not been possible with this price. IMO this is the right move, better to have a 410€ iPad without a half cooked AI than a 470/500€ iPad with it, which would hit schools and companies buying these in bluk hard.

Oh I am sure Apple could have put enough compute in this iPad to support Apple Intelligence and met their target financials. They just chose not to.

 

[DTphonehome]

Tim COULD have used the same 8gb chips from the countless other products that use them.

But just think about the 5 cents he saved. It’s this thinking that fuels innovation.

The A16 has always come with 6GB RAM. It's built into the SoC. They aren't pairing a CPU with RAM modules. They obviously aren't going to redesign the SoC for an entry-level product.

 

[Kottu]

It is a good update but Apple purposefully opted out of Apple Intelligence. They don't want iPad 11 to slash the sales of iPad Pros.

 

[Warped9]

It is a good update but Apple purposefully opted out of Apple Intelligence. They don't want iPad 11 to slash the sales of iPad Pros.

Or the iPad Air. But realistically the vast majority of iPad 11 customers won’t give a damn about Apple Intelligence. Indeed a lot of them are wary of it, even suspecting it’s some form of spyware.

 

[frownface]

at the price point, it's a good buy regardless of the 6gb of ram.

 

[1984 Mac Guru]

I knee-jerked and bought it this morning not even imagining it wouldn’t support AppleAI. I cancelled when I realized it wasn’t much of an upgrade from my 10.

However after more careful thought I traded in my old 10 and for $170 net it’s a solid deal for double the storage. And the trade-in value of a 10 will be much, much less for eventual trade-in to an AI-capable low-cost version down the line. Much better to have an 11 to trade for the 12 with may have AI.

 

[PlayUltimate]

Considering that this will be used, a lot, by K-12 students, is it really wise to have AI built into a device that is being used for learning. As a HS teacher, games are a big enough distraction already. Do we need to walk around to make sure that AI is not solving their math problems and writing their essays?

 

[Fuzzball84]

This is quite an oversight for longevity. From the company that brought us Mother Nature.

Moves like this are at the detriment of the environment, the consumer and eventually the company.

“What do you mean it doesn’t support Apple Intelligence? It was released after you unveiled Apple Intelligence?”