Why did Apple not give 4GB RAM on the 9.7" iPad Pro ?

[Donka]

Pro-artist? My worry would be how well this thing is going to handle, for example, Affinity Designer or Affinity Photo or even Procreate running split-screen. 2GB isn't an awful lot when running two pro-level, fully featured creative tools side by side. Especially if you're creating artwork with a large number of layers. I'd say the 9.7 may struggle with it, while the 12.9 inch would handle it with aplomb.

Affinity Photo is one of the upcoming apps I have my eye on. This could allow true professional photo editing on the iPad and as someone who does a lot of 24MP RAW editing, I know I would rather have 4GB over 2GB. True the 12.9" device has the bigger screen for editing but I'm more likely to have the 9.7" device with me so that would be my first choice.

 

[psionicsin]

Pro-artist? My worry would be how well this thing is going to handle, for example, Affinity Designer or Affinity Photo or even Procreate running split-screen. 2GB isn't an awful lot when running two pro-level, fully featured creative tools side by side. Especially if you're creating artwork with a large number of layers. I'd say the 9.7 may struggle with it, while the 12.9 inch would handle it with aplomb.

Yes, Pro-artist. And while your worry is a perfectly valid worry, we must remember that pro-artists were able to use the iPad 3 and iPad Air 1 & 2 for a single (since they had no split view) professional art application with many layers (depending on the application you're running as a full version of PS doesn't exist for iOS). I was able to work just fine without any kind of hiccups with that set up and that was 2 years ago. That and also I don't see anyone running 2 professionally robust applications side-by-side 100% of the time.

So again, while your worry is valid...history has shown us that iOS is perfectly capable of divvying resources to get the tasks you need done, done. So I'm still not understanding peoples outcry on this matter.

 

[austriak]

I don't think anyone expected us to see the jump from 2GB to 4GB so soon in an iOS device but it was welcome with the iPad Pro 12.9". The problem is the Pro 9.7" only having 2GB causes fragmentation as any app created for a Pro iPad will need to work on a 2GB device instead. An app that requires the 4GB will need to clearly state not all Pro devices are supported and this then leads developers to create Pro apps that are targeting 2GB as a requirement instead of 4GB. It doesn't make a lot of sense to both the developers and the consumer.

Are there any apps that require 3 or 4 gb of ram? I'm not being fastidious. I really don't know.

I think there are two problems related to apps. First, as long as the vast majority of ipads are 1 and 2 gb ram models, developers are not going to build apps requiring more. The app business works by selling a ton of them or having advertising.

Second, people are cheap when it comes to apps. They will spend $750+ on an iPad and case and then complain that a useful app costs .99.

 

[oldmacs]

So again, while your worry is valid...history has shown us that iOS is perfectly capable of divvying resources to get the tasks you need done, done. So I'm still not understanding peoples outcry on this matter.

Because Apple has not provided a modern replacement for the Air 2, thus meaning if you want an up to date iPad you've got to buy a pro, which means shelling out more just because of the stupid branding. On top of that, some of us also buy for longevity and 2GB of ram is going to mean that the 9.7 inch iPad Pro will not last as long as the 12.9 inch iPad Pro going off past trends.

 

[psionicsin]

Affinity Photo is one of the upcoming apps I have my eye on.

Personally, I can't WAIT for this. I've actually transitioned my entire workflow to Affinity Photo/Designer & Sketch. No need for Adobe or their products at the moment. Having the Affinity line on the iPP would perfectly round out my arsenal.
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Because Apple has not provided a modern replacement for the Air 2, thus meaning if you want an up to date iPad you've got to buy a pro, which means shelling out more just because of the stupid branding. On top of that, some of us also buy for longevity and 2GB of ram is going to mean that the 9.7 inch iPad Pro will not last as long as the 12.9 inch iPad Pro going off past trends.

Apple not releasing a modern update to the Air line isn't the argument. This is about the Pro for pro use.

If you need a good tablet to be an extension of your phone and a media viewing machine, the current Air sits just fine. If you need the pro features for the iPP for what it was intended for...you buy the iPP.

Expectation vs reality are two totally different things.

And that last sentence...really? This is Apple we're talking about. How many people are still using their iPad 1's? How long is an acceptable timeline for you? What do you do with your iPad that other people seem to not be doing that you require a lasting game changer right this very moment?

 

[ZBoater]

Are there any apps that require 3 or 4 gb of ram?

Not a single one. Nada. Zilch. Zero.

 

[oldmacs]

Apple not releasing a modern update to the Air line isn't the argument. This is about the Pro for pro use.

If you need a good tablet to be an extension of your phone and a media viewing machine, the current Air sits just fine. If you need the pro features for the iPP for what it was intended for...you buy the iPP.

Expectation vs reality are two totally different things.

Your argument seemed to be that only pros should be buying the pro. For someone who wants longevity out of their iPad, The Air 2 being an 18 month old model is a terrible buy for longevity, thus necessitating the purchase of a 9.7 inch iPad Pro, which still doesn't fit the bill due to Apple's decision to skimp on the ram.

There is only ONE reason the iPad Pro 9.7 inch didn't get 4GB of ram, and it is because costs Apple less to make with 2GB of ram, and it will shorten the lives of these tablets.

 

[psionicsin]

Your argument seemed to be that only pros should be buying the pro. For someone who wants longevity out of their iPad, The Air 2 being an 18 month old model is a terrible buy for longevity, thus necessitating the purchase of a 9.7 inch iPad Pro, which still doesn't fit the bill due to Apple's decision to skimp on the ram.

My argument is exactly that. It is my irrelevant opinion that the feature set of the iPP line does not and will not benefit the everyday user. However, as I also stated in my post, people will buy it anyway for nothing more than a Netflix viewing machine.

As an actively working user experience designer, I know what features will benefit me and my needs. The Air line does't fit those needs. The iPP does fit those needs.

And wasn't the iPad 2 the longest selling iPad? That stayed that way for years. People still purchased that (and I think they still do???). So, talk about longevity. And up until the iPhone 6/6+, iPhones ran on 1GB of RAM. People put up a stink, but it impacted nothing for people in the real world.

I've purchased the iPP 9.7". And I know that I can get 2-3 years of solid, dependable use from it...and I'm definitely a power user.

So how long is longevity for you exactly? And what more will you be doing with an iPP that, for instance, I won't be?
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There is only ONE reason the iPad Pro 9.7 inch didn't get 4GB of ram, and it is because costs Apple less to make with 2GB of ram, and it will shorten the lives of these tablets.

Doubt Apple is concerned with costs so much as the upgrade cycle. It's a known fact that companies up to the newest and best every year. The iPP or any other device will not be the exception.

 

[rasputin1969]

Are there any apps that require 3 or 4 gb of ram?
Not a single one. Nada. Zilch. Zero.

Totally untrue. Using Procreate I can create a cavas 4000x4000 and use a maximum of 8 layers on my 2GB Air 2. On my 12.9 iPad Pro the same canvas allows me to have a maximum of 29 layers.

 

[oldmacs]

So how long is longevity for you exactly? And what more will you be doing with an iPP that, for instance, I won't be?

I've gotten 5 years out of my iPad 2 and now will probably keep it for another year. So I expect at least 5.5 years of software support, and I would really expect more given the higher price of the Pro (which I won't be purchasing due to this let down).

There is probably nothing I will be doing that you won't. I will be using my next iPad for consumption, for research, for word processing, for games, for note taking, for some photo editing etc. Just seems I will be using mine for basic tasks for a longer period of time.

Had the iPad 2 had 256 MB of ram like the iPad before it did, I would have barely gotten 3 years out of it. The reason its lasted so long is because at the time it had state of the art improvements in ram + cpu + cpu, thus I am looking for the same thing in its replacement and the small iPad Pro fails in this area.

The iPad 2 was the longest selling iPad, but that has nothing to do with that whatsoever. People who bought the iPad 2 in 2014 will have gotten less time out of them than the ones who purchased them in 2011, as by 2014, 512mb of ram was too little, and the A5 was ageing.

Doubt Apple is concerned with costs so much as the upgrade cycle. It's a known fact that companies up to the newest and best every year. The iPP or any other device will not be the exception.

Apple is obsessed with costs - its their profit margins that earn them the money. They can save a lot by not putting 4GB of ram in, that doesn't make anything better for the consumer though.

 

[ZBoater]

Totally untrue. Using Procreate I can create a cavas 4000x4000 and use a maximum of 8 layers on my 2GB Air 2. On my 12.9 iPad Pro the same canvas allows me to have a maximum of 29 layers.

Therefore, Procreate does not REQUIRE 4GB to run. It only does bigger pictures with 4GB. It works fine (without the larger canvas option) with 2GB.

So no, not totally untrue. Reading comprehension is a beautiful thing.

 

[oldmacs]

My argument is exactly that. It is my irrelevant opinion that the feature set of the iPP line does not and will not benefit the everyday user. However, as I also stated in my post, people will buy it anyway for nothing more than a Netflix viewing machine.

Regardless as I have said, Apple have not been bothered to update the Air, so this is the model that many will consider in buying something that is not already aged a year and a half. The Pro name is just a name used to justify a price hike. What is 'Pro' about 4 speakers? Not much. Keyboards aren't that much of a pro feature either. Had Apple not introduced new branding, this new iPad would have just been an update to the air line with new features and improved performance like we get every single year, thus the model that people would buy for basic things, as in the past.

 

[sracer]

nope.
And 8 Gb would have been even better than 4 Gb...
But the point is: was it really necessary as of today ?

That too is obvious: no.

 

[rasputin1969]

Therefore, Procreate does not REQUIRE 4GB to run. It only does bigger pictures with 4GB. It works fine (without the larger canvas option) with 2GB.

So no, not totally untrue. Reading comprehension is a beautiful thing.

I was making the fairly obvious point that virtually all content creation apps will be constrained by RAM. Yes - they will all run up to a point, but if your task _requires_ that you need to, say, create more than 8 layers at 4000x4000 then procreate will not work for you and does not meet your requirements.

In truth I cannot think of any app that does not start-up and show you a bare bones shell - whether that is useful is another thing entirely.

 

[temna]

Any thoughts on why Apple didn't give 4GB RAM in the 9.7" iPad Pro when the 12" incher iPad Pro has it !

The fact that more people are more likely to multitask on a 13" iPad than a 10" iPad. And that apps designed for the 13" model are pushing more pixels. That is more likely the reason than Apple saving a few cents a tablet.

 

[oldmacs]

0-30 tabs open on a tablet...
And blame Apple for using a tablet like that...

This is a clear example of Apple bashing in action (incidentally by the same people on the forum).

My advice: buy a MacBook. With 8 Gb of RAM and a blazing fast SSD you could enjoy 20-30 tabs with no refresh.

Oh gosh if you could read what I wrote it would be lovely.

You started with your usual safari tab refreshes don't matter argument, so I suggested that people use their iPads differently to you and in ways where tab reloading would be a major annoyance. The point I was making was that there are a huge number of ways that people use the internet and tabs, and in many of those ways tab reloading is an issue.

I hardly see pointing out that some people will find tab reloading unacceptable on premium devices as apple bashing. Defending Apple on decisions that are purely for profit and not for the benefit of the customer is apple defending though.

I have a Macbook Pro which i use for my browsing, as you can see from my signature. However, given Apple went on and on how the new pro was a perfect PC replacement, expecting it to keep numbers of tabs open is not too much of a stretch anyway. Perhaps not 30, but over 10 at least.

You are playing down what is a major issue for many people, and one that has occurred because of Apple's margin chasing. There is only one reason that the 9.7 inch iPad Pro doesn't have 4GB of ram, and that is to push margins up.
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The fact that more people are more likely to multitask on a 13" iPad than a 10" iPad. And that apps designed for the 13" model are pushing more pixels. That is more likely the reason than Apple saving a few cents a tablet.

So what is putting 4GB of ram on the 9.7 inch iPad going to make the experience worse for people? Of course its for money saving - that is the only advantage, it costs less to build. Its about margins, and then reducing longevity.

 

[temna]

So what is putting 4GB of ram on the 9.7 inch iPad going to make the experience worse for people? Of course its for money saving - that is the only advantage, it costs less to build. Its about margins, and then reducing longevity.

No, that's stupid. Why does Apple put a bigger battery in larger devices? To make the experience the same 10 hours on all their devices. The ram is more likely to do with the pixels pushed and the cost involved. Less pixels, less ram. The only reason the mini 4 has 2gb ram is because it's the same resolution as the Air 2/Pro 9.7.

 

[stulaw11]

I was making the fairly obvious point that virtually all content creation apps will be constrained by RAM. Yes - they will all run up to a point, but if your task _requires_ that you need to, say, create more than 8 layers at 4000x4000 then procreate will not work for you and does not meet your requirements.

In truth I cannot think of any app that does not start-up and show you a bare bones shell - whether that is useful is another thing entirely.

i think the overall point here though is the IPP 9.7 with 2gb will serve 99.9% of all people out there. I would also assume most of the hardcore graphic artists are using the 12.9 for screen size alone as easier to draw on and work on with more room.

You can't build a product that will fit 100.00% of consumers generally ever.

 

[Whittle]

From my perspective I'm unfazed about it. My 5S has 1GB so moving up to 2GB is a win for me.

 

[oldmacs]

No, that's stupid. Why does Apple put a bigger battery in larger devices? To make the experience the same 10 hours on all their devices. The ram is more likely to do with the pixels pushed and the cost involved. Less pixels, less ram. The only reason the mini 4 has 2gb ram is because it's the same resolution as the Air 2/Pro 9.7.

Its about profit margins. The iPad Pro does not need much more ram for its display. I've read somewhere that the difference in screen size only requires about 5 percent more ram. The reason Apple skimps on these things is to increase profit margins. Same reason we still have a 16GB iPhone, same reason the iPhone 6 had 1GB of ram etc it goes on.

 

[stulaw11]

Its about profit margins. The iPad Pro does not need much more ram for its display. I've read somewhere that the difference in screen size only requires about 5 percent more ram. The reason Apple skimps on these things is to increase profit margins. Same reason we still have a 16GB iPhone, same reason the iPhone 6 had 1GB of ram etc it goes on.

Base storage may be true but that makes no sense. If they wanted a higher profit margin then the 12.9 would have 2gb giving them more profit as 4gb costs them more.

Even if it uses 5% more that is just the display in normal scenarios alone extra load. They can't build a device that maxes out at 100% RAM usage, as there needs to be buffer room. Ie. say they load it up with processes and it tops up at 90% RAM usage, there is still that 10% buffer so the thing doent freeze and crash. The 12.9 with the extra display issue may have gotten too close into that buffer to leave it with 2gb. We simply don't know

We have no idea how the RAM is set up. It may only be 1 slot where its only a choice of 2 or 4. Generally a single 3gb RAM chip is extremely rare.

 

[rui no onna]

I keep seeing this argument, but it simple doesn't stand up. The 9.7 retina display takes up 12MB of memory while the 12.9 takes up 22MB. Assuming you need two additional frame buffers to smooth things out you're looking at the 12.9 inch needing an extra 30MB in RAM, which is less than 2% extra RAM usage of 2GB. As the PPI is the same between the two devices the memory needed for textures etc will not change.

Don't think it works quite that way else, we wouldn't have discrete graphics cards with 2-4GB of dedicated video RAM (typically for gaming or CAD work). Even on computers with integrated graphics, I often see shared graphics memory sitting at 500+MB and that's just for a 720p display.

My thoughts exactly. It was everything people wanted, until a report about 2GB vs 4GB came out of nowhere. I'm getting it because it's everything I need it to be for the next 2 years.

And personally I think people are buying this "Pro" tablet for all the wrong reasons. I cringe when someone says "I bought it for Netflix". This version of the iPad is for PRO-artists, not PROductivity (although it can) or PROsumers (although they can buy it). They purchase something not even meant for them, and then complain about every little thing. This is NOT a Netflix viewing tablet, and I think people are insane to spend $1000+ just for things like that.

Lol, I'm buying mine for Netflix, Plex and comics. I think you'll find the ones buying the Pro 9.7 (even if it's just for mundane tasks) are not complaining. It's the ones who are not buying that are and justifying their decision in not purchasing/upgrading. Certainly, the justifications may be true for their specific needs and usage. However, it doesn't mean the same thing applies to everyone.

 

[oldmacs]

Base storage may be true but that makes no sense. If they wanted a higher profit margin then the 12.9 would have 2gb giving them more profit as 4gb costs them more.

Even if it uses 5% more that is just the display in normal scenarios alone extra load. They can't build a device that maxes out at 100% RAM usage, so there needs to be buffer room.

We have no idea how the RAM is set up. It may only be 1 slot where its only a choice of 2 or 4. Generally a single 3gb RAM chip is extremely rare.

They charge more for the 12.9 inch iPad Pro, which probably covers things like the speakers etc, better than on the smaller pro. I'm guessing Apple has benchmarks of profit margins and the Pro 12.9 met those benchmarks with 4GB of ram, where as to meet those benchmarks on the smaller pro, it meant sticking with 2GB of ram.

Apple also benefits as these things will probably not las as long as the 12.9 inch iPads. More upgrades more frequently = more profits.

 

[psionicsin]

It's the ones who are not buying that are and justifying their decision in not purchasing/upgrading. Certainly, the justifications may be true for their specific needs and usage. However, it doesn't mean the same thing applies to everyone.

Certainly very true. And also, yes not everyones needs will be the same. But for who it was meant for, people like me, it's 100% what I need. How you use it wasn't what I was attacking so much as if it doesn't fit your needs...don't buy it.

People will complain either way lol.

 

[Ries]

Therefore, Procreate does not REQUIRE 4GB to run. It only does bigger pictures with 4GB. It works fine (without the larger canvas option) with 2GB.

So no, not totally untrue. Reading comprehension is a beautiful thing.

So it DOES REQUIRE 4GB to work without limitations...