Will the 9.7" iPad Pro have 4GB RAM in 2017 ?

[canesalato]

Bottom line, yes it does make a practical difference. More tabs in Safari/less refreshing, easier to work with large files and so on.

But the big question isn't if it makes a difference, it's whether it would make a difference to the person using it.

Most people I know (the non tech obsessed like myself) don't know, don't care and just use their iPads perfectly happily. Completely oblivious to the amount of RAM inside.
They get a bit more refreshing in Safari, but with the speed it reloads, they care not a jot.

So really it boils down to your usage scenario and how much you like to push your hardware. If you're an average punter, a light/medium tablet user or someone who doesn't care if they have to wait 0.005 seconds on a web page reloading. 2GB will be fine for a few more years.

If you're like, probably most, people on this forum then your appalled at the amount of RAM and demand that the next iPad has no less than 32GB of RAM, because that's what we deserve damnit


Personally I could care less. Yeah I've got the 12.9" with 4GB. But then I'm also using an iPhone 6+ (a LOT) with its paltry 1GB of RAM and don't have any complaints about it.

I think we often forget just how memory efficient iOS is. Throw in the fact that 2GB is still a relatively new addition to iOS devices and you can bet that has bee planned into the product roadmap for iOS. 2GB will be liveable with for a few years yet. Hell if some people are still managing on 512Mb (and I know a few who are) were fine for a bit yet.

Now where the hell is my coffee and morphine, I need to calm down
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I figured, but hey with my medication you never know, I could have phased out and missed a complete cycle and product announcement

I generally agree with you. However, if a friend of mine was an average tablet user, i would advise him to buy an Air 2 and spare the money. The problem is really this...with the raise of price the 9.7 pro is 200 more than the air 2 (300 euro in europe!). Pro users, who are the ones that would more likely consider the pro regardless the premium price, are also the ones who would probably be more penalized by the ram limit.

Bottom line: they should have gone with 4gb of ram, especially given the increase in price.
Of course, that's just my opinion. The time when they could cheap out on specs and still sell an incredible ever increasing amount of devices, no matter the price, is over.

 

[augustya]

but I highly doubt it will be in 2017.

Why do you doubt it will not be in 2017 ? Why not ? 2016 introduction of the 9.7" iPad Pro and 2017 spec bump very much plausible !

 

[sracer]

Why do you doubt it will not be in 2017 ? Why not ? 2016 introduction of the 9.7" iPad Pro and 2017 spec bump very much plausible !

For a variety of reasons.

Apple is stretching out and staggering the upgrade cycle for iPads from a predictable 12 month to 16-18 month cycle. That would leave a potential upgrade window of Oct 2017 at the earliest. That may further be extended to a full 24 months which brings it out into 2018.

It isn't known why Apple chose to stick with 2GB RAM with the 9.7 Pro. It is pretty much agreed by many that the 2GB Air 2 is going to be the next long-term iPad, similar to how the iPad 2 was sold even after 4 subsequent generations were released. If this is true, then 2GB will be sufficient for quite some time. Introducing a 9.7 Pro w/4GB RAM in 2017 will shorten the lifespan of all 2GB iPad models.

Again, in my opinion (all of this is merely my opinion ) I believe that Apple has a reason for differentiating the 12.9 Pro as the only iPad with 4GB RAM at this point. Just as the 2GB in the Air 2 was the differentiator in allowing splitwindow multitasking. My wishful thinking says that there will be an announcement regarding iOS 10 that will make the current situation make sense.

Those are my reasons. It isn't the first time that I've held a minority opinion.

 

[tgara]

Depends on what you do...i work on 24M raw files with photoshop express. The 9.7 iPad pro sometimes crashes during the final elaboration and export. It's very frustrating because some raw edits take a relatively long time, if the apps crashes you loose all the work on that picture and have to start over. If you remember to close every other app the number of crashes goes down a little bit, but not by much. I returned a 9.7 pro just for this reason. On the 13 pro, photoshop crashed just a couple of times in months. So in my case, it makes the difference between a frustrating experience and an acceptable one.

With all due respect, editing huge RAW files on an iPad is just insane. I shoot a 5D Mark III with files just as big as yours and I would never do editing on an iPad, for a whole host of reasons. Maybe this is just me, but in my view, photo edits on RAW files are meant to be done on a desktop or laptop machine, not a mobile device. Not being judgmental, but on the face of it, you appear to be using the wrong device for the task.

Only if you are not bothered about how the current 9.7" iPad Pro will stand and perform 2-3 years down the years. Maybe for current state and usage 2GB RAM would be enough ! How about 2-3 years down the line ?

I'd just upgrade. Problem solved.

Bottom line, yes it does make a practical difference. More tabs in Safari/less refreshing, easier to work with large files and so on.

But the big question isn't if it makes a difference, it's whether it would make a difference to the person using it.

Yes, that's what I was referring to. For my use, 2GB seems to be enough, at least for now. I guess Apple thinks that 2GB is enough for the vast majority of users who choose the 9.7 IPP. Seems to me if you need more than that, you should be using a different device for your task, either a 12.9 IPP or a Mac.

 

[TrueBlou]

I generally agree with you. However, if a friend of mine was an average tablet user, i would advise him to buy an Air 2 and spare the money. The problem is really this...with the raise of price the 9.7 pro is 200 more than the air 2 (300 euro in europe!). Pro users, who are the ones that would more likely consider the pro regardless the premium price, are also the ones who would probably be more penalized by the ram limit.

Bottom line: they should have gone with 4gb of ram, especially given the increase in price.
Of course, that's just my opinion. The time when they could cheap out on specs and still sell an incredible ever increasing amount of devices, no matter the price, is over.

Yeah that bottom line is probably becoming more true by the day. I still recommend the Air 2 to quite a few people over the Pro as well, if it doesn't seem to make sense to me for their usage then I wont suggest they spend more than they need to. A lot of people ask my advice when it comes to tech products so I do my best to remain impartial (I don't even always recommend Apple products....Shhhhhh )

 

[thadoggfather]

I feel like the 12.9 is the true pro since it comes with a new size and line.

The 9.7 pro though awesome isn't not pro because of 2gb but same form and incredibly similar screen and form as air2

 

[canesalato]

With all due respect, editing huge RAW files on an iPad is just insane. I shoot a 5D Mark III with files just as big as yours and I would never do editing on an iPad, for a whole host of reasons. Maybe this is just me, but in my view, photo edits on RAW files are meant to be done on a desktop or laptop machine, not a mobile device. Not being judgmental, but on the face of it, you appear to be using the wrong device for the task.

Uhm...no offense taken don't worry. =)
Actually i really enjoy doing photo editing on the go with a 13" iPad. Yes, there are limitations and frustrations but they are all software related and, in my case, I think I have mitigated most of them after some work.

The 13 inch iPad Pro can be a dream for photo editing: it's much faster than a 13 macbook pro with lightroom (talking about real photo editing experience here, not about specs). It's also more portable and with a superior battery life. Pencil support makes editing very precise and, more importantly, more FUN!

The screen is much better than a 13 macbook pro screen. Infact it has an higher resolution than the 15" retina macbook pro, it's brighter, with better contrast and less reflections. And you can rotate the screen when you work with vertical pictures, making them reach a size that would require a huge screen on a traditional device.

So...yes there are still limitations and frustration, but they are all software related. Of course a 27 inch iMac will always be better, but I'm comparing it agains laptops, not desktops.
I understand the concerns, believe me, but I'm actually quite happy, despite the fact that I feel very critical regarding apple lately. And so much, so much about the workflow could be improved in the software.

If I can, why do you think a 13 inch iPad pro is so unsuitable for the job?

 

[augustya]

For a variety of reasons.

Apple is stretching out and staggering the upgrade cycle for iPads from a predictable 12 month to 16-18 month cycle. That would leave a potential upgrade window of Oct 2017 at the earliest. That may further be extended to a full 24 months which brings it out into 2018.

Uh ? What ? Why do you think the next 9.7" iPad Pro iteration will happen in Oct-2017 by the 2016 release it should be March-2017 right ?

It isn't known why Apple chose to stick with 2GB RAM with the 9.7 Pro. It is pretty much agreed by many that the 2GB Air 2 is going to be the next long-term iPad, similar to how the iPad 2 was sold even after 4 subsequent generations were released. If this is true, then 2GB will be sufficient for quite some time. Introducing a 9.7 Pro w/4GB RAM in 2017 will shorten the lifespan of all 2GB iPad models.

Do you think Apple bothers about past models they have already released? They just wanna keep churning out new and best models and lure and attract more and new customers. So if Air-2 has only 2GB RAM that is not going to stop Apple from putting in 4GB RAM in the 9.7" iPP in 2017.

Again, in my opinion (all of this is merely my opinion ) I believe that Apple has a reason for differentiating the 12.9 Pro as the only iPad with 4GB RAM at this point. Just as the 2GB in the Air 2 was the differentiator in allowing splitwindow multitasking. My wishful thinking says that there will be an announcement regarding iOS 10 that will make the current situation make sense.

Exactly if the forthcoming iOS will keep requiring 4GB RAM Apple will have to make a 4GB RAM an uniform factor !

 

[magbarn]

Seeing Apple's recent spec decisions, I wouldn't be surprised if they kept 2gb on the 9.7 2017 refresh...

 

[sracer]

Uh ? What ? Why do you think the next 9.7" iPad Pro iteration will happen in Oct-2017 by the 2016 release it should be March-2017 right ?

not by my calculations. 3/2016 (9.7 Pro released) + 18 months - September 2017

Do you think Apple bothers about past models they have already released? They just wanna keep churning out new and best models and lure and attract more and new customers. So if Air-2 has only 2GB RAM that is not going to stop Apple from putting in 4GB RAM in the 9.7" iPP in 2017.

yes, I do. Their product plan encompasses all models past, present, and future. We tend to think only of what is now and what the next gen will be. That doesn't mean that their plans couldn't change but it is normal business for companies to plan for their products.

Exactly if the forthcoming iOS will keep requiring 4GB RAM Apple will have to make a 4GB RAM an uniform factor !

Not necessarily. It heavily depends upon the purpose and need for that 4GB. If it is to facilitate "pro" features (I won't say what they might be) that can only be useful on a larger screen then it makes no sense to add it to the 9.7 model.

 

[augustya]

not by my calculations. 3/2016 (9.7 Pro released) + 18 months - September 2017

Again on what basis are you saying it will not be March-2107 ? and it will be Oct-2017, their fall cycle they have broken with this year's iPad release in March-2016 are you saying March-2016 iPad release was just an isolated special incident and they would again go back to their fall release ?

 

[sracer]

Again on what basis are you saying it will not be March-2107 ? and it will be Oct-2017, their fall cycle they have broken with this year's iPad release in March-2016 are you saying March-2016 iPad release was just an isolated special incident and they would again go back to their fall release ?

it's not complicated. air 2 to 9.7 pro = 18 months.

Those are my reasons why I don't believe there will be a 4GB 9.7 Pro in 2017. I'm not trying to convince you to agree.

 

[augustya]

it's not complicated. air 2 to 9.7 pro = 18 months.

Those are my reasons why I don't believe there will be a 4GB 9.7 Pro in 2017. I'm not trying to convince you to agree.

iPad Air-2 to iPad Pro may been 18 months but that does not mean it may repeat again, it may well come back to the March release which Apple used to have as an yearly 12 month release , which brings it to March-2017 ! No you don't need to convince me but what you are saying doesn't make logic ?

 

[AttilaTheHun]

Do you guys think that the 2017 9.7" iPad Pro will have 4GB RAM ?

If Apple will use up all there 2 GB ram then yes

 

[rasputin1969]

If Apple will use up all there 2 GB ram then yes

I'm 100% convinced we will see a new 9.7 (and 12.9) in March next year. To me the switch back to March iPad releases is a sign that sanity has prevalled with Schiller and Apple marketing.

Releasing all your products in the run up to the final quarter must exhaust, to some extent, your customer base. I have no problem with treating myself once every six months to some new gear, but it just doesn't feel right to splash out on multiple items. I know this doesn't really make sense in that over the course of a year you'll be spending the same amount, however, since the move to "release everything in September" I have only bought one device and then by the time six months or so has passed it seems insane to spend $$$ on a half year old device, especially with other brands competing for my money.

 

[sracer]

Releasing all your products in the run up to the final quarter must exhaust, to some extent, your customer base.

That is true if the customer base moves as one massive flock.

Apple looks for ways to expand their customer base and to take advantage of consumer cycles which would include holiday shopping of the 4th quarter... a great time to release new products to consumers who need to buy gifts.
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iPad Air-2 to iPad Pro may been 18 months but that does not mean it may repeat again, it may well come back to the March release which Apple used to have as an yearly 12 month release , which brings it to March-2017 ! No you don't need to convince me but what you are saying doesn't make logic ?

It was 23 months between the iPad Mini 2 and the Mini 4. (the Mini 3 was nothing more than a cosmetic release... no internals were upgraded)

What I've laid out is a logical case for what I believe. You aren't interpreting facts (and weighing facts) the same way that I am and so you arrive at a different conclusion. That does not mean that YOUR conclusions are illogical. If I were to interpret the facts as you did, I would end up with the same conclusion as you did.

 

[richpjr]

Uhm...no offense taken don't worry. =)
Actually i really enjoy doing photo editing on the go with a 13" iPad. Yes, there are limitations and frustrations but they are all software related and, in my case, I think I have mitigated most of them after some work.

The 13 inch iPad Pro can be a dream for photo editing: it's much faster than a 13 macbook pro with lightroom (talking about real photo editing experience here, not about specs). It's also more portable and with a superior battery life. Pencil support makes editing very precise and, more importantly, more FUN!

The screen is much better than a 13 macbook pro screen. Infact it has an higher resolution than the 15" retina macbook pro, it's brighter, with better contrast and less reflections. And you can rotate the screen when you work with vertical pictures, making them reach a size that would require a huge screen on a traditional device.

So...yes there are still limitations and frustration, but they are all software related. Of course a 27 inch iMac will always be better, but I'm comparing it agains laptops, not desktops.
I understand the concerns, believe me, but I'm actually quite happy, despite the fact that I feel very critical regarding apple lately. And so much, so much about the workflow could be improved in the software.

If I can, why do you think a 13 inch iPad pro is so unsuitable for the job?

I shoot a ton of soccer pictures as my daughter plays on a traveling club soccer team and for MY uses, I couldn't edit on an iPad either. The screen is great and the pencil is phenomenal, but the lack of a file system, local storage or easily access to an external drive and limited software are way too much to overcome (I use a 27 iMac). But everyone works differently and if it works for you than that is all that really matters.

 

[tgara]

Uhm...no offense taken don't worry. =)
Actually i really enjoy doing photo editing on the go with a 13" iPad. Yes, there are limitations and frustrations but they are all software related and, in my case, I think I have mitigated most of them after some work.

The 13 inch iPad Pro can be a dream for photo editing: it's much faster than a 13 macbook pro with lightroom (talking about real photo editing experience here, not about specs). It's also more portable and with a superior battery life. Pencil support makes editing very precise and, more importantly, more FUN!

The screen is much better than a 13 macbook pro screen. Infact it has an higher resolution than the 15" retina macbook pro, it's brighter, with better contrast and less reflections. And you can rotate the screen when you work with vertical pictures, making them reach a size that would require a huge screen on a traditional device.

So...yes there are still limitations and frustration, but they are all software related. Of course a 27 inch iMac will always be better, but I'm comparing it agains laptops, not desktops.
I understand the concerns, believe me, but I'm actually quite happy, despite the fact that I feel very critical regarding apple lately. And so much, so much about the workflow could be improved in the software.

If I can, why do you think a 13 inch iPad pro is so unsuitable for the job?

I thought you were on a 9.7, sorry. In any case, your approach would not be the way I would do it, but if it's working for you, you're enjoying it, and getting the results you want, that's great! More power to you!

 

[Abazigal]

I'm 100% convinced we will see a new 9.7 (and 12.9) in March next year. To me the switch back to March iPad releases is a sign that sanity has prevalled with Schiller and Apple marketing.

Releasing all your products in the run up to the final quarter must exhaust, to some extent, your customer base. I have no problem with treating myself once every six months to some new gear, but it just doesn't feel right to splash out on multiple items. I know this doesn't really make sense in that over the course of a year you'll be spending the same amount, however, since the move to "release everything in September" I have only bought one device and then by the time six months or so has passed it seems insane to spend $$$ on a half year old device, especially with other brands competing for my money.

I agree with you.

As a consumer, I would feel more inclined to purchase more Apple products if their release was spread out over the year. Eg: iPad in March / April, iPhone in September, maybe an Apple Watch or even a new Mac somewhere in between? The financial pinch just feels way less compared to buying them all at one go at the end of the year, even if the amount spent is roughly the same.

 

[masotime]

....for MY uses....the lack of a file system, local storage or easily access to an external drive and limited software are way too much to overcome (I use a 27 iMac)......

What are your uses? How do you edit or expect to edit your photos?

Generally curious here. I share similar sentiments but more specifically on the software ecosystem. How does your workflow rely on a file system?

 

[sracer]

I shoot a ton of soccer pictures as my daughter plays on a traveling club soccer team and for MY uses, I couldn't edit on an iPad either. The screen is great and the pencil is phenomenal, but the lack of a file system, local storage or easily access to an external drive and limited software are way too much to overcome (I use a 27 iMac). But everyone works differently and if it works for you than that is all that really matters.

Ah, those traveling soccer days. As an empty-nester now, I look back at those days with fond memories (mostly because the passing of time has softened the work associated with coaching, practices, and games) LOL

I agree with you about the workflow on the iPad Pro. The lack of global file space and filemanager is perhaps the greatest hurdle for me in COMFORTABLY accomplishing my tasks.

This silo'ed/sandboxed file space per app is really cramping my style.

 

[richpjr]

Ah, those traveling soccer days. As an empty-nester now, I look back at those days with fond memories (mostly because the passing of time has softened the work associated with coaching, practices, and games) LOL

I agree with you about the workflow on the iPad Pro. The lack of global file space and filemanager is perhaps the greatest hurdle for me in COMFORTABLY accomplishing my tasks.

This silo'ed/sandboxed file space per app is really cramping my style.

My days shooting soccer are endning too - my daughter is a senior in high school and her last club season has come to an end. She made the tough decision not to play in college (my wallet is sad at passing up the scholarship money) and wants to concentrate on school.
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What are your uses? How do you edit or expect to edit your photos?

Generally curious here. I share similar sentiments but more specifically on the software ecosystem. How does your workflow rely on a file system?

I store my files on an external hard drive, import them into Lightroom and use Photoshop to edit them.

 

[augustya]

So if the iPad Pro 9.7" again comes back to the March yearly release and if that suggests that the next 9.7" iPad Pro will come in March-2017 but the question is, will it have 4GB RAM.

I also agree with the point someone made here earlier which was by introducing 4GB RAM in the 9.7" iPP Apple may not so soon want to make its rest of the products obsolete ! But again Apple will looks forward not backwards on what it has done isn't it ?

 

[jamesrick80]

Actually the 12.9" is not the best tablet you can get. The size is completely subjective to the use case. There are times that the 12.9" is the worst you could get and the 7.9" could be the best you could get.

CPU wise, ram wise, and gpu wise, the 12.9 is the best tablet to get with a actual mobile OS. If you want more portability, there are a lot of tablets even more portable than ipad minis...but there is nothing that truly competes with the large ipad pro in terms of overall specs....

 

[canesalato]

I shoot a ton of soccer pictures as my daughter plays on a traveling club soccer team and for MY uses, I couldn't edit on an iPad either. The screen is great and the pencil is phenomenal, but the lack of a file system, local storage or easily access to an external drive and limited software are way too much to overcome (I use a 27 iMac). But everyone works differently and if it works for you than that is all that really matters.

Yes, like I said there are still frustrations. The lack of file system and support for external drives is particularly painful. The editing part is great, the hardware is great, the workflow part...you can work around it and make it ok in many situations, but by default is horrible and it is baffling that apple shipped a so called pro device in this state.