All iPads Will the next iPad Air 2 finally have 2 GB of memory?

[Crosscreek]

More RAM means (two or, more likely, three of these):
- iPad costs more
- iPad weighs more
- iPad battery lasts less
- iPad is bigger (less portable)
- iPad loses something else

So there needs to be a real purpose.
NOT one people make up in their heads (I think I pretty much debunked the idea that iOS Safari reloads are due to RAM -- I noticed zero counter-arguments so I assume you all agree )

There's always something that Apple could be add -- for "$8" -- but they have to draw the line somewhere.

I think 1 GB more RAM that doesn't do anything but make certain people fawn over a spec sheet is a good place to draw the line.

I don't usually follow the IPad forum much but since I will be upgrading my IPad 2 this year I am researching what's going on with some of others people experience.

I have had very little issues with mine over the years but it has slowed down since ISO 7. Safari does not work like it did originally and some games really tax it.

My opinion is that Apple will add DDR4 along with the A8 and leave the ram at 1gb. DDR4 should alleviate much of the speed and throughput issues and resolve the Safari tab problems. At the same time it will improve battery life do to less voltage required.

I really like the idea of sd card storage but Apple doesn't.

It would be nice if someone developed a small wifi portable device that could handle these memory issues in a efficient way. There are some wifi hotspot devices out there but I dont no how efficient or reliable they are.

 

[confucious]

I like reading peoples opinions and am still not convinced of the need for more RAM but could be persuaded.

The one thing I am certain of though is that Apple will never be stupid enough to add memory card support.

While peope might want it the problems far,far outweigh any benefits.

 

[mangomind]

I like reading peoples opinions and am still not convinced of the need for more RAM but could be persuaded.

The one thing I am certain of though is that Apple will never be stupid enough to add memory card support.

While peope might want it the problems far,far outweigh any benefits.

I too can't say if Apple should or should not include more RAM. If Apple includes certain resource hogging features in iOS 8, my opinion may change. For now, 2GB RAM isn't needed, but some users who multitask on their iPad want it. A harmless solution is for Apple to include an iPad build-to-order option to add additional RAM, like Macs.

 

[iSee]

In the one year from the iPad 4 to the iPad Air, Apple cut $40 in production costs and made the iPad much better.

You need to remember that the technology and components in the iPad get much better and cheaper over time.

This fall will bring (two or, more likely, three of these):
- iPad components cost less
- iPad components weigh less
- Battery technology in the iPad improves
- iPad components are smaller (more portable)
- iPad components improve in a different area

With these technology improvements, Apple can absolutely afford to put 2GB of RAM in the next iPad.

Well, $40 is an external estimate. But let's take that as given... production costs are hardly the only significant cost in producing the iPad Air. They aren't paying those CPU wizards who developed the most advanced mobile processor popcorn and peanuts.

Apple can afford all kinds of things, but they aren't a charity so you can be sure any cost increases to be passed on to customers.

Now, I don't dispute that it would be pretty cheap to put another GB in the iPad Air... but to what purpose???

People seem to have a mystical feeling that somehow the iPad Air will get so much better if only it had another GB of RAM. But I see no reason to actually think that. If you have better information, than please, pass it along. If more RAM doesn't make the iPad better, then why would Apple (actually, Apple's customers) pay one nickel for more of it?

Just FYI, I develop software for iOS devices. There are a lot of challenges with this. One problem I don't have? Running out of memory. Believe me, I'd be the first to be complaining if this was causing me problems. I still have a grudge against Bill Gates for that 640K comment because of the many real and deep frustrations that limit caused me and the people who used the software I developed. But is that a problem for the iPad Air? No. Not for me. Not as a developer and not as a daily user.

I suspect people sometimes blame "RAM" for problems they are having with their devices, even when the problem has nothing to do with a lack of RAM. Your problems are real, but realize that your guess about the cause may not be right.

 

[mangomind]

Well, $40 is an external estimate. But let's take that as given... production costs are hardly the only significant cost in producing the iPad Air. They aren't paying those CPU wizards who developed the most advanced mobile processor popcorn and peanuts.

Apple can afford all kinds of things, but they aren't a charity so you can be sure any cost increases to be passed on to customers.

Now, I don't dispute that it would be pretty cheap to put another GB in the iPad Air... but to what purpose???

People seem to have a mystical feeling that somehow the iPad Air will get so much better if only it had another GB of RAM. But I see no reason to actually think that. If you have better information, than please, pass it along. If more RAM doesn't make the iPad better, then why would Apple (actually, Apple's customers) pay one nickel for more of it?

Just FYI, I develop software for iOS devices. There are a lot of challenges with this. One problem I don't have? Running out of memory. Believe me, I'd be the first to be complaining if this was causing me problems. I still have a grudge against Bill Gates for that 640K comment because of the many real and deep frustrations that limit caused me and the people who used the software I developed. But is that a problem for the iPad Air? No. Not for me. Not as a developer and not as a daily user.

I suspect people sometimes blame "RAM" for problems they are having with their devices, even when the problem has nothing to do with a lack of RAM. Your problems are real, but realize that your guess about the cause may not be right.

As computers, tablets, and phones get increasingly powerful; operating systems, programs, and websites use more resources. The iPad and iOS will continue to need more resources as time goes on and technology advances. The iPad will get 2GB RAM, but we cannot predict when this will happen.

 

[Night Spring]

As computers, tablets, and phones get increasingly powerful; operating systems, programs, and websites use more resources. The iPad and iOS will continue to need more resources as time goes on and technology advances. The iPad will get 2GB RAM, but we cannot predict when this will happen.

Totally agree. iPads will get 2GB of RAM someday, but it might not be this year. And when it does get 2GB RAM, I'm sure people will be complaining that it's not enough, you need 4. And when it gets 4, people will complain it needs 8...

 

[mangomind]

Totally agree. iPads will get 2GB of RAM someday, but it might not be this year. And when it does get 2GB RAM, I'm sure people will be complaining that it's not enough, you need 4. And when it gets 4, people will complain it needs 8...

Exactly. People complain about RAM nearly every year. When the iPhone had 256MB RAM, competitors had 512MB. When the iPhone had 512MB RAM, competitors had 1GB. And now the iPhone and iPad have 1GB RAM, and competitors have 2-3GB.

 

[kasakka]

Web pages just aren't that big.
*snip*

While the resources themselves aren't all that much, when you add whatever else is running and the requirements for actually rendering the pages on screen you'll most likely have a fair bit more. Then Safari might also try to keep previously loaded pages in memory.

I recently tried the Air in a store and opened some of the default bookmarks. It worked fine until I tried opening a few more intensive apps like Paper. When I returned to Safari, instant page refreshes. I would be ok with pages being reloaded from memory (to the state they were in before) but instead you get a blank slate for each tab. This is pretty much the exact behavior I was getting with the iPad 3 I used to have. It's a shame that one of the most common things is still crap on iOS because I have never experienced that on my Galaxy S4 (whether it's due to the 2GB RAM or better handling).

 

[iSee]

While the resources themselves aren't all that much, when you add whatever else is running and the requirements for actually rendering the pages on screen you'll most likely have a fair bit more. Then Safari might also try to keep previously loaded pages in memory.

I recently tried the Air in a store and opened some of the default bookmarks. It worked fine until I tried opening a few more intensive apps like Paper. When I returned to Safari, instant page refreshes. I would be ok with pages being reloaded from memory (to the state they were in before) but instead you get a blank slate for each tab. This is pretty much the exact behavior I was getting with the iPad 3 I used to have. It's a shame that one of the most common things is still crap on iOS because I have never experienced that on my Galaxy S4 (whether it's due to the 2GB RAM or better handling).

I know the tab refresh is a problem in iOS. My point is, it's not the RAM. The current ipad has more than enough ram to keep all of those pages in memory without refreshing... And yet it refreshes.
You don't have to use "intensive" apps like Paper. Just open 4-5 of the sites I mention and cycle between the tabs... Refreshes.
If Safari is really refreshing those pages because it's running out of free ram, then it's using a order of magnitude more ram than it needs to... That's a software problem. OR it's dumping pages before it needs to... That's a software problem.

Adding RAM can temporarily obscure some kinds of software problems but it can't fix them. Personally I would much prefer Apple fix the Safari reload software problem than make the ipad battery last less and/or more expensive and/or bigger by adding more RAM... And still not fixing the Safari refresh problem.

 

[Dmunjal]

I know the tab refresh is a problem in iOS. My point is, it's not the RAM. The current ipad has more than enough ram to keep all of those pages in memory without refreshing... And yet it refreshes.
You don't have to use "intensive" apps like Paper. Just open 4-5 of the sites I mention and cycle between the tabs... Refreshes.
If Safari is really refreshing those pages because it's running out of free ram, then it's using a order of magnitude more ram than it needs to... That's a software problem. OR it's dumping pages before it needs to... That's a software problem.

Adding RAM can temporarily obscure some kinds of software problems but it can't fix them. Personally I would much prefer Apple fix the Safari reload software problem than make the ipad battery last less and/or more expensive and/or bigger by adding more RAM... And still not fixing the Safari refresh problem.

Fair enough. If it is a software problem, why has Apple not fixed a major bug in over 6 months? Looks like the iPad Air 2 will be out with 2GB first. They have more resources than any company and its ridiculous this hasn't been fixed yet.

 

[kasakka]

I know the tab refresh is a problem in iOS. My point is, it's not the RAM. The current ipad has more than enough ram to keep all of those pages in memory without refreshing... And yet it refreshes.
You don't have to use "intensive" apps like Paper. Just open 4-5 of the sites I mention and cycle between the tabs... Refreshes.
If Safari is really refreshing those pages because it's running out of free ram, then it's using a order of magnitude more ram than it needs to... That's a software problem. OR it's dumping pages before it needs to... That's a software problem.

Adding RAM can temporarily obscure some kinds of software problems but it can't fix them. Personally I would much prefer Apple fix the Safari reload software problem than make the ipad battery last less and/or more expensive and/or bigger by adding more RAM... And still not fixing the Safari refresh problem.

Chrome seems to do the same thing though. Of course it could be an issue with Webkit on iOS so it affects all browsers as they generally have to use the same engine. It's a shame Apple doesn't allow alternatives like Firefox.

 

[Count Blah]

Totally agree. iPads will get 2GB of RAM someday, but it might not be this year. And when it does get 2GB RAM, I'm sure people will be complaining that it's not enough, you need 4. And when it gets 4, people will complain it needs 8...

Yes, because it is 1000% unjustified to complain about no ram increase when going from32bit to 64but CPU



----------

I know the tab refresh is a problem in iOS. My point is, it's not the RAM. The current ipad has more than enough ram to keep all of those pages in memory without refreshing... And yet it refreshes.

Link?

 

[iSee]

Link?

Srsly? Try reading responses to your own posts in this very thread?

 

[Night Spring]

Fair enough. If it is a software problem, why has Apple not fixed a major bug in over 6 months? Looks like the iPad Air 2 will be out with 2GB first. They have more resources than any company and its ridiculous this hasn't been fixed yet.

We don't know how complex the problem is. A major bug like this could take a major code rewrite to fix. Seeing how WWDC is just around the corner, it sure seems like Apple has decided to wait until iOS 8 to tackle this.

Yes, because it is 1000% unjustified to complain about no ram increase when going from32bit to 64but CPU.

Oh, some of the complaining may be justified, sure. But my point stands -- people will always complain.

 

[Count Blah]

Srsly? Try reading responses to your own posts in this very thread?

Of which, no one has offered any facts. You and others claim it's not the ram, myself and others say it is ram. No one knows for sure. Yet you state it as fact, thus the "link?" Response.

 

[Dmunjal]

Of which, no one has offered any facts. You and others claim it's not the ram, myself and others say it is ram. No one knows for sure. Yet you state it as fact, thus the "link?" Response.

Many people have shown logs where apps have been closed due to RAM issues.

 

[mangomind]

Many people have shown logs where apps have been closed due to RAM issues.

Whether or not Apple spends more time optimizing current operating systems and applications, it is inevitable that additional features in future operating systems will require more RAM. With Apple releasing a major OS every year (and this year's iOS 7 was especially major), it gives them less time to optimize all the new features.

 

[Dmunjal]

Whether or not Apple spends more time optimizing current operating systems and applications, it is inevitable that additional features in future operating systems will require more RAM. With Apple releasing a major OS every year (and this year's iOS 7 was especially major), it gives them less time to optimize all the new features.

What happened to "it just works"?

 

[pmau]

Many people have shown logs where apps have been closed due to RAM issues.

I want 2GB RAM in the iPhone and iPad as the next person, but I can tell you that most Apps that quit because of out-of-memory conditions are simply crap.

There's so much BS in the AppStore where people load tons of images, instantiate loads of view, layers and all the good stuff.

... and then the app is killed. End of story.

You can write Apps with minimal memory requirements, but most simply have no clue at all.

 

[confucious]

I want 512Mb RAM in the next iPad.
1Gb is too much.

 

[pmau]

I want 512Mb RAM in the next iPad.
1Gb is too much.

640KB is enough for everything.

 

[HenryDJP]

The only thing I honestly do not understand is why doesn't the iPad cache memory from the flash storage? Isn't it suppose to do that like a standard computer does when it runs low on memory, it caches memory from the hard drive. It's slower but it least makes it available when it needs it. So is it true that the iPad doesn't cache memory from the flash storage?

 

[pmau]

The only thing I honestly do not understand is why doesn't the iPad cache memory from the flash storage? Isn't it suppose to do that like a standard computer does when it runs low on memory, it caches memory from the hard drive. It's slower but it least makes it available when it needs it. So is it true that the iPad doesn't cache memory from the flash storage?

It has no swap file on flash.

But as an App developer you can create a memory mapped file and simple write to a region of memory. It will than be written to that file asynchronously.

It's like mmap() on Unix and it's been available for a long time.

 

[EdgardasB]

From Apple discussion:
OK, here is direct post from google translation (german to english).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------

Today I emailed the developer of the browser "iCab Mobile".
I would like to announce the findings of this developer and I thank you a thousand times for his truthful words.

Below is the mail traffic is very interesting ...

I = normal
Developer = fat

Reply-mail: 1


Various pages in third browsers like with my favorite browser "iCab
Mobile "
crash.

I could replicate the error with the site:

http://www.pocketpc.ch/magazin/testb...htc-one-m8-im-
detailed test-569 /

Yes, unfortunately this is a well-known problem of iOS 7

The general memory usage of the system itself is here apparently
increased significantly, but also the web engine has a massive problem
with the memory consumption. There are discussions in various forums, in
which the memory usage is discussed some JavaScript-structures,
and where it was then observed under 7.0.x that structures the iOS 6
only about 60 MB require iOS 7 times quite almost 10-fold to
Memory anforderten. This means that there are web pages even under iOS 5/6
still easily load on an iPad 2 with only 512MB RAM, iOS 7
on an iPad Air (with twice as much RAM), even in Safari (dar lack
Features and as part of the system too much memory saving
May be run in other browsers) lead to a crash. How far under 7.1
the whole has improved, I'm not sure yet. There are
but unfortunately still have problems.

Reply-mail: 2


1, So you can crash on ug page with iCab Mobile V8.1.1 and
IOS7.0.x replicate (all iOS devices)?
Yes, I can reproduce the crash, not only in iCab Mobile,
but also in Chrome and other browsers on an iPad Mini retina
with iOS 7.1.1. On iOS 6 on an iPad 3 (as much RAM as has
the mini: 1GB) running the same pages in the same version of iCab
Mobile without any problems. On iOS 6, the side needs many hundred MB of memory less.


2 May I make her answer in the forum public or to test the site
Calling iCab Mobile with, finally us with the knowledge cpl. new!
Clear. But as I said, any alternative browser should show the problem.
If necessary. well only when scrolling.

Many users turn instead to an Apple support to their iPad AIR
exchange, and am about ... (since many non affected).
Is certainly not a hardware problem. It is quite possible that a
Rebooting the device solves the problem for some time. And also various
System settings could the general memory usage of iOS
increase or decrease, and thus the problem more or less
can be likely.


3 If this site with your browser crashes it ought with a
IPAD AIR be other replicable or why I can not find the same
minded?
Although I have no iPad Air, but an iPad Mini retina, but
hardware technology in principle is identical. And I may be the problem
understand.

4 So crash logs do not help to optimize their browser?
Normally, yes. But in the case the reason is not so by iCab
causes, but from iOS itself means that here you can really only Apple
Remedy the situation.

 

[mangomind]

This is exactly what I deduced. It is simple. iOS 7 introduced an operating system and an updated web engine which use significantly more RAM than previous iOS versions did.

For iOS 8, I am positive there is a way Apple can rewrite the OS and web engine to use less RAM.

Since it is rumored that the iWatch will run full iOS, a device of that size and required standby battery life will need as little RAM as possible. I think Apple will tout reduced memory usage in iOS 8, just like they did with OS X Mavericks last year. Following the biggest operating system rewrite since iPhone OS 1, Apple will need to reduce the resource consumption of this mobile OS.