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About the iPad RAM

W

Wilkinsons

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 6, 2009
16
5
No, I will not whine about the fact that the new iPhone has more RAM than the iPad. It is what it is. However, having a JB iPhone 3GS with SBSettings installed I often monitor the amount of free RAM I have. I often find that I want to reboot or free up memory when I have ~60mb or less available (and this happens quite often) because the phone gets noticeably slower.

Is there a similar issue with the iPad? Or does it "eat" less RAM overall (because the lack of GSM/3G, for example) ?
 
Wilkinsons said:
No, I will not whine about the fact that the new iPhone has more RAM than the iPad. It is what it is. However, having a JB iPhone 3GS with SBSettings installed I often monitor the amount of free RAM I have. I often find that I want to reboot or free up memory when I have ~60mb or less available (and this happens quite often) because the phone gets noticeably slower.

Is there a similar issue with the iPad? Or does it "eat" less RAM overall?
Click to expand...

I've restarted my ipad only once since I've had it. It must not be that important. Just my guess..
 
The faster CPU in the iPad also is able to perform an out-of-memory release a lot faster than the 3GS. I've never noticed slowness on my iPad due to lack of RAM, which is the exact opposite of my experience with my iPhone 3G.

My best advice is don't obsess over the RAM count via sbsettings, etc. That's the OS's job.
 
I've yet to struggle in any way with my iPad. Seems snappy just like the first time i used it and I don't remember EVER restarting it yet.
 
People bitching about the RAM are just looking at the numbers. They aren't looking at how the device operates.
 
shady825 said:
People bitching about the RAM are just looking at the numbers. They aren't looking at how the device operates.
Click to expand...

I had a "low memory" error just the other night while playing Rock Band and had to restart in order to play the game. I believe that the game was initially designed for the previous iPhone, so not much new in terms of programming, which is the scary part.

Wait till new apps start emerging that will take advantage of OS4. If its choking on Rock Band, its just the beginning. Don't worry though, Apple will be sure to upgrade in the next version.
 
i've had my ipad since launch date, and have had absolutely no problems with it since.

occasionally an app might quit and return me to the home screen, but that's only happened at most twice, and both times, i was trying to do too many things at once in the apps, so it was more or less my own fault for overloading my ipad.
 
shady825 said:
People bitching about the RAM are just looking at the numbers. They aren't looking at how the device operates.
Click to expand...

It operates fine *right now*. But when it's running the same OS as the new iPHone--which was specked out with DOUBLE the ram, supposedly for SOME good reason--how then will it perform?

Therein lies the concern for me. Because I view the multi-tasking deal as the biggest aggravation/deficiency with the iPad.
 
Wilkinsons said:
No, I will not whine about the fact that the new iPhone has more RAM than the iPad. It is what it is. However, having a JB iPhone 3GS with SBSettings installed I often monitor the amount of free RAM I have. I often find that I want to reboot or free up memory when I have ~60mb or less available (and this happens quite often) because the phone gets noticeably slower.

Is there a similar issue with the iPad? Or does it "eat" less RAM overall (because the lack of GSM/3G, for example) ?
Click to expand...

Unless you're a system (OS) level developer the odds that you understand what you're seeing with regards to memory are fairly slim. I say this not to be rude, but simply because it is fact. Most people and developers from the Windows world do not understand memory as it relates to *nix OSes. iPhone/iOS is a *nix based OS, complete with virtual memory management.

To make it insanely oversimplified, *nix OSes strive to use ALL memory at ALL times. This is because "free" memory is in fact WASTED memory. In any (decent) virtual memory based environment, any memory not being used actively by a running process should be used to cache and prefetch data and potential code pages. This is how MacOS works. And it's how iOS works. And linux. And basically every "good" operating system not called Windows.

Bottom line, the odds that any person, without looking at detailed instrumentation of the OS virtual memory manager could determine when is "right" time to free memory is virtually impossible.
 
Grievous Angel said:
It operates fine *right now*. But when it's running the same OS as the new iPHone--which was specked out with DOUBLE the ram, supposedly for SOME good reason--how then will it perform?

Therein lies the concern for me. Because I view the multi-tasking deal as the biggest aggravation/deficiency with the iPad.
Click to expand...

I try not to worry about problems don't actually exist yet. I'm satisfied with my iPad right now, it's doing what I expect it to with no problems.

I'll worry about the OS update when it rolls around in the fall.
 
cmvsm said:
I had a "low memory" error just the other night while playing Rock Band and had to restart in order to play the game. I believe that the game was initially designed for the previous iPhone, so not much new in terms of programming, which is the scary part.

Wait till new apps start emerging that will take advantage of OS4. If its choking on Rock Band, its just the beginning. Don't worry though, Apple will be sure to upgrade in the next version.
Click to expand...

The vast, vast majority of these types of errors are the result of bugs in the application you are running. If the application doesn't release memory then it will run out of memory eventually, regardless of how much the device has.

That is most likely what you experience with Rock Band.
 
pelicanflip said:
I try not to worry about problems don't actually exist yet. I'm satisfied with my iPad right now, it's doing what I expect it to with no problems.

I'll worry about the OS update when it rolls around in the fall.
Click to expand...

It's not that big of a leap.

You cannot dispute:
- Apple engineers felt the new iPhone needed twice the memory to get the most out of the new device/OS combination. They didn't throw it in there when 256 would have been enough.

If the iPad runs the *same* OS with the *same* apps, it's going to suffer (thinking of multitasking). It may not be noticeable doing routine things, one at a time, but there will be a point where the iPad is less capable. Period. You may have to push it to find it, and most people may not. I may not. The faster CPU (apparently they're dialing back the iPHone version of the chip) in the iPad may mask some of it.
 
AR15MBP said:
Shouldn't the iPhone require more ram, all things being equal, given it's telephony features?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't think "telephony features" would require much in the way of RAM.

Brick_Phone_Motorola_American_89031DAUBA_F247.jpg
 
I have to ask, what good will worrying about the RAM do us? It's not like we can go add more RAM to the iPad. It is what it is, we just have to live with it.
 
Night Spring said:
I have to ask, what good will worrying about the RAM do us? It's not like we can go add more RAM to the iPad. It is what it is, we just have to live with it.
Click to expand...

It's just a tad disappointing to drop 600+ dollars only to find this out a week or so later.

You'd expect the iPad to be the cadillac among the touch devices. I understand things get "obsolesced ". But the iPad engineers *had* to be aware of iOS4 developments. And let's be real--how much does 256mb of ram cost these days. Seriously.

I would have been bothered *less* by a slower processor. In all my years of computing (as a computer professional, computer science major, and all around general gadget geek), more ram was always better, and it was always the thing you wanted more of.

For a device to come out in 2010, cost 600 bucks, and have 256 meg of ram, when I just bought my mom a Gateway laptop with four gigs of ram--twelve times the amount of the ipad, for two hundred dollars less. I know, somewhat apples to oranges.

In isolation, that's not too bad. I didn't even think to check when buying it (but if asked to guess, I would have guessed more).

Apple essentially admits that 256 is not enough by doubling it in the new iPhone.

I'm not crying over it. But to poo poo it's significance strikes me as a little bit religious.
 
Grievous Angel said:
Apple essentially admits that 256 is not enough by doubling it in the new iPhone.

I'm not crying over it. But to poo poo it's significance strikes me as a little bit religious.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I agree with you about Apple admitting anything, but really, the only thing we can do is to not buy the iPad (or return or resell it if we already bought one). While I'm not that interested in the amouunt of RAM, I do admit I was a bit disappointed when I heard the iPhone 4 had a better display -- I thought, "D**n, couldn't they have put in that display on the iPad?" But you know, not like I can swap displays, so I put it behind me and moved on. What am I going to do, make myself miserable by thinking about it every time I look at the iPad? No, I'm just going to enjoy it for what it is, until I upgrade to the next model or the one after that.
 
Night Spring said:
I'm not sure I agree with you about Apple admitting anything, but really, the only thing we can do is to not buy the iPad (or return or resell it if we already bought one). While I'm not that interested in the amouunt of RAM, I do admit I was a bit disappointed when I heard the iPhone 4 had a better display -- I thought, "D**n, couldn't they have put in that display on the iPad?" But you know, not like I can swap displays, so I put it behind me and moved on. What am I going to do, make myself miserable by thinking about it every time I look at the iPad? No, I'm just going to enjoy it for what it is, until I upgrade to the next model or the one after that.
Click to expand...

The screen part doesn't bother me a bit. The iPad screen is fantastic and will undoubtedly continue to be so. If iOS 4 is a degraded experience on the iPad (relative to the iPhone) then it will be entirely because of the RAM.
 
The RAM upgrade in iPhone 4 is most certainly intended for video editing, doubtful it was seen as "needed" for other apps.
 
The amount of RAM does not bother me, nor does the screen resolution. It could have 10 times more RAM, or 10 times less, and it would make absolutely no difference to me. The iPad's performance is great right now with whatever amount of RAM It has.

Stop obsessing over the hardware and just enjoy the experience! I see people whining about things that can't be changed ... things that in all honesty don't affect the performance of the device one bit.

And, what other device out there does what the iPad does as well as the iPad? Go check out the Archos 7 if you want to see just how bad a tablet can be.
 
apple will support the iPad with 256 MB for two years with the latest iOS versions. Apps will also run for the next two years just fine with 256MB because there are simply to many devices out there with 256MB to ignore them as customers.

However in two years I wouldn't be surprised to see that not all features of the iOS6 or whatever version will be available. Also at that time we will see more and more apps that won't run nicely on the iPad anymore.

We have to face it. iPads are consumer devices not startegic investments. They work 2 years fine, another 2 years so so and then they are absolete.

I knew that when I bought the iPad and the ram situation doesn't change that at all. My iPad will be obsolete because there will be faster processors, faster wifi, faster G3/G4, better screen and such.
 
Grievous Angel said:
It's not that big of a leap.

You cannot dispute:
- Apple engineers felt the new iPhone needed twice the memory to get the most out of the new device/OS combination. They didn't throw it in there when 256 would have been enough.
Click to expand...

You're still making a leap in order to worry about something that may never happen. That's a pattern that can make for a crappy life.

And the term "You cannot dispute" is generally always off the mark when thrown about on a forum like this. You may be right, you may be wrong, but that phrase reflects the kind of "I'm right and you're wrong" mentality that seems to take over when people get to debate in a relatively anon setting. There's almost always a gray area with some middle ground.

The new phone-based iMovie app is new on the scene, to go with that nifty HD videocam and it could very well be the primary driver behind the increased RAM on iPhone4. Not to mention keeping up with the competition on the stat sheet.
 
Grievous Angel said:
The screen part doesn't bother me a bit. The iPad screen is fantastic and will undoubtedly continue to be so. If iOS 4 is a degraded experience on the iPad (relative to the iPhone) then it will be entirely because of the RAM.
Click to expand...

Hrm. That doesn't seem to be the case. both from anecdotal experience and from benchmarks.

I think this is another case of obsessing over specs and ignoring the experience. Specs are fairly objective, the experience is subjective, but what counts, really, is the experience.
 
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