iPad Two Generations behind iPhone

[macduke]

It's really weird to think that Apple's "Pro" level iPad device is now two generations behind the iPhone in terms of performance, and now that the XS matches it in RAM, you've got a pocketable computer that is faster than the current marketing-leading large tablet billed as a laptop replacement. They really need to hurry up and get this thing out the door because it's kind of embarrassing that the iPad is so far behind. Even the iPhone 8 had it beat in terms of performance (RAM aside) within months of release. I'd welcome a shift back to autumn releases of the iPad just so that the new version is always faster than the current iPhone. I just can't think of a MacBook that was ever two generations ahead of the MacBook Pro in speed. Not a perfect comparison but it's still weird.

I'm hoping they at least have 6GB of RAM (8GB would be preferred at this point to really push the limits of what type of apps can be developed and future iOS capabilities) and I'm hoping the A12X can at least run 20% faster than the XS. I think they could really push the GPU as well to do @3X retina, but at 120Hz it could be a close call on whether it happens. It will probably use the same sort of LCD tech used on the iPhone XR though, and maybe in another year or two switch to OLED or even mLED if Apple goes all-in on that. I'm also kinda wondering if the reason they're doing the iPad and Mac together is because they are wanting to group them together more closely. I feel like we're going to see the iPad diverge more from the iPhone and become more Mac-like. We've already seen that start in iOS 11 and I think this event could push it even further.

 

[PeteBurgh]

kind of embarrassing that the iPad is so far behind

Embarrassing for whom? Embarrassing for or Apple, who are in a dominant, lucrative position in the tablet market? Embarrassing for the customers, who can't stop buying these things and giving them great satisfaction ratings?

It's always worth bearing in mind that, as people who pay attention close attention to product specs, we're a tiny minority of customers. I wonder what proportion of iPhone/iPad owners could say how much RAM the product they use everyday has - 1 in a 100? 1 in a 1,000? From the perspective of those of us obsessed with specs, there are always likely to be anomalies in terms of whether product ranges are symmetrical/aligned with each other, or tiered in satisfyingly even ways, and so on.

I'm not saying you're wrong necessarily about the iPad Pro being behind the iPhone...but then, it's about to be updated isn't it? My (unsolicited) advice: enjoy the products (or don't!), and don't worry too much about whether everything is updated according to some arbitrary schedule or sequence.

 

[acorntoy]

While there is an A10X in the Pro's and an A12 in the new phones, I highly doubt the phones could compete if pushed hard for a long period of time compared to the pros. The iPhone can harness all of its cores, but for a short amount of time, and then it'll have to throttle itself down to its two high performance cores, with all 6 it edges out the pro by a little, I doubt it'll do it with just the two. I imagine the Pro can just use its three cores for longer and overall better performance.

Also you forgot to point out it still has MUCH better graphics than the new iPhones. https://browser.geekbench.com/ios-benchmarks (metal)
The A10X GPU is still a BEAST compared to the iPhone (PowerVR Vs Apple own GPU) if I had to guess Apple waited until they could design their own GPU for the iPad that beats the one A10X, further distancing themselves on being reliant on another company, even if it delayed the release. The new iPad will probably be the first with a Apple GPU, like the iPhone 7 to 8 (First Apple GPU) it'll probably be a modest performance gain with good efficiency improvements.

Ram I got nothing to say, 4GB seems perfectly adequate but with the phones having it and how they advertise the iPad's they should release one with at least 5/6GB.

 

[macduke]

Embarrassing for whom? Embarrassing for or Apple, who are in a dominant, lucrative position in the tablet market? Embarrassing for the customers, who can't stop buying these things and giving them great satisfaction ratings?

It's always worth bearing in mind that, as people who pay attention close attention to product specs, we're a tiny minority of customers. I wonder what proportion of iPhone/iPad owners could say how much RAM the product they use everyday has - 1 in a 100? 1 in a 1,000? From the perspective of those of us obsessed with specs, there are always likely to be anomalies in terms of whether product ranges are symmetrical/aligned with each other, or tiered in satisfyingly even ways, and so on.

I'm not saying you're wrong necessarily about the iPad Pro being behind the iPhone...but then, it's about to be updated isn't it? My (unsolicited) advice: enjoy the products (or don't!), and don't worry too much about whether everything is updated according to some arbitrary schedule or sequence.

Everything you said is true for the iPad, but is not true for the iPad Pro. Apple has always reserved the Pro moniker for their top of the line devices aimed at professional users. Whether or not that is actually true for most people, that is their stated goal for the iPad Pro, and there actually are a lot of illustrators and photographers who use the device, myself included. The iPad Pro is slower than a two generation old iPhone that is a quarter of the size. It's embarrassing for the iPad Pro line overall because it makes it look like Apple has abandoned it and doesn't give a crap. It means that iPad sales will continue to dwindle. Who wants to buy an iPad Pro that is slower than an old iPhone 8? When the sales numbers go down, it reinforces to Apple that they shouldn't put as much effort into developing the product and I don't want that to happen. For what it's worth, I still think the iPad Pro is decent, but I'm anxious to see what it could be and where it could go. I don't feel like there is enough innovation in the iPad product line any more. I would really love to use it for more advanced computing. I'm hopeful hearing the leaks about a bunch of new iPad external display support stuff being found in the new iOS 12 code. It would be great to have a device that can seamlessly move from touch UI to desktop UI depending on whether or not it's docked. The A12X will be plenty fast enough.

 

[acorntoy]

Everything you said is true for the iPad, but is not true for the iPad Pro. Apple has always reserved the Pro moniker for their top of the line devices aimed at professional users. Whether or not that is actually true for most people, that is their stated goal for the iPad Pro, and there actually are a lot of illustrators and photographers who use the device, myself included. The iPad Pro is slower than a two generation old iPhone that is a quarter of the size. It's embarrassing for the iPad Pro line overall because it makes it look like Apple has abandoned it and doesn't give a crap. It means that iPad sales will continue to dwindle. Who wants to buy an iPad Pro that is slower than an old iPhone 8? When the sales numbers go down, it reinforces to Apple that they shouldn't put as much effort into developing the product and I don't want that to happen. For what it's worth, I still think the iPad Pro is decent, but I'm anxious to see what it could be and where it could go. I don't feel like there is enough innovation in the iPad product line any more. I would really love to use it for more advanced computing. I'm hopeful hearing the leaks about a bunch of new iPad external display support stuff being found in the new iOS 12 code. It would be great to have a device that can seamlessly move from touch UI to desktop UI depending on whether or not it's docked. The A12X will be plenty fast enough.

Eh like I said it all depends on wether the iPad is less prone to throttling, which common sense says hopefully is yes. The entire 6 cores of the A11 -barely- squeaked by the 3 power cores in the A10X, how long can the phone keep that up? Apple even advertises the phones capabilities as "when a power boost is needed" thats for a short period of time, just a boost. The iPad can most definitely keep up especially if you have longer tasks like full videos to edit or other "pro" situations where an iPad would be more suitable than a phone.

 

[PeteBurgh]

I guess we enjoy our products in different ways.

Who wants to buy an iPad Pro that is slower than an old iPhone 8?

To my mind, whether or not iPad is faster than my phone is beside the point. I no more care about that comparison that whether it's shinier than a Toyota Camry, or has better packaging than my dishwasher. When thinking about or buying something like an iPad, my questions tend to be absolute, not comparative - does it do the thing I want it to do? Is the experience whilst doing so nice?

Of course you are free to be anxious and concerned about whatever you wish. But to invent arbitrary rules ("Apple must update its products on schedule x"; "the iPhone and iPad product lines must be in sync") and then claim that it's "embarrassing", or that Apple "doesn't care", or that dire consequences for the future of the platform will surely follow when those imaginary rules are broken seems...well, exhausting!

Postscript - a reminder that the "old iPhone 8" was introduced less than a year ago! It's hardly like it's a pre-WW2 relic...

 

[TheRealAlex]

It's really weird to think that Apple's "Pro" level iPad device is now two generations behind the iPhone in terms of performance, and now that the XS matches it in RAM, you've got a pocketable computer that is faster than the current marketing-leading large tablet billed as a laptop replacement. They really need to hurry up and get this thing out the door because it's kind of embarrassing that the iPad is so far behind. Even the iPhone 8 had it beat in terms of performance (RAM aside) within months of release. I'd welcome a shift back to autumn releases of the iPad just so that the new version is always faster than the current iPhone. I just can't think of a MacBook that was ever two generations ahead of the MacBook Pro in speed. Not a perfect comparison but it's still weird.

I'm hoping they at least have 6GB of RAM (8GB would be preferred at this point to really push the limits of what type of apps can be developed and future iOS capabilities) and I'm hoping the A12X can at least run 20% faster than the XS. I think they could really push the GPU as well to do @3X retina, but at 120Hz it could be a close call on whether it happens. It will probably use the same sort of LCD tech used on the iPhone XR though, and maybe in another year or two switch to OLED or even mLED if Apple goes all-in on that. I'm also kinda wondering if the reason they're doing the iPad and Mac together is because they are wanting to group them together more closely. I feel like we're going to see the iPad diverge more from the iPhone and become more Mac-like. We've already seen that start in iOS 11 and I think this event could push it even further.

All true and when it releases it will be 4 Generations ahead of Any tablet on the Market.
I do Make a Distintion of Tablet vs Phone Vs PC

Microsoft’s and it’s Surface machines are PCs and Not Tablets.

A Tablet is a unique device and there is a market for all three devices.

I really Like Android but they are the Worst Tablets on the Market with that OS.

Windows 10 I really don’t need another Windows 10 PC.

iOS in a Tablet form is Secure, Fast, and Has Many benefits.

We are just blessed in the Phone world to be 2 generations ahead of iPad Pros. Which makes us 6 Generations ahead of the best Android Tablet on the market.

And I do like Android Phones but it’s just that. Android Has Zero security. And I could not pass up a XsMAX at $4.00 a Month.

 

[AlexJoda]

All true and when it releases it will be 4 Generations ahead of Any tablet on the Market.
I do Make a Distintion of Tablet vs Phone Vs PC

Microsoft’s and it’s Surface machines are PCs and Not Tablets.

A Tablet is a unique device and there is a market for all three devices.

I really Like Android but they are the Worst Tablets on the Market with that OS.

Windows 10 I really don’t need another Windows 10 PC.

iOS in a Tablet form is Secure, Fast, and Has Many benefits.

We are just blessed in the Phone world to be 2 generations ahead of iPad Pros. Which makes us 6 Generations ahead of the best Android Tablet on the market.

And I do like Android Phones but it’s just that. Android Has Zero security. And I could not pass up a XsMAX at $4.00 a Month.

Regrading the Surface "Tablets" one might add that a touchscreen does not make a tablet computer. On the other side I would like to see some more features from productive computers in the otherwise perfect tablet OS (IOS). Sometimes you need indirect access to the iPads (which is also documented with the addition of the Smart Keyboard) and in that case a touchscreen is not the best input method. Apple please give us a mouse, trackpad or anything that avoids switching between an keyboard and a vertical standing display and is a more precise pointing device...

 

[old-wiz]

In Apple advertising "Pro" is just an advertising term.

 

[mofunk]

I thought the iPad was a mobile device comparable to the MacBooks and not the phone? I don't get the speed analogy when your task are different with the iPad and iPhone. Who walks around with an iPad in their pocket? lol Actually I was just looking at a photo I took with the iPad Pro. I was quite pleased with it. And again I couldn't see myself walking around with the iPad in my pocket and taking photos.

iPad Pro are geared towards Creative people and Business minded folks. They are another extension from our Macs and sometimes iPhones. I've been talking with my real estate friends who could use the iPad more than an iPhone.

I really don't see it being behind the iPhone when both iOS devices have a lot of the features from the Newton lol. IJS

 

[iPadified]

I agree that iPad should get more attention in form of raw power over iPhones. Apps (games and productivity) get more competent everyday for iPad and we need corresponding power in the processors and RAM amount. We should also remember that split view and slide over puts large demands on the hardware compared to the iPhone.

Interesting observation: exporting Keynote animations to movies is equally fast on an A9X as a 8-core xeon!

 

[pika2000]

The A10X pretty much performs as fast as the A11, and its GPU is still faster than the A12. So I would say the A10X is just a "0.5 generation" behind based on its performance.

Besides, the "Pro" market is a bit different than the consumer market. One can see the "Pro" market to be similar to the enterprise market, where there is willingness to pay more for premium performance, while at the same time expect longer life-cycle on the product itself. I'm sure Apple is still learning its way back into these market (after dropping X-serve and failing to get traction on their new Mac Pro). Apple seems to ensure the A10X' performance be able to survive 1 to 2 generation ahead of its normal consumer cycle. And I don't think people would mind either, seeing they have better longevity on their investment, that is until Apple release the newer iPad Pro. But that's a completely different argument.

 

[joeblow7777]

Everything you said is true for the iPad, but is not true for the iPad Pro. Apple has always reserved the Pro moniker for their top of the line devices aimed at professional users. Whether or not that is actually true for most people, that is their stated goal for the iPad Pro, and there actually are a lot of illustrators and photographers who use the device, myself included. The iPad Pro is slower than a two generation old iPhone that is a quarter of the size. It's embarrassing for the iPad Pro line overall because it makes it look like Apple has abandoned it and doesn't give a crap. It means that iPad sales will continue to dwindle. Who wants to buy an iPad Pro that is slower than an old iPhone 8? When the sales numbers go down, it reinforces to Apple that they shouldn't put as much effort into developing the product and I don't want that to happen. For what it's worth, I still think the iPad Pro is decent, but I'm anxious to see what it could be and where it could go. I don't feel like there is enough innovation in the iPad product line any more. I would really love to use it for more advanced computing. I'm hopeful hearing the leaks about a bunch of new iPad external display support stuff being found in the new iOS 12 code. It would be great to have a device that can seamlessly move from touch UI to desktop UI depending on whether or not it's docked. The A12X will be plenty fast enough.

Apple has always reserved the Pro moniker for devices aimed at people willing to pay a lot more for a little extra functionality. Apple’s not embarrassed and neither are the people shelling out the cash.

 

[muzzy996]

Apple has always reserved the Pro moniker for devices aimed at people willing to pay a lot more for a little extra functionality. Apple’s not embarrassed and neither are the people shelling out the cash.

Correct because the "little extra functionality" has value to those who choose to purchase the higher end line and value is a subjective thing.

 

[AppleHaterLover]

Except for the Mac Mini (which is the exception that confirms the rule), when people start complaining that Apple stuff is outdated, an update is JUST around the corner.

It happened with the MBP 2018, remember? Threads with millions of pages here in MacRumors complaining about how Apple did not care about the MBP anymore, and then came the i9s.

I think we'll have some interesting new stuff this month. I think it'll push the limits both in technology and my American Express...

 

[pauloctavio]

It's really weird to think that Apple's "Pro" level iPad device is now two generations behind the iPhone in terms of performance, and now that the XS matches it in RAM, you've got a pocketable computer that is faster than the current marketing-leading large tablet billed as a laptop replacement. They really need to hurry up and get this thing out the door because it's kind of embarrassing that the iPad is so far behind. Even the iPhone 8 had it beat in terms of performance (RAM aside) within months of release. I'd welcome a shift back to autumn releases of the iPad just so that the new version is always faster than the current iPhone. I just can't think of a MacBook that was ever two generations ahead of the MacBook Pro in speed. Not a perfect comparison but it's still weird.

I'm hoping they at least have 6GB of RAM (8GB would be preferred at this point to really push the limits of what type of apps can be developed and future iOS capabilities) and I'm hoping the A12X can at least run 20% faster than the XS. I think they could really push the GPU as well to do @3X retina, but at 120Hz it could be a close call on whether it happens. It will probably use the same sort of LCD tech used on the iPhone XR though, and maybe in another year or two switch to OLED or even mLED if Apple goes all-in on that. I'm also kinda wondering if the reason they're doing the iPad and Mac together is because they are wanting to group them together more closely. I feel like we're going to see the iPad diverge more from the iPhone and become more Mac-like. We've already seen that start in iOS 11 and I think this event could push it even further.

regardless of whether it postponed the discharge. The new iPad will presumably be the first with an Apple GPU, similar to the iPhone 7 to 8 (First Apple GPU) it'll most likely be an unobtrusive execution gain with great proficiency upgrades.