[Merged] iPad RAM / multi-tasking thoughts / etc

[tkermit]

Apple should have asked macrumors members how much ram to build into the iPad because clearly they have no idea how to engineer computers and mobile devices!

No, no you're right. They have a great track record of putting ample amounts of RAM into the standard configuration of their computers

 

[aleni]

No, no you're right. They have a great track record of putting ample amounts of RAM into the standard configuration of their computers

reminds me of my poor mac mini 1.8ghz core 2 duo with only a default 1 gig of ram. poor lad.

 

[Eso]

Look up the definition of computer. The iphone is a computer, so is a PS3, so is a Xbox.

It must be really frustrating to converse with you...

Friend: Hey sinsin, can I have some of this leftover pizza?

Sinsin: Sure, just throw it in the computer for 2 minutes on high.

Friend: You guys want me to go pick up some more drinks at the store?

Sinsin: Oh, yeah! The keys to my computer are on the kitchen table, and don't forget the ice.

Sinsin: Dude, today was awesome! My computer goes off at 7 am so I could get to the Apple store to wait in line for the new computer. Before I leave though I sync my computer to my computer so I have some new songs to listen to on the computer in my computer. So I finally get there and I'm in line, right, and as I'm checking MacRumors.com on my computer to check the latest news about the new computer, my computer rings!

Finally the Apple employee calls me over, and I tell him I want the 64 GB computer. He runs over then comes back with the computer, pulls it out of the package, then connects it to the computer to sync it while he rings me up on his computer. The whole thing was pretty quick.

I hop in my computer and rush home to plug in my new computer into my computer and put all of my new apps and music on to it. It took awhile, but as soon as it was done, I grabbed my new computer and headed right for the couch! It feels so much more comfortable to use a computer than a computer to browse the web or check email while you are watching computer.

Friend: ...what?

 

[csnplt]

reminds me of my poor mac mini 1.8ghz core 2 duo with only a default 1 gig of ram. poor lad.

I notice the limited memory when I open up several tabs in Safari. Going back to the first completely reloads the page.

Otherwise, though, performance has been great (more to do with the A4). I only worry about multitasking, if it's coming as rumored in iPhone OS 4.0.

 

[sinsin07]

So, when someone asks about the model of your computer do you list all this crap? Then do not forget video and still cameras, TVs, printers, scanners etc. They all have "computers" in them.

What someone ask me and the actual definition is irrelevant.

Your statement: "It's closer in size to computers (bigger than some netbooks actually)" is where your confusion lies. Based on that logic, if the iPhone was as big as Mac, then it would be considered a computer, regardless of the fact the iphone has an OS, screen, input and output just like a Mac.
This is one of the rare cases where size doesn't matter.

It must be really frustrating to converse with you...

It must be impossible to have any conversation with you, thankfully I am limited to just macrumors.

However I did like your post but apparently you did not read how the other poster implied that the ipad was more of computer based on size as opposed to the iphone. Do you have a size issue also?

 

[sinsin07]

delete

 

[sth]

256mb may be okay for now but can become problematic in a few years when newer models come out and developers don't test their apps on first-generation hardware anymore.

Another thing is multitasking: Sure, the iPad does multitasking right now. iPhoneOS was a multi-tasking, multi-user operating system from the beginning but not much of that functionality is visible to the end-user.

Things like playing a song in the background don't chew up lots of memory, especially since all the UI elements can be unloaded from memory until the user opens the iPod app again. But if Apple would allow "full" multitasking, things would look different: Having multiple memory hogs open at the same time (like for example games) is not possible with the current iPhoneOS software architecture. iPhoneOS doesn't do swapping (using the hard-disk as additional RAM) at the moment and I can't imagine Apple implementing it in iPhoneOS 4.0 since it would reduce the life-span of the flash memory.

IMHO Apple will impose restrictions to multitasking, e.g. only allowing a low memory footprint for background apps or something like that. They might also come up with solutions to aid developers in reducing the footprint. Who knows, but I'm pretty sure we will see multitasking for user-apps eventually.

 

[phpmaven]

256mb may be okay for now but can become problematic in a few years when newer models come out and developers don't test their apps on first-generation hardware anymore.

Another thing is multitasking: Sure, the iPad does multitasking right now. iPhoneOS was a multi-tasking, multi-user operating system from the beginning but not much of that functionality is visible to the end-user.

Things like playing a song in the background don't chew up lots of memory, especially since all the UI elements can be unloaded from memory until the user opens the iPod app again. But if Apple would allow "full" multitasking, things would look different: Having multiple memory hogs open at the same time (like for example games) is not possible with the current iPhoneOS software architecture. iPhoneOS doesn't do swapping (using the hard-disk as additional RAM) at the moment and I can't imagine Apple implementing it in iPhoneOS 4.0 since it would reduce the life-span of the flash memory.

IMHO Apple will impose restrictions to multitasking, e.g. only allowing a low memory footprint for background apps or something like that. They might also come up with solutions to aid developers in reducing the footprint. Who knows, but I'm pretty sure we will see multitasking for user-apps eventually.

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