New iPad Pro’s, clearing what little ram we got

[jsmith1]

So I did end up getting the iPad Pro 11 coming from the iPad Pro 9.7. Clearing ram was easy and needed help ing with page refreshes etc...

For sure these are overpriced by a lot and if I had had the iPad Pro 10.5, not a chance I would have gotten this but that’s another thread

So with the same amount of leftover ram as LAST year’s model what’s the best way to keep clear?

 

[Robertjan88]

So I did end up getting the iPad Pro 11 coming from the iPad Pro 9.7. Clearing ram was easy and needed help ing with page refreshes etc...

For sure these are overpriced by a lot and if I had had the iPad Pro 10.5, not a chance I would have gotten this but that’s another thread

So with the same amount of leftover ram as LAST year’s model what’s the best way to keep clear?

I think you have some apps for this, however I am not sure how well they are doing their job.

Closing background apps is still your best option.

 

[aakshey]

Accessibility - Gestures - Enable home button

Do normally.

 

[Robertjan88]

Accessibility - Gestures - Enable home button

Do normally.

? What does this do?

 

[aakshey]

Gets you a virtual home button.

 

[ZEEN0j]

iOS handles this fine

 

[HDFan]

So I did end up getting the iPad Pro 11 coming from the iPad Pro 9.7. Clearing ram was easy and needed help ing with page refreshes etc...

iOS handles this fine

You are saying that you had performance issues due to RAM usage? How did you measure that? IOS generally handles memory very efficiently. I've had 40 or more programs "open" at a time on last year's iPad Pro and have never seen a performance hit or out of memory errors.

 

[akash.nu]

You are saying that you had performance issues due to RAM usage? How did you measure that? IOS generally handles memory very efficiently. I've had 40 or more programs "open" at a time on last year's iPad Pro and have never seen a performance hit or out of memory errors.

Completely agree. In fact I never manually kill any apps.

 

[ericwn]

Completely agree. In fact I never manually kill any apps.

Same here. The system can manage performance on its own and doesn’t need me doing any manual closing apps or the like.

 

[aevan]

So I did end up getting the iPad Pro 11 coming from the iPad Pro 9.7. Clearing ram was easy and needed help ing with page refreshes etc...

For sure these are overpriced by a lot and if I had had the iPad Pro 10.5, not a chance I would have gotten this but that’s another thread

So with the same amount of leftover ram as LAST year’s model what’s the best way to keep clear?

No need to do anything. I’ve been working on a 4Gb iPad Pro for two years with some demanding apps like Clip Studio Pro (working with multiple 4000x5000 PSD files in it) and running several apps alongside it and iPad managed RAM just fine. And I remember a test where this guy opened like 30 tabs in Safari or something.

I love your post, though. “What little RAM we have” (like the new iPads somehow don’t have sufficient RAM) “Same amount of RAM as LAST year” (like that’s somehow unexpected), etc. Oh, boy.

Just use your new iPad and don’t think about RAM. It self-manages and you won’t have any problems. Just find a way to use what little cores we have

 

[zhenya]

Here is a question from another 9.7” iPP user. Is 4GB of RAM enough that Safari no longer dumps pages in the background, or if you are using multiple programs, those programs don’t get closed? With 2GB this still frequently happens, and it means using the iPP as a ‘real’ computer replacement is much more difficult. I don’t even see this issue being addressed in the reviews anymore - but this seems to me like a fatal flaw in the iPad as a workhorse machine - you can’t be in the middle of a complex workflow and leave it up to chance that your programs stay open.

 

[secretk]

Here is a question from another 9.7” iPP user. Is 4GB of RAM enough that Safari no longer dumps pages in the background, or if you are using multiple programs, those programs don’t get closed? With 2GB this still frequently happens, and it means using the iPP as a ‘real’ computer replacement is much more difficult. I don’t even see this issue being addressed in the reviews anymore - but this seems to me like a fatal flaw in the iPad as a workhorse machine - you can’t be in the middle of a complex workflow and leave it up to chance that your programs stay open.

Very good point. I am with regular 2018 iPad (6th gen) and suffer from this daily. 2 GB are so not enough to do anything serious. I am interested in how people see the difference in the RAM between the regular one and the Pro version. For reference I have 64 apps, I usually have more than 15/20 tabs in Safari and I use apps like Procreate and others for digital art. Trust me when I tell you that in that case 2 GB is not enough. It's especially seen in ProCreate. It's a tad slow.

Of course I never planned to use the iPad as a laptop replacement (pure regular typing and text editing is PITA there so thanks but no) so I am OK with what I get considering what I paid for and what I expected. I am just wondering on how the Pros handle such workflows.

 

[TrueBlou]

Here is a question from another 9.7” iPP user. Is 4GB of RAM enough that Safari no longer dumps pages in the background, or if you are using multiple programs, those programs don’t get closed? With 2GB this still frequently happens, and it means using the iPP as a ‘real’ computer replacement is much more difficult. I don’t even see this issue being addressed in the reviews anymore - but this seems to me like a fatal flaw in the iPad as a workhorse machine - you can’t be in the middle of a complex workflow and leave it up to chance that your programs stay open.

Yes and no, certainly not apps being closed. Though that depends on what you mean by closed. If you mean disappearing from the app switcher, that's another thing altogether. If you mean, I can see it in the app switcher so it must be running, no.

There are very, very few apps which are actually allowed to remain active for any length of time in the background with iOS. Music players, VoIP, Apples eMail you know the sort of thing.

When you switch an app from the foreground (using it) to the background on iOS, they will switch to the Suspended state within a few seconds. All well and good, you can still switch back into them and pickup where you left off. Some apps can request some extra time to finish background tasks, but will still enter the Suspended state when they finish those.

Your apps can remain in the Suspended state, really until iOS deems it necessary to free up memory. At which point the app is changed from Suspended to Not Running state. At this point all you're seeing in the app switcher is nothing more than a placeholder for the app.

So, when you switch between apps, if it is in the Suspended state, you shouldn't notice much, if any difference than when you left it. If it is in the Not Running state, the app is essentially starting up again, so things need to be refreshed/reloaded. Safari is no different.

All of which gets us to this, yes the 4GB makes a difference compared to 2GB, more apps can remain in the Suspended state, or fewer apps for longer. Any increase in RAM will always have this effect with iOS.

However, the trouble is, we have no control over what apps are Suspended and which are Not Running, iOS decides that based on how much RAM it needs to free up.

So it literally all comes down to what other apps you're using in-between switching away from an app. The more memory your Active app requires, the more chance there is of something being moved from Suspended to Not Running. So yeah, 4GB does help, but it's down to your workload to how much.

 

[zhenya]

Thanks, yes, I understand how iOS works. I suspect 4GB would make my use case a bit smoother, but honestly the iPad can’t move into the mainstream as a full computer replacement until that uncertainty is eliminated. Imagine if your Mac worked the same way. You’re working on a web site update, jump into Photoshop to make some edits, pop back to Safari and it re-loads your session. Completely untenable. It’s time for iOS to get a page file so your work is reliably persistent.

 

[secretk]

Yes and no, certainly not apps being closed. Though that depends on what you mean by closed. If you mean disappearing from the app switcher, that's another thing altogether. If you mean, I can see it in the app switcher so it must be running, no.

There are very, very few apps which are actually allowed to remain active for any length of time in the background with iOS. Music players, VoIP, Apples eMail you know the sort of thing.

When you switch an app from the foreground (using it) to the background on iOS, they will switch to the Suspended state within a few seconds. All well and good, you can still switch back into them and pickup where you left off. Some apps can request some extra time to finish background tasks, but will still enter the Suspended state when they finish those.

Your apps can remain in the Suspended state, really until iOS deems it necessary to free up memory. At which point the app is changed from Suspended to Not Running state. At this point all you're seeing in the app switcher is nothing more than a placeholder for the app.

So, when you switch between apps, if it is in the Suspended state, you shouldn't notice much, if any difference than when you left it. If it is in the Not Running state, the app is essentially starting up again, so things need to be refreshed/reloaded. Safari is no different.

All of which gets us to this, yes the 4GB makes a difference compared to 2GB, more apps can remain in the Suspended state, or fewer apps for longer. Any increase in RAM will always have this effect with iOS.

However, the trouble is, we have no control over what apps are Suspended and which are Not Running, iOS decides that based on how much RAM it needs to free up.

So it literally all comes down to what other apps you're using in-between switching away from an app. The more memory your Active app requires, the more chance there is of something being moved from Suspended to Not Running. So yeah, 4GB does help, but it's down to your workload to how much.

Thanks a lot for the explanation! In general I had a good idea, but it's definitely better when someone writes it down so clearly!

Based on this and my observations with my 6th gen iPad Pro I would say it needs more than 2 GB RAM, even more than 4 if I don't want it to reload apps at all. This reloading is just not efficient for me. And it has negative impact on my workflow. For example I wanted to take a voice recording of a meeting that was 2 hours long. Well guess what the app decided to reload itself in the middle of the meeting and luckily I saw it and started recording again. Otherwise I would have lost half of the meeting.

 

[TrueBlou]

Thanks a lot for the explanation! In general I had a good idea, but it's definitely better when someone writes it down so clearly!

Based on this and my observations with my 6th gen iPad Pro I would say it needs more than 2 GB RAM, even more than 4 if I don't want it to reload apps at all. This reloading is just not efficient for me. And it has negative impact on my workflow. For example I wanted to take a voice recording of a meeting that was 2 hours long. Well guess what the app decided to reload itself in the middle of the meeting and luckily I saw it and started recording again. Otherwise I would have lost half of the meeting.

So long as you remember it'll still happen, just less

Don't forget about split screen though. It's handy for some things without resorting to closing your current app.
I'm surprised your voice recording decided to bail out. Was your iPads screen locked?

 

[secretk]

So long as you remember it'll still happen, just less

More or like I have to get used to it because for me it happens every day numerous times.

Don't forget about split screen though. It's handy for some things without resorting to closing your current app.

With me it's never easy. I have some eye issues (both myopia and astigmatism) and I don't see well. In split view I don't see enough. I like the concept but I need bigger screen (like at least 15.6 inch to be able to see). On the other hand the bigger iPads (12.9) are way too big for me and heavy. I have also wrist issues and I can't carry on such device. But I am weirdo. You have to pay me to use a phone more than 4.6 inch for the same reason. I either use small devices that I can carry on my hand or I use my 15.6 inch laptop that I can put on my lap. Anything between 4.6 inch and 15.6 inch is weird for me and I can't find a comfortable way of using it.

I use the iPad mostly as digital notebook so I basically put it on the desk the way you would put a notebook. If I am in a place where I have another computer (so at home or at work) I just use my second device for browsing. If I am outside in a coffee for example then I have no other option but to use the iPad and this is where it's just cumbersome for me.

I'm surprised your voice recording decided to bail out. Was your iPads screen locked?

Yes my screen was locked.

 

[TrueBlou]

More or like I have to get used to it because for me it happens every day numerous times.



With me it's never easy. I have some eye issues (both myopia and astigmatism) and I don't see well. In split view I don't see enough. I like the concept but I need bigger screen (like at least 15.6 inch to be able to see). On the other hand the bigger iPads (12.9) are way too big for me and heavy. I have also wrist issues and I can't carry on such device. But I am weirdo. You have to pay me to use a phone more than 4.6 inch for the same reason. I either use small devices that I can carry on my hand or I use my 15.6 inch laptop that I can put on my lap. Anything between 4.6 inch and 15.6 inch is weird for me and I can't find a comfortable way of using it.

I use the iPad mostly as digital notebook so I basically put it on the desk the way you would put a notebook. If I am in a place where I have another computer (so at home or at work) I just use my second device for browsing. If I am outside in a coffee for example then I have no other option but to use the iPad and this is where it's just cumbersome for me.



Yes my screen was locked.

Hey, don’t call yourself a weirdo, you’re never alone.
I’ve got severe nerve damage. But I love the screen size of the 12.9, one of, if not my most favourite things this year is that they made it smaller and lighter. It’s so much easier to manage.

Anyway, I’d hazard a guess you would benefit from the larger amount of RAM, it does make a difference.

Out of curiosity, was it the Apple voice recorder you use?

 

[secretk]

Hey, don’t call yourself a weirdo, you’re never alone.

True there are some others like me .

I’ve got severe nerve damage. But I love the screen size of the 12.9, one of, if not my most favourite things this year is that they made it smaller and lighter. It’s so much easier to manage.

This is great! They did improve this aspect for sure. However that's still not enough for me. I find my 9.7 inch iPad heavy to hold like that. No matter how much they improve the 12.9 inch it still will be heavy. Hell even the mini would be heavy for me for longer periods of time. I lack the muscle strength to do this.

Anyway, I’d hazard a guess you would benefit from the larger amount of RAM, it does make a difference.

I definitely would like more RAM, but the iPad Pros are too expensive in my country. For the price of even the old iPad Pro I bought my laptop. And my laptop has 512 SSD, 1 TB HDD, 8 GB RAM that I can expand to 32 GB RAM and runs Windows which I like more. However let's forget that laptop because it does not have touch screen and it's 15.6. Well I can buy 2 in 1 13.3 inch laptop that has touch screen with 512 GB SSD, 16 GB RAM for that price and Windows which in my case it's a pro. And it comes with pencil. Granted not as good as Apple Pencil for drawing, but I would use it for taking notes so for that it's OK.

I think the new iPad Pros are great for people that can use them as their main device. I can't. I am not into the tablet experience (outside of using it as eReader and digital notebook) so for me it would be overspending. You never know how I will feel in the future, but that's how I see things now.

Out of curiosity, was it the Apple voice recorder you use?

I used Evernote.

 

[TrueBlou]

True there are some others like me .



This is great! They did improve this aspect for sure. However that's still not enough for me. I find my 9.7 inch iPad heavy to hold like that. No matter how much they improve the 12.9 inch it still will be heavy. Hell even the mini would be heavy for me for longer periods of time. I lack the muscle strength to do this.



I definitely would like more RAM, but the iPad Pros are too expensive in my country. For the price of even the old iPad Pro I bought my laptop. And my laptop has 512 SSD, 1 TB HDD, 8 GB RAM that I can expand to 32 GB RAM and runs Windows which I like more. However let's forget that laptop because it does not have touch screen and it's 15.6. Well I can buy 2 in 1 13.3 inch laptop that has touch screen with 512 GB SSD, 16 GB RAM for that price and Windows which in my case it's a pro. And it comes with pencil. Granted not as good as Apple Pencil for drawing, but I would use it for taking notes so for that it's OK.

I think the new iPad Pros are great for people that can use them as their main device. I can't. I am not into the tablet experience (outside of using it as eReader and digital notebook) so for me it would be overspending. You never know how I will feel in the future, but that's how I see things now.



I used Evernote.

Yeah the iPad Pro is a bit bloody expensive everywhere I think

If you find even the 9.7 a bit heavy it’s just a shame they don’t do an iPad mini with Pencil support.... So far.

Of course Apple isn’t the only styli purveyor. I used to use an Adonit Jot with good success before Apple brought out the Pencil. Yeah it’s not as good, but it works. (I went through dozens of stili before the Pencil, it was getting ridiculous )

 

[secretk]

Yeah the iPad Pro is a bit bloody expensive everywhere I think

Unfortunately yes. And I am not saying it's not a good device, but it's still rather expensive for what I need. I am not true artist (talent is not what I have) and due to my eyes issues I do all of my media consumption on 15.6 inch display or above. And I spend like 15/16 hours on a computers daily so I need a device that could be plugged in constantly.

If you find even the 9.7 a bit heavy it’s just a shame they don’t do an iPad mini with Pencil support.... So far.

The mini does look really good and it's definitely less heavy, but then I might not be able to see properly with it. That being said I think that it's good as an eReader while you travel. A lot of people commute every day to work and could read on such device while there. I can't read when I am travelling so for me it's about listening to music. Constantly.

Of course Apple isn’t the only styli purveyor. I used to use an Adonit Jot with good success before Apple brought out the Pencil. Yeah it’s not as good, but it works. (I went through dozens of stili before the Pencil, it was getting ridiculous )

Yeah, Apple pencil is definitely good. One thing I have to find though is some grip. The pencil is too slippery and it does not help with my wrist issues. I will have to find some skin or something for it.

 

[TrueBlou]

Unfortunately yes. And I am not saying it's not a good device, but it's still rather expensive for what I need. I am not true artist (talent is not what I have) and due to my eyes issues I do all of my media consumption on 15.6 inch display or above. And I spend like 15/16 hours on a computers daily so I need a device that could be plugged in constantly.



The mini does look really good and it's definitely less heavy, but then I might not be able to see properly with it. That being said I think that it's good as an eReader while you travel. A lot of people commute every day to work and could read on such device while there. I can't read when I am travelling so for me it's about listening to music. Constantly.



Yeah, Apple pencil is definitely good. One thing I have to find though is some grip. The pencil is too slippery and it does not help with my wrist issues. I will have to find some skin or something for it.

Getting a grip on a stylus can be a problem, of that there is no doubt. but if you get stuck, shoot me off a PM with what stylus you have and what your needs are and I'll 3D print you one for free, it can make a big difference.

 

[sunking101]

? What does this do?

Uses more RAM lol.

 

[secretk]

Getting a grip on a stylus can be a problem, of that there is no doubt. but if you get stuck, shoot me off a PM with what stylus you have and what your needs are and I'll 3D print you one for free, it can make a big difference.

Oh I would not want to cause you a trouble . I use the 1st gen Apple Pencil. In my country unfortunately there is not option for a grip, but I think there are some in Amazon for selling. What sucks is that I have a case for the Apple pencil (Belkin one) and if I buy a grip, the pencil won't fit in the case. This is why I have been holding off the purchase.

First world problems . It's not easy.

 

[TrueBlou]

Oh I would not want to cause you a trouble . I use the 1st gen Apple Pencil. In my country unfortunately there is not option for a grip, but I think there are some in Amazon for selling. What sucks is that I have a case for the Apple pencil (Belkin one) and if I buy a grip, the pencil won't fit in the case. This is why I have been holding off the purchase.

First world problems . It's not easy.

Ha, yeah nothing ever seems to be just how we want it. But if you change your mind about a grip just let me know. It’s not a hassle, I’ve got 4 3D printers, at least one of them is usually doing nothing.