iPad Pro Struggling with the storage/RAM decision for 12.9"

[Adelphos33]

On the one hand, the storage for my current 2018 iPad Pro (256G) is fine, and 8GB RAM will probably be sufficient for a long time

On the other hand, this iPad is so expensive that I would want to keep it for five years or more. I could see adding a ton of photos and media to the iPad and using it as my main "media storage" computer (my MacBook will remain at 512GB). That suggests a 1 TB 16GB RAM model may be merited.

The price difference is meaningful - $600

Anyone else struggling with this decision?

 

[Momof9]

From what I understand, you might be able to use external hard drive’s on it. I also have a 128gb flash drive that works great with my 2018 iPP

 

[rui no onna]

How much storage are you using now?

I have a 512GB 2017 iPad Pro which is down to 27GB free at the moment. There's no space to store all my favorite MCU movies on it. Plus for SSD health, I like to keep 10-20% free so 5% is cutting it too close for my liking. At least for me, the decision to upgrade to 1TB is easy (been planning on that for a while).

I've got plenty of externals but it's not really an option I'd like to use on the iPad. Those would be a pain to use in a bed/couch setting and prone to getting disconnected if you move wrong.

 

[marty1980]

You can weigh that $600 cost difference with the cost of cloud and/or external storage. Then decide if the convenience of having the storage on board is worth $600 for the expected life of the device for your needs or if the inconvenience of dealing with cloud and/or external storage is worth saving that money up front.

8GB of RAM is probably good for most people. 16GB is to be considered if you believe the software you’ll run will need it now or eventually. If you like to run the latest games, that 16GB may (or may not) become important at the tail end of the product life cycle. That’s just an example. Music, Video and art are other software examples that can get RAM heavy. There may be others I’m not considering.

 

[seajewel]

I haven't exceeded 70GB on my 2018 iPad Pro yet, so for my needs I'd rather get the lowest storage and save that money and upgrade sooner. The 16GB of RAM sounds nice but not at double the price - could just buy a new iPad in a couple years at that kind of price differential and it will undoubtedly be much nicer than my 2-3 year old 2021 iPad Pro.

 

[loybond]

I can tell you what my thought process has been. Over $1000 extra for the 16/1 model in Canada. I initially wanted to go with the 16GB. Couldn't care less about 1TB storage, because 1) I have unlimited Google Drive, a NAS, iCloud storage and other stuff, and 2) Thunderbolt means fast external storage for pro apps. But that's just how they've decided to package it.

But most people will buy 8GB models, and they'll need to make the pro apps run on 8GB, just like with Macs. If I see a really big reason to go 16, I will just get it exchanged from Apple after WWDC, or sell it and buy the 16 if necessary. But the fact that you can only get 16 on a 1 or 2 TB model suggests to me that its not as essential as RAM on a Mac, where you can upgrade base configs to 16GB.

I also believe in upgrading fairly quickly - every year, maybe two at the most. I disagree with the idea of driving things into the ground. I just sold my 2020 12.9" for $1000 and paid $1320 with tax last year. I prefer that to keeping devices longer, where they're not as good as the new ones, and they continue to depreciate. In fact, depreciation on tech devices accelerates with age most of the time. Because of this, the 8GB only has to run really well for a year, which I believe it will.

Personally, I also came to the conclusion that there are far too many limitations in iPadOS for it to be my only device. And since I fancy myself something of a power user, I'll be picking up a 14/16" MBP when they come out. When I realized that, I figured, that's where the extra $1000+ would be better spent for me, so I'm sticking with the 128/8 on the iPad.

 

[Digitalguy]

On the one hand, the storage for my current 2018 iPad Pro (256G) is fine, and 8GB RAM will probably be sufficient for a long time

On the other hand, this iPad is so expensive that I would want to keep it for five years or more. I could see adding a ton of photos and media to the iPad and using it as my main "media storage" computer (my MacBook will remain at 512GB). That suggests a 1 TB 16GB RAM model may be merited.

The price difference is meaningful - $600

Anyone else struggling with this decision?

If you are using 256GB and have quite a bit of spare room, it makes no sense to go 1TB. 1TB makes sense for someone who would get at least 512 and for whom even that might be tight over time....
High storage iPads tend to lose much more resell value than entry level ones over time
I'll give an example currently on ebay from the same seller...
64GB 11in 2018 pro (very good condition): $625, 1TB pristine condition $935... The first has lost $175, the 1TB has lost over a $600, as the launch price was over $1500, and we are only 2.5 year away...
A much larger loss is worth only if you have actually taken advantage of the 1Tb.
If 16GB RAM will make a difference or not, I would at least wait WWDC before deciding...

 

[TheRealAlex]

On the one hand, the storage for my current 2018 iPad Pro (256G) is fine, and 8GB RAM will probably be sufficient for a long time

On the other hand, this iPad is so expensive that I would want to keep it for five years or more. I could see adding a ton of photos and media to the iPad and using it as my main "media storage" computer (my MacBook will remain at 512GB). That suggests a 1 TB 16GB RAM model may be merited.

The price difference is meaningful - $600

Anyone else struggling with this decision?

I’ve made peace with my decision to wait for the M3 16GB 1TB variant next year. Why because at WWDC Apple will show the XDR M1 iPad Pro running BigSur. And by next year the M2 chips will be old news for A May 2022 iPad Pro release.

 

[Digitalguy]

I’ve made peace with my decision to wait for the M3 16GB 1TB variant next year. Why because at WWDC Apple will show the XDR M1 iPad Pro running BigSur. And by next year the M2 chips will be old news for A May 2022 iPad Pro release.

Oh my... that's a lot of assumptions.... you'll probably be disappointed with such high expectations

 

[Adelphos33]

How much storage are you using now?

I have a 512GB 2017 iPad Pro which is down to 27GB free at the moment. There's no space to store all my favorite MCU movies on it. Plus for SSD health, I like to keep 10-20% free so 5% is cutting it too close for my liking. At least for me, the decision to upgrade to 1TB is easy (been planning on that for a while).

I've got plenty of externals but it's not really an option I'd like to use on the iPad. Those would be a pain to use in a bed/couch setting and prone to getting disconnected if you move wrong.

I only use about half of my current storage, and that could be optimized frankly. 8GB RAM seems fine for my iPad. 256GB is my choice.

 

[seek3r]

The fact that I have to buy the 1TB version to get 16GB of RAM may kill this purchase for me, that's a lot of extra cash to spend just to get the extra 8GB of memory I want, and I don't need that much storage :/

 

[kevjen888]

8GB RAM is more than we will ever need on an iPad. For those who say get the 16 for future proof, remember iPads are tablets when all said and done, people usually replace them 3, 4 years unlike MacBooks.

 

[seek3r]

8GB RAM is more than we will ever need on an iPad. For those who say get the 16 for future proof, remember iPads are tablets when all said and done, people usually replace them 3, 4 years unlike MacBooks.

the 12.9" iPP is a tad more expensive than a standard tablet, and with an M1 much much faster than before... It's basically a MBA in a different form factor now. I expect to be able to run some heavy workloads for that capability and price, which may need the RAM, and I don't need that much disk space. It's a raw deal to tie the extra 8GB of RAM to a $600 increase (more because of sales taxes) on an already expensive device. I was all set to pre-order tomorrow until I saw that, now I'll probably wait and see

 

[Mcckoe]

On the one hand, the storage for my current 2018 iPad Pro (256G) is fine, and 8GB RAM will probably be sufficient for a long time

On the other hand, this iPad is so expensive that I would want to keep it for five years or more. I could see adding a ton of photos and media to the iPad and using it as my main "media storage" computer (my MacBook will remain at 512GB). That suggests a 1 TB 16GB RAM model may be merited.

The price difference is meaningful - $600

Anyone else struggling with this decision?

The only reason you’d need more than 8GB of Ram in an iPad is if it was running new programs; not currently available. If you design new programs for something that requires more than 8GB of Ram, your market is very small(only 1TB and over 5th gen. iPad Pros).

I would say, keep the 600 dollars, and wait for what comes next… buy devices for today with the chance of a good tomorrow… Don’t plan on the future… and that 600 dollars can grow way more than the 8GBs of extra Ram in your iPad.

 

[AttilaTheHun]

I’ve made peace with my decision to wait for the M3 16GB 1TB variant next year. Why because at WWDC Apple will show the XDR M1 iPad Pro running BigSur. And by next year the M2 chips will be old news for A May 2022 iPad Pro release.

My personal opinion IPAD PRO will never run Big Sur or any OS that run on MBP

 

[Hunter5117]

Depends on what apps you think will be coming at WWDC or later. If you are hoping to edit video especially with FCPX then you will need the 1 or 2 tb version. Final Cut libraries do not at the present time work with iCloud so local storage is needed. Pro level photo or video in my mind is the main reason for upgrading from a 2020 or even from the 2018. I mean, nice screen, 5G etc are good reasons too but for me the killer is pro apps coming, which is almost a certainty since they are offering the 1/2 TB and 16gb option.

I was ready to preorder first thing on Friday and I still may, but almost $2500 with a new keyboard is getting pretty high on a bet the apps come later this year when my 2018 still does all the "iPad" stuff I need.

 

[Mcckoe]

My personal opinion IPAD PRO will never run Big Sur or any OS that run on MBP

I feel, Macs will follow iPadOS, and I agree OS will most likely not be on iPads. The transition has already kind of started, and it is much easier for Apple to control than OS. It is possible some kind of hybrid version will form, but that will resemble iPadOS much more than OS; if it did.

 

[rui no onna]

I only use about half of my current storage, and that could be optimized frankly. 8GB RAM seems fine for my iPad. 256GB is my choice.

In that case, best just save the $600, I think. A newer, faster model will be released eventually and $600 is already ~50% of the iPad Pro's purchase price. By the time you need it, maybe storage upgrade prices would've already dropped and 16GB is the norm across the board.

Given the file system on iPads is fairly restrictive, I tend to be inclined to install more storage on my PCs (made easier by standard, affordable NVMe and SATA drives).

Mind, if you had a similar dilemma back in Nov 2018 (256GB/4GB wifi: $1149 vs 1TB/6GB wifi: $1749), that $600 invested in AAPL stock with dividend reinvestment would've grown to pay for a new 2021 iPad Pro 256GB now.

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[Hunter5117]

My personal opinion IPAD PRO will never run Big Sur or any OS that run on MBP

I agree, and I don't think Apple ever wants it to. I do think we may start to see "light" versions of the pro apps running on iPad OS, and even port over to the Mac if they will do the job as you can now on Big Sur. Otherwise the full pro app will be available on your Mac system back at the office or studio or even your hotel room later on your MBP. And some users will be happy with just a iPad Pro plus a dock, monitor etc and using the iOS apps but iPad plus Mac will be the ultimate use case.

 

[Mcckoe]

Depends on what apps you think will be coming at WWDC or later. If you are hoping to edit video especially with FCPX then you will need the 1 or 2 tb version. Final Cut libraries do not at the present time work with iCloud so local storage is needed. Pro level photo or video in my mind is the main reason for upgrading from a 2020 or even from the 2018. I mean, nice screen, 5G etc are good reasons too but for me the killer is pro apps coming, which is almost a certainty since they are offering the 1/2 TB and 16gb option.

I was ready to preorder first thing on Friday and I still may, but almost $2500 with a new keyboard is getting pretty high on a bet the apps come later this year when my 2018 still does all the "iPad" stuff I need.

For 2500 dollars though, you could buy a base model iPad pro 12.9” and a Mac Mini with 16GB Ram, still have 700 dollars, and be covered both ways… the cost doesn’t make sense.

 

[usagora]

I'll just put it this way: I've never heard anyone express regret that they went with more memory or storage, but I have heard people express regret with going with less memory and storage. Even if it's just psychological, as long as you can afford it, just go for it so you don't have buyer's remorse. If you have to have an iPad NOW and the price difference is going to endanger your finances, then of course go with the most you can afford.

 

[jclardy]

If you have no need for the storage, I'd just keep it at 128GB. The 2020 iPad Pro's all have 6GB RAM (and 2018's with nearly the same CPU have 4), so the minimum RAM target for iPadOS is still going to be 4/6GB for the foreseeable future (next 2-3 years.)

I'd take the "extra' $600, invest in Apple and upgrade in 2 years when your investment is worth $1200

But of course waiting for WWDC to happen is probably the best advice if you have no immediate need to buy it now. Then you can know for sure what the iPadOS software roadmap will be...

 

[lakerchick4life]

Im on the fence between the 256GB and the 512GB..Im getting the 12.9 inch wifi..Ive never had a 512gb one before 256gb was always enough but thinking that maybe who knows final cut pro and other applications might be coming out maybe its better to go bigger? But then I worry about trade value..for the 2018 ipad pro 11 inch 256gb that I have now on apples site its only worth 455..I checked around just out of curiosity to see how much the 2020 12.9 inch 512gb is worth for trade in and it was a little more than 500..so do I buy a 512gb model and this would be my last iPad or go smaller and if something in the coming yrs comes out even better(less bezels, etc) I can trade it in..just not sure what to do

 

[anthony13]

Personally, I also came to the conclusion that there are far too many limitations in iPadOS for it to be my only device. And since I fancy myself something of a power user, I'll be picking up a 14/16" MBP when they come out. When I realized that, I figured, that's where the extra $1000+ would be better spent for me, so I'm sticking with the 128/8 on the iPad.

Same here. As powerful as these iPads are, I still can’t do a majority of my professional workflow on them. With iCloud storage, and Adobe cloud storage, the choice is even easier.

 

[Just sayin...]

The only reason you’d need more than 8GB of Ram in an iPad is if it was running new programs; not currently available. If you design new programs for something that requires more than 8GB of Ram, your market is very small(only 1TB and over 5th gen. iPad Pros).

I’d be willing to bet that apps supporting said larger memory models and M1 (and future) CPU’s will have corresponding increased subscription requirements - higher than current charges. Possibly significatly higher.