What good are 256gb for in the iPad 10.5

[enigma2k]

It seems that most people pay the extra 100 bucks for the upgrade from 64gb to 256gb which is pretty cheap considering you get 4 times the storage but the big question is how do you guys use this much space on the iPad?

On a Macbook it is easy to fill up this much space. On the iPad, however, you can't directly store any files but you have to go through apps to store files like mp3, video and pictures. Most people use streaming services like netflix to view series so storing videos which would take the most space doesn't make any sense (beside using it on a plane where you don't have any internet access). So what is so much space really good for on an iPad?

 

[badmojo69]

Just with comics and magazines (easily 40mb a pop). I can suck the life out of a 64gb Ipad very fast which I've done several times, before giving up on Apple several years ago and going with the Surface/Android line of products (SD card FTW).

256gb is probably enough slack for me, but I went with 500mb option on my 12.9...I must have the most GBs.

 

[KrisLord]

2 weeks holiday without decent Wi-fi = no Netflix.

 

[Dave245]

When I get my 2nd gen iPad Pro 12.9" I'm looking at getting the 512GB instead of the 256GB for a few reasons

1. Professional apps like Affinity Photo

2. TV series like Game Of Thrones

3. It's better to have space and not need it than it is to need more space.

It all depends on what you use your iPad for as well.

 

[boast]

My Air 2 had 45gb used and I would barely have space left to store some movies for an upcoming trip, so I moved up to 256GB on the Pro. And that was from launch day 2014, so data usage slowly creeps up.

Most of my space is used up in photos and archived messages. Doubt I would ever get up to 256GB before upgrading again.

 

[aevan]

It seems that most people pay the extra 100 bucks for the upgrade from 64gb to 256gb which is pretty cheap considering you get 4 times the storage but the big question is how do you guys use this much space on the iPad?

On a Macbook it is easy to fill up this much space. On the iPad, however, you can't directly store any files but you have to go through apps to store files like mp3, video and pictures. Most people use streaming services like netflix to view series so storing videos which would take the most space doesn't make any sense (beside using it on a plane where you don't have any internet access). So what is so much space really good for on an iPad?

Lots of magazines, comics, some video tutorials, it adds up quickly, and I expect it to fill up even faster with the new Files app. I plan on carrying a lot of psd files with me.

 

[throAU]

It seems that most people pay the extra 100 bucks for the upgrade from 64gb to 256gb which is pretty cheap considering you get 4 times the storage but the big question is how do you guys use this much space on the iPad?

On a Macbook it is easy to fill up this much space. On the iPad, however, you can't directly store any files but you have to go through apps to store files like mp3, video and pictures. Most people use streaming services like netflix to view series so storing videos which would take the most space doesn't make any sense (beside using it on a plane where you don't have any internet access). So what is so much space really good for on an iPad?

The idea is to use that for DATA.

Think less of storing files directly on the iPad, and more using the local storage as cache for iCloud, Dropbox, etc.

256 GB is enough so that if you have, say a 1 TB icloud account (not expensive these days) you can keep most of your current data on the iPad and just forget about storage (the device will shuffle unused data out of cache and leave it on iCloud for you).

This is the usage model both Apple and Microsoft are pushing (and why both are discouraging local file storage and pushing you to OneDrive or iCloud). Your data's primary home is in the cloud, and whatever device you happen to be using has a cache of it. Manual local filesystem management doesn't work so well with that.

More storage = you have more cached locally on the device.

If you're working with high res video (which is possible now on the iPad) you can blow through quite a bit of storage pretty quick. If you're not working with video and using the device mostly for content consumption (streaming, etc.) then 256 GB is probably overkill.

 

[Shirasaki]

Quite the contrary, I think cloud storage is the cache of your local files, not the other way around. Why? Internet is not the file vault. Everything on it can disappear in a matter of seconds. When you are offline, internet and cloud are like they were never existed in the first place.
I don’t care how Microsoft or Apple push but I will never buy that theory. I do use cloud storage for easy file access on multiple devices, but I always keep a local copy of my files somewhere for safety. Large storage size meets this need perfectly.
I believe when I have an iPad, that iPad would surely be 512GB model, with or without cellular. My full music library is nearly 200GB and I have 300GB of TV series, and some videos here and there. Too easy to fill up 512GB.

 

[M5RahuL]

I wish there were a 1TB+ model (2TB ideally), because otherwise even 512GB isn't enough for my needs.. So, I settled for 256 instead.

My storage needs in a nutshell.. huge medical PDF files, music (~50GB), videos (tons of medical procedure videos each upwards of a GB easy), games, and apps. And, oh yeah, must have my Game of Thrones fix onboard!

 

[Dave245]

And, oh yeah, must have my Game of Thrones fix onboard!

Nice to see a fellow Game Of Thrones fan but yea I also like to keep my favourite TV shows (like Game Of Thrones) on my iPad especially for travelling and times when wifi isn't available.

 

[tl01]

I am trying to figure this out myself. I have a 128 9.7 pro and am only using 40 gb including a bunch of stuff I downloaded to steam on an airplane. My 10.5 pro is a 64 with cellular unlimited. I am thinking of switching it for the 256 but can't really think of how I will ever fill up the 64. I have a a 128 GB 7 plus and it is great bc I take a lot of photos but really most of that ends up in the cloud anyway. I don't put much music on my iPad. All my work on the iPad will be cloud based.

 

[jgo78]

They should of had a 128gb option. I need more than 64gb but don't need 256gb. 128gb is the sweet spot for me.

 

[rui no onna]

It seems that most people pay the extra 100 bucks for the upgrade from 64gb to 256gb which is pretty cheap considering you get 4 times the storage but the big question is how do you guys use this much space on the iPad?

On a Macbook it is easy to fill up this much space. On the iPad, however, you can't directly store any files but you have to go through apps to store files like mp3, video and pictures. Most people use streaming services like netflix to view series so storing videos which would take the most space doesn't make any sense (beside using it on a plane where you don't have any internet access). So what is so much space really good for on an iPad?

You can actually download select videos from Netflix for offline viewing now. Great if you don't have an unlimited plan. Also, the additional $100-300 every 1-3 years depending on update schedule is cheaper than upgrading my cellular data plan to unlimited (+$50 per month for me).
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Just with comics and magazines (easily 40mb a pop). I can suck the life out of a 64gb Ipad very fast which I've done several times, before giving up on Apple several years ago and going with the Surface/Android line of products (SD card FTW).

256gb is probably enough slack for me, but I went with 500gb option on my 12.9...I must have the most GBs.

Yep. I think one of my Daredevil Epic collections is 2GB or something. Haven't downloaded recent purchases of Marvel Masterworks yet (hooray for the Kindle sale at $2-5 a pop). Those are bound to be huge, too, so waiting for my new 512GB iPad to arrive.

 

[The Game 161]

I have about 83gb left on my 256gb model

 

[musicpenguy]

I got the 512GB iPad mainly because I do a ton of podcast editing in Ferrite and work with huge audio files and don’t want to worry about managing my storage space.

 

[RLRabb]

You can actually download select videos from Netflix for offline viewing now. Great if you don't have an unlimited plan. Also, the additional $100-300 every 1-3 years depending on update schedule is cheaper than upgrading my cellular data plan to unlimited (+$50 per month for me).
[doublepost=1498428405][/doublepost]
Yep. I think one of my Daredevil Epic collections is 2GB or something. Haven't downloaded recent purchases of Marvel Masterworks yet (hooray for the Kindle sale at $2-5 a pop). Those are bound to be huge, too, so waiting for my new 512GB iPad to arrive.

You and me both. I bought 49 Marvel collections during the Kindle sale. On my new 12.9" Pro with 256 GB, I've downloaded quite a few of them. The Masterworks take up about 500-600 MBs each through ComiXology (less if you download on the Kindle app, but why would you do that). Epic Collections are about 1 GB each.

 

[iosuser]

They should of had a 128gb option. I need more than 64gb but don't need 256gb. 128gb is the sweet spot for me.

Apples strategy has always been to nudge the buyer to spend the extra $100 on the first tier storage upgrade. When I went from an Air 2 64GB to the Pro 9.7, the base 32GB no longer cut it so I had to opt for the 128GB. A year later when I upgrade again to the Pro 10.5, once again the base 64GB no longer cut it and I paid the extra $100 again. The same applies to every I-device I've ever owned all the way from the iPhone 3GS. Historically the first storage upgrade tier had always been the priciest, back when the first tier upgrade was 32, but the current iPad Pro I do believe is reasonable as you're getting an extra 192GB for your $100.

Even though I totally don't need 256GB, it's comfortable knowing I'll likely not run out of space. YMMV of course, as my usage pattern will differ from yours.

 

[Bryan Bowler]

Simple answer: this October, iOS 11 and the Files app will change everything.

 

[Booji]

Simple answer: this October, iOS 11 and the Files app will change everything.

Yes it will. Even the most recent change to Dropbox which allows me to download and sync a whole directory allowed me to dramatically increase the offline files that I can conveniently store.

 

[throAU]

Quite the contrary, I think cloud storage is the cache of your local files, not the other way around. Why? Internet is not the file vault. Everything on it can disappear in a matter of seconds. When you are offline, internet and cloud are like they were never existed in the first place.
I don’t care how Microsoft or Apple push but I will never buy that theory. I do use cloud storage for easy file access on multiple devices, but I always keep a local copy of my files somewhere for safety. Large storage size meets this need perfectly.
I believe when I have an iPad, that iPad would surely be 512GB model, with or without cellular. My full music library is nearly 200GB and I have 300GB of TV series, and some videos here and there. Too easy to fill up 512GB.

I don't fully trust the cloud either.

No one should.

However, the benefit using it as the "master" source for your data - It depends how many devices you have. And yes, you should maintain a local (OFFLINE) backup. Not doing so is stupid, irrespective of whether you are "cloud first" or "local first". Having an offline backup is the only sane thing to do in either case. If you keep your only backup on the network or attached to a machine that can be compromised, you're boned anyway.

However if you have multiple devices they will range in capacity - some may be unable to store all your data. However the cloud is always available (barring provider failure or whatever).

I'm not sure how good your internet is, but unless you're in a very poor area or constantly on capped internet, using 200-500 GB of expensive SSD storage to lug around a huge amount of media content that you rarely watch (and really, there's no way you're going to blow through say, 200 GB of media in a week in your spare time) is a waste of money. Just stream it off the network, or (if you're planning to be offline for a while), take a subset with you to have available while you're offline.

Even if you don't use a third party cloud, you'd be better served leaving it on your home NAS, etc. Having an iPad or MacBook (for example) as your primary storage is much riskier - I'd say there's a way higher chance of your device being stolen, then say - iCloud or Dropbox going broke/closing up and/or losing all of your data.

I bought the 512 GB iPad - currently using about 35 GB. I'm not storing local iTunes or other media on it, the remainder is to be purely for caching my own data and apps.

Anyway... 2c.

 

[LibbyLA]

I spend a fair amount of time at our camp or on the road. Cell signal at our camp is hit or miss, even with a pricey signal booster. On the road, I'd have to use a wifi hotspot and we don't use much data most of the time so it would cost extra for me to access data in the cloud.

I don't know whether I need 256 GB, my 128 GB iPP 9.7 has worked fine, but I know 64 GB is cutting it close.

Not a fan of relying on the cloud too heavily, and I have lots and lots of devices.

 

[MrEcted]

It's more the fact that 64 isn't enough than it is that 256 is justified. I probably won't use all of my 256, but i'm already using 62GB, so I would rather have a bit too much than not enough.

 

[Floris]

The project iPad Pro we use has 256gb in it because we focus on doing the processing of a few projects at the same time - as time goes by and we have to wait for the stuff from others to come in, it's a terrible ordeal to just offload everything constantly while we dont always have the machine available. Being able to have 4k material when the right person has it in their hands, from multiple projects, .. allows us to have a library.

Instead of the older (our own) ipads, with 64gb or whateer, where we had to minimize everything for just one project and cut it clean while we're handling project files.

It gives breathing room. And after everything's ready we offload it of course, and make space for more, but as image quality improves, as raw recording and shooting is more a standard on these devices as well, and not just the dslrs, more space is honestly super awesome for doing projects and editing on the fly as a rough cut before it goes to the network

 

[ohsnap]

Video files my friend. Lots and lots of video files.

 

[Shirasaki]

and really, there's no way you're going to blow through say, 200 GB of media in a week in your spare time

I can do so easily by watching a series of anime overnight. Oh, all are in BD format.