iPad Pro Why 16 GB RAM is awesome for average joe

[fwmireault]

I’m obviously a nut since I just ordered the 12.9 16GB 2TB model this morning. I’m looking forward to the release of no-compromise games like Divinity Original Sin II, which even my 10.5 iPad Pro can’t play (or even buy):

‎Divinity - Original Sin 2

‎READ BEFORE PURCHASE: This is a next-gen iPad game, and WILL NOT WORK on any device not listed below. Supported devices: - iPad Pro 12.9 (2022) - iPad Pro 11 (2022) - iPad (2022) - iPad Mini (2021) - iPad Pro 11 (2021) - iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) - iPad Air (2020) - iPad Pro 11 (2020) -...

apps.apple.com

I’m not saying that having a max-specs iPad Pro is bad though, just that very few people can use it at its full potential (and I’m not one of these). Your iPad will be a real beast, I hope that you’ll get the most of it!

 

[cardfan]

Extra ram means little to me or average joe. I don’t use this for work (can’t use toy apps combined with a limited phone OS) because of why anyone thinks more ram is good. So it wont automatically close apps as much. That’s the problem right there. I can’t depend on an os that does that sort of stuff on its own. Even with 16gb it’ll still do what it wants to do because multitasking is a joke with iPadOS.

Fortunately i don’t use an iPad to make money with. It’s for entertainment. The os can do what it wants. The average joe will be happy playing with one app at a time. Facebook. Internet. Looking at pics. Watching Netflix. They’re happy. I’m happy. Nice toy to be entertained on. And now a better screen for only 300 after trade in. I’m good. Still lots of laughs at anyone spending 2k or more.

 

[mi7chy]

I'd be surprised if it even uses all 8GB without major retuning of iPadOS. When it is fully utilized I hope they relax background task restriction so connected apps like SSH clients don't get suspended then killed in background after a few minutes.

 

[LogicalApex]

I suppose no more constant closing of apps in the background with the 16 GB of RAM. Apps will probably not have to be reloaded anymore.

So not just "pro" users will benefit from it.

You're blowing this out of proportion TBH.

16GB of RAM shouldn't be (and isn't needed) by any regular Joe on the iPad. Especially not at the sticker price to snag it that level.

Apple will do a LOT better by implementing swap or the like to allow even more efficient use of the 8GB in the base model... iPad apps can be forced to close for whatever reason iOS/iPadOS chooses. We're not privy to its exact criteria so even the RAM may not be enough on its own... Reviewers are opening up lighter apps and running them for a short time. Not beating it up with 150 safari tabs and loading massive PSDs into Affinity Photo and opening up large files in Pixelmator Pro then deciding they'd like an extended drawing session.

 

[pdoherty]

I'd be surprised if it even uses all 8GB without major retuning of iPadOS. When it is fully utilized I hope they relax background task restriction so connected apps like SSH clients don't get suspended then killed in background after a few minutes.

All this would take is a small setting for apps that lets you toggle “Background Priority” for any set of apps you like, meaning the OS will preferentially leave them alone and only offload them if it absolutely must (which, with 16GB it never will).

 

[pdoherty]

You're blowing this out of proportion TBH.

16GB of RAM shouldn't be (and isn't needed) by any regular Joe on the iPad. Especially not at the sticker price to snag it that level.

Apple will do a LOT better by implementing swap or the like to allow even more efficient use of the 8GB in the base model... iPad apps can be forced to close for whatever reason iOS/iPadOS chooses. We're not privy to its exact criteria so even the RAM may not be enough on its own... Reviewers are opening up lighter apps and running them for a short time. Not beating it up with 150 safari tabs and loading massive PSDs into Affinity Photo and opening up large files in Pixelmator Pro then deciding they'd like an extended drawing session.

The YouTube review I saw this morning the guy was going back to ProCreate I think which was like 10 apps back in his swipe-up list and it hadn’t shut it down - opened instantly right to what he‘d been editing.

 

[burgman]

Factually speaking, more resources are used on closing an app than leaving it in the background

For what, like .003 seconds or so?

 

[mi7chy]

The YouTube review I saw this morning the guy was going back to ProCreate I think which was like 10 apps back in his swipe-up list and it hadn’t shut it down - opened instantly right to what he‘d been editing.

That doesn't mean anything without knowing if it was restored from suspended state from storage which is the typical behavior of iPadOS/iOS or if it was still running in RAM.

 

[pdoherty]

That doesn't mean anything without knowing if it was restored from suspended state from storage which is the typical behavior of iPadOS/iOS or if it was still running in RAM.

The speed it came up at, and the fact the open project he was working on was already loaded and in the exact spot he’d been editing, made it clear it hadn’t closed the app.

 

[rui no onna]

16GB is very future proof but problem with future proofing is that at some point other things become weak points
(in the old ipads lightning port, pencil 1, to some extent CPU, lack of compatibility with new accessories etc.).
Even the M1 could be improved with centered webcam, maybe better face ID, better screen coming to the 11 pro, bigger screen for those that would like that... Or even Apple moving to new sizes like 12in and 14in for the pro at some point, and all accessories going with that....
So it's very hard to completely future proof for many years (like 10 years for instance), let alone, after a couple of years, the loss of warranty, apple care and battery degradation (which can be replaced for a charge for up to 5 years after sales of new devices end).

Weak points? Eventually, sure. Enough to be deal breakers? Probably not. The 2017 iPad Pro lasted me 4 years and even now, it's mostly fine. My issues with it primarily relate to low memory. Mostly RAM but having to delete stuff to make room for other stuff is a drag, too.

I'm expecting 3 years minimum service life. However, I think there's sufficient headroom that I'd probably be fine using it for much longer. Plus, monthly AC+ is an option for me.

With M1, 16GB RAM, 1TB storage and USB-C/Thunderbolt, I feel like I'm now in the same situation I was with my old quad-core Ivy Bridge desktop with 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD (12TB unRAID server was used for bulk storage). That build lasted me 8 years (granted, with a couple of SSD capacity upgrades) and it was only replaced due to Windows 7 EOL and 4K Blu-ray support.

 

[AutomaticApple]

I suppose no more constant closing of apps in the background with the 16 GB of RAM. Apps will probably not have to be reloaded anymore.

So not just "pro" users will benefit from it.

The average person doesn't leave a million apps open. I certainly never did.

 

[mi7chy]

The speed it came up at, and the fact the open project he was working on was already loaded and in the exact spot he’d been editing, made it clear it hadn’t closed the app.

Still a guess without proof such as 'ps -A' or 'top -o mem' to show it's still in RAM plus previous models defaulted to background suspend/restore state to/from storage and no one noticed.

 

[Tsepz]

My A12Z with 512GB and 6GB RAM is more than I need. Guess I’m less than average.

I feel like iPad OS barely even uses up the 6GB RAM on my 2020 Pro, lol. On earlier firmware it did drop apps a few times but with subsequent updates it does not seem to drop major of them unless I have not used them for a few days.

 

[rui no onna]

The average person doesn't leave a million apps open. I certainly never did.

You're on MacRumors. I don't think you can be considered average.

I don't think it's worth spending almost double to get 16GB RAM. However, I do think even the average person can benefit should Apple do something similar to the 2020 iPad Pros and put 16GB RAM across the board with no additional price increase.

I do maintenance on my mom's and aunt's iPhones and iPads and this meme is like so apropos.

 

[AutomaticApple]

You're on MacRumors. I don't think you can be considered average.

I used to be average.

 

[casperes1996]

Yeah, I've heard Craig Federighi say this before, and obviously what qualifications do I have to argue with the senior vice president of software engineering for Apple lol... I'd have to be an idiot to try. But I'm old school. Certain applications, even in Apples ecosystem have the potential of leading to memory leaks that would overtime clog resources. Far far less of an issue than it used to be, but like I said I'm old school.

But the thing is that apps that show in the multitasking view are not necessarily actually running at all. If a program in the background state uses "excessive memory", the precise definition of which depends on overall RAM in the device and OS version and loads of other factors, it will be killed off. It will still be in the multitasking view, but the OS has killed it and selecting it in the multitasking view is no different to launching it fresh from the Home Screen.

 

[Digitalguy]

Weak points? Eventually, sure. Enough to be deal breakers? Probably not. The 2017 iPad Pro lasted me 4 years and even now, it's mostly fine. My issues with it primarily relate to low memory. Mostly RAM but having to delete stuff to make room for other stuff is a drag, too.

I'm expecting 3 years minimum service life. However, I think there's sufficient headroom that I'd probably be fine using it for much longer. Plus, monthly AC+ is an option for me.

With M1, 16GB RAM, 1TB storage and USB-C/Thunderbolt, I feel like I'm now in the same situation I was with my old quad-core Ivy Bridge desktop with 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD (12TB unRAID server was used for bulk storage). That build lasted me 8 years (granted, with a couple of SSD capacity upgrades) and it was only replaced due to Windows 7 EOL and 4K Blu-ray support.

Even 5 years is a safe bet. What I meant is that 10 years might be a bit tough, not that the iPad cannot be still good then if you replace the battery... but Apple might have moved in some directions that make you want to upgrade well before the 10 year mark anyway, even if you buy a maxed out M1 pro... My way of doing, since I use several sizes is a staggered upgrade. My 11 pro will not be upgraded for many years, my 12.9 from 2015 is in line for an upgrade in 1-2 years (I am waiting to find the 12.9 M1 1TB for $1300 and then jump on it, as I jumped on my 1TB 11 pro for $950...)

Otherwise, it's tough to beat a desktop for longevity, my Haswell desktop had the same specs as yours, and I have upgraded it with by adding a 6TB drive ($125), a GTX 2070 super ($350) even if I don't game, a high refresh rate monitor plus a touch monitor, and, just yesterday I bought another 16GB of DDR3 ($80), for a total of 32.... and I had upgraded to Windows 10 back when it was free. So I guess it's good for another 10 years... (I don't game, I video edit rarely and only on lumafusion). I mainly do office tasks, and I remote into it, the most intensive tasks are hosting Zoom classes and some OCR.... ?

 

[cardfan]

But the thing is that apps that show in the multitasking view are not necessarily actually running at all. If a program in the background state uses "excessive memory", the precise definition of which depends on overall RAM in the device and OS version and loads of other factors, it will be killed off. It will still be in the multitasking view, but the OS has killed it and selecting it in the multitasking view is no different to launching it fresh from the Home Screen.

Yep you never really know what’s opened or what’s been killed or when it’ll happen. And again that’s a major reason why I don’t use this for work. Well other than the apps being half baked as well.

But for playtime it’s fine. Reading comics. PDFs. Drawing or taking notes. Some games. Hdr content. Good times. Better screen means better eye candy means better playtime.

 

[Zdigital2015]

Also depends on how long you intend to keep the tablet. I have a 2017 10.5" Pro and I remember people saying the same thing about what is now a measly 4gb of ram, but it's kept this thing going now 5 years later, with no real need to replace it (yet) for at least another 2 (for my needs)

The 2017 iPad Pro will 4 years old in June, not 5 years old.

 

[rui no onna]

Even 5 years is a safe bet. What I meant is that 10 years might be a bit tough, not that the iPad cannot be still good then if you replace the battery... but Apple might have moved in some directions that make you want to upgrade well before the 10 year mark anyway, even if you buy a maxed out M1 pro... My way of doing, since I use several sizes is a staggered upgrade. My 11 pro will not be upgraded for many years, my 12.9 from 2015 is in line for an upgrade in 1-2 years (I am waiting to find the 12.9 M1 1TB for $1300 and then jump on it, as I jumped on my 1TB 11 pro for $950...)

I want 1TB 5G and it's harder to find discounts for cellular that's not tied to a contract of some sort so I'm not bothering waiting for sales which could take forever. I've been waiting since 2018 to upgrade to 1TB. ?

Sure, Apple could entice me sooner but that's why I'm only setting a 3 year minimum. ? Well, more like $50 * 26 paychecks * 3 years = $3900 total budget for both 13" and 11" size classes. ? Based on previous experience though, I believe the 2021 iPad Pro will last me longer than 3 years.

Otherwise, it's tough to beat a desktop for longevity, my Haswell desktop had the same specs as yours, and I have upgraded it with by adding a 6TB drive ($125), a GTX 2070 super ($350) even if I don't game, a high refresh rate monitor plus a touch monitor, and, just yesterday I bought another 16GB of DDR3 ($80), for a total of 32.... and I had upgraded to Windows 10 back when it was free. So I guess it's good for another 10 years... (I don't game, I video edit rarely and only on lumafusion). I mainly do office tasks, and I remote into it, the most intensive tasks are hosting Zoom classes and some OCR.... ?

Last time I had a high-powered desktop, I pretty much had to turn it off all summer so it doesn't add to our already high air conditioning bill. ???

The Ivy Bridge build was Mini-ITX so no room for GPU. I can fresh install Windows 10 on it (Microsoft allows it for 7 and 8 license) but I took the opportunity to downsize further to an even smaller and lower power Intel NUC. Way more than enough for Microsoft Office, remote desktop, Calibre ebook management and jailbreaking Kindles. For bulk storage, I prefer a separate NAS. ? With that said, wtf happened to HDD prices? I just bought some Seagate Exos X16 16TB HDDs for $325 last month and now they're like $700+?!

 

[Digitalguy]

I want 1TB 5G and it's harder to find discounts for cellular that's not tied to a contract of some sort so I'm not bothering waiting for sales which could take forever. I've been waiting since 2018 to upgrade to 1TB. ?

Sure, Apple could entice me sooner but that's why I'm only setting a 3 year minimum. ? Well, more like $50 * 26 paychecks * 3 years = $3900 total budget for both 13" and 11" size classes. ? Based on previous experience though, I believe the 2021 iPad Pro will last me longer than 3 years.

Since you were thinking of upgrading anyway it does not make sense to wait, I found my almost half price offer on a new maxed out cellular only 2 years after release... (but I was in no hurry...)
Same now, my 12.9 just got a new battery, and I have a OLED S7+, so I am in no hurry to get the new M1 12.9, I'll probably wait for some big sales once the M2 iPad arrives... (unless the M2 makes some irresistible improvement and at that point I'll spend the full $1800)

The Ivy Bridge build was Mini-ITX so no room for GPU. I can fresh install Windows 10 on it (Microsoft allows it for 7 and 8 license) but I took the opportunity to downsize further to an even smaller and lower power Intel NUC. Way more than enough for Microsoft Office, remote desktop, Calibre ebook management and jailbreaking Kindles. ?

Last time I had a high-powered desktop, I pretty much had to turn it off all summer so it doesn't add to our already high air conditioning bill. ???

I like that my tower is virtually silent even under heavy load, I am a bit skeptical on tiny Windows desktops, since I hate fan noise....

 

[rui no onna]

Since you were thinking of upgrading anyway it does not make sense to wait, I found my almost half price offer on a new maxed out cellular only 2 years after release... (but I was in no hurry...)
Same now, my 12.9 just got a new battery, and I have a OLED S7+, so I am in no hurry to get the new M1 12.9, I'll probably wait for some big sales once the M2 iPad arrives... (unless the M2 makes some irresistible improvement and at that point I'll spend the full $1800)

Yeah, I've been waiting 3 years already. Don't think I'd want to wait 2 more. I'm holding off on the 11" upgrade though. No TouchID on an iPad I carry around with me is a major con until face masks stop being mandatory. I kinda wish 512GB-1TB would be available on the iPad Air. I'd give up the M1 very easily but I want my storage.

Can't use OLED. Gives me migraines. Plus, I'm not a fan of the 16:10 aspect ratio on Android. I rarely use physical keyboards and the OSK just cramps the viewing area way too much. The 3:2 AR on the Surface seems like a happy medium, though.

I like that my tower is virtually silent even under heavy load, I am a bit skeptical on tiny Windows desktops, since I hate fan noise....

So was my Antec P180 build but darn did I hate maintenance on that thing. I think it weighed over 50 lbs or something. After that, I went steadily smaller (mATX, Mini-ITX and now Intel NUC). ?

 

[LogicalApex]

I want 1TB 5G and it's harder to find discounts for cellular that's not tied to a contract of some sort so I'm not bothering waiting for sales which could take forever. I've been waiting since 2018 to upgrade to 1TB. ?

If you are in the US the T-Mobile deal from Apple looks solid. $200 back and no contract at all. Can cancel as soon as your rebate arrives.

 

[Digitalguy]

Yeah, I've been waiting 3 years already. Don't think I'd want to wait 2 more. I'm holding off on the 11" upgrade though. No TouchID on an iPad I carry around with me is a major con until face masks stop being mandatory. I kinda wish 512GB-1TB would be available on the iPad Air. I'd give up the M1 very easily but I want my storage.

Can't use OLED. Gives me migraines. Plus, I'm not a fan of the 16:10 aspect ratio on Android. I rarely use physical keyboards and the OSK just cramps the viewing area way too much. The 3:2 AR on the Surface seems like a happy medium, though.




So was my Antec P180 build but darn did I hate maintenance on that thing. I think it weighed over 50 lbs or something. After that, I went steadily smaller (mATX, Mini-ITX and now Intel NUC). ?

Yeah 16.10 is only good for watching videos and as a secondary monitor, that's basically what I use it for... For that it's better than the iPad. Otherwise if I had to had only one tablet it would be the iPad pro without hesitation....
Yeah I am glad that my on the go iPad is still my 9.7 pro with touch id, 11 pro stays at home and only goes on holidays.... (and I disabled face ID even at home, only use it when I travel...)
My tower is heavy AF too, but never moves and it's very easy to open and maintain....

 

[ericwn]

As much as I think it's neat, I always chuckle because on all my tablets, regardless to specs I close every application as soon as I'm done using it, I never multitask. Have no idea why, just my own personal quirk. I hate having apps idle in the background, even if they're not "technically" using resources, they still kinda are.

That’s perfectly fine, you do you. There are still folks out there riding horses to work.