That right there (what I bolded) is the reason why Apple does things like that. They know that they can get away with it.
P.S. If you are in the U.S. and are ready to buy, this week only the 12.9 iPP is only $50 more than the 9.7 Pro. (ends today)
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Why did Apple not give 4GB RAM on the 9.7" iPad Pro ?
- Thread starter augustya
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P.S. If you are in the U.S. and are ready to buy, this week only the 12.9 iPP is only $50 more than the 9.7 Pro. (ends today)
To give an even simpler answer than what I said previously, we simply haven't reached a point where more than 2 GB of RAM is necessary to provide a perfectly satisfactory user experience for the vast majority of users.
Could Apple provide more RAM? Of course. Would some users notice an improved experience? Probably. Could you say the same thing about 8GB or 16GB? Sure. But it's just not needed yet.
I'm not an Apple apologist, but if you feel that this iPad is not powerful enough for what you want to use it for, you're not who it was designed for. Sorry, but there's no one device that can be everything to everyone. And don't bother saying, "it's called Pro, it should meet the needs of professionals!" It's just a name, the needs of "professionals" vary greatly!
Could Apple provide more RAM? Of course. Would some users notice an improved experience? Probably. Could you say the same thing about 8GB or 16GB? Sure. But it's just not needed yet.
I'm not an Apple apologist, but if you feel that this iPad is not powerful enough for what you want to use it for, you're not who it was designed for. Sorry, but there's no one device that can be everything to everyone. And don't bother saying, "it's called Pro, it should meet the needs of professionals!" It's just a name, the needs of "professionals" vary greatly!
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Being cheap and missing the forest for the trees.
If Apple wants this to be a PC replacement, they need to spec it that way.
If Apple wants this to be a PC replacement, they need to spec it that way.
I think that the main obstacles keeping iPads from being PC replacements have more to do with the limitations of iOS than the spec limitations of the hardware. The Microsoft Surface 3 (Not the Pro, just the regular) has just 2 GB of RAM on the entry level model, runs full Windows 10, and can perform any function a laptop can. I find it hard to believe that iOS and its mobile apps needs more RAM to operate than Windows and desktop applications do.
How is it not convincing. They sell the 4gb updated model in 2017 and they keep a positive cash flow going with all the upgrading.
They could have at least gave the iPad pro 9.7 inch 3 GB of ram, it's just a shame iPhone SE owners will have the same amount of ram as a pro device.....
Because it's not necessary for 9.7" size of iPad Pro.
It's more mobile, so has better camera and video, flash. Many people agree that most of 12.9" users think they don't really use camera on iPad 12.9", because the size is big and most of us has better camera on cell phone, taking photos/videos on cell phone sounds more practical and reasonable.
9.7" is not quite big enough to "work" on complicated apps, and also split screen feature doesn't looks any useful due to both splitted screens are simply too small to comfortably work on, anyway 9.7" doesn't need to have 4GB ram.
Both device has different target and purpose, each one has superior feature and not, I think Apple decided which one has what based on target they set for each device.
Apple doesn't need more profit but they certainly want more. Heck, any sane businessman would. If your boss gave you a raise, are you gonna decline? Of course not.
Not arguing it's right or wrong. Just capitalism at work.
I agree but the Surcace is also under $400 on Amazon right now. People who like the luxury of what Apple offers might appreciate getting a little more than the bare minimum. Apple has a history of obsoleting hardware quickly with their software updates. The small incremental cost of slightly better hardware would go a long way toward generating good will with customers.
by the same token, we had satisfactory experiences on 1gb all the way down to 256mb, too. however everything thats good enough eventually becomes outdated for the needs of an evolving platform.
and of course there needs to be pragmatism in all this. i don't think anybody is expecting them to throw 8 or 16gb in there. the point is that the cheapest iPhone offers 2gb, its been available in an iPad for 1.5 years, and there is a 6 month old iPad that has already moved on to 4gb. that sets precedent that at some point, 4gb might be necessary. and regardless of what anyone thinks 'pro' means, its the designation given to both the 9.7 and the 12.9 (along with a higher price tag), so there is some expectation to be getting specs at the higher end.
finally, to trust in the infinite benevolence of apple to not sell you something that might be relatively compromised, i only point to the iPad mini 3. released at the same time as the air 2, you could also say "doesn't matter that it has half the ram, its a smaller screen, runs fine now, etc." then you'd be locked out of the tentpole iPad feature in the very next OS update. but hey, apple now has a mini 4 to sell you that does have those previously-unnecessary specs!
the point is, sure there's no crystal ball that can predict whether the ram will become an issue or not in the short/medium term, but i think its a more than fair talking point.
You know how much 10 million iPads brings in?
The real question is, would the consumer be willing to pay for that RAM? It's a question of how much an extra 2GB costs the consumer, not Apple, because Apple is paying for it with our money.
Look at it this way - the iPad pro 9.7 coming with 2 GB of RAM means a lot of the other devices with 2 Gb RAM are more likely to last longer with future iOS updates...
[doublepost=1459040132][/doublepost]But Im predicting an update later this year because if the iPhone 7 has an A10 it would make sense to release iPad Pros with A10 or A10X etc Maybe then they will bump it up to 4GB depending on the programs people want to run on it etc. I think they pushed back the iPad air 3 and renamed it iPad Pro in response to the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 and other similar devices
The sad thing right now is that the Ipad Mini 4 with 3 million pixels and only A8 to drive it seems to struggle! I actually returned mine as I was shocked how bad it performed compared to the Air 2, its usable but I just couldn't help noticing it lagged on UI animations and refreshing apps when multitasking.
[doublepost=1459040132][/doublepost]But Im predicting an update later this year because if the iPhone 7 has an A10 it would make sense to release iPad Pros with A10 or A10X etc Maybe then they will bump it up to 4GB depending on the programs people want to run on it etc. I think they pushed back the iPad air 3 and renamed it iPad Pro in response to the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 and other similar devices
The sad thing right now is that the Ipad Mini 4 with 3 million pixels and only A8 to drive it seems to struggle! I actually returned mine as I was shocked how bad it performed compared to the Air 2, its usable but I just couldn't help noticing it lagged on UI animations and refreshing apps when multitasking.
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Look to the Mac Mini - The quad i7, and the ability to upgrade the mini, was taking $$$ away from the iMac, MBP, and Mac Pro. So Apple took the SAME EXACT DESIGN, removed the quad core CPU, and glued in the innards. Problem solved, for Apple. Screw the customers, get more $$$ by pushing bigger ticket products.
The 2Gigs are in the 9.7 for the SOLE purpose, of pushing folks to it's big brother. Period, stop, end of story.
3Gigs of RAM, and slower clock speed, justified by the few pixels compared to the 12" IPP, and all this angst goes away. I KNEW there were not going to be 4Gigs of RAM, but I fully expected there to be 3. I was ready to pull the trigger, but no thanks.
And for all the apologists, saying you don't need that extra RAM, the answer is really simple - multitasking. Well, that and Safari.
The 2Gigs are in the 9.7 for the SOLE purpose, of pushing folks to it's big brother. Period, stop, end of story.
3Gigs of RAM, and slower clock speed, justified by the few pixels compared to the 12" IPP, and all this angst goes away. I KNEW there were not going to be 4Gigs of RAM, but I fully expected there to be 3. I was ready to pull the trigger, but no thanks.
And for all the apologists, saying you don't need that extra RAM, the answer is really simple - multitasking. Well, that and Safari.
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I look at it a different way. I think it's more of a statement about all of iOS - 2gb of RAM is here to stay. The iPhones will be on for a while, and now so will tablets. It keeps apps for tablet and phone closely compatible. The 12.9" got 4GB to handle the extra pixels. Maybe it was easier to source than 3GB? Either way, it's an outlier. The 2GB performs much better than on the iPA2 in benchmarks, so it's still an upgrade. With how little complaints there have been with 2GB and multitasking, I think it'll be fine.
I seriously doubt we'll see a refresh less than 18 months. The power gains from the A9X were much bigger than the A8X had, and it's still fine for most people.
Whether or not this is a good move, I guess we'll see! I'll probably get a 9.7" Pro, seems like a damn nice tablet. People will never be happy. If you want a tablet that checks all the specs, a Surface or a Samsung will do it, but I think this thing blows them all away.
I seriously doubt we'll see a refresh less than 18 months. The power gains from the A9X were much bigger than the A8X had, and it's still fine for most people.
Whether or not this is a good move, I guess we'll see! I'll probably get a 9.7" Pro, seems like a damn nice tablet. People will never be happy. If you want a tablet that checks all the specs, a Surface or a Samsung will do it, but I think this thing blows them all away.
The lifespan of 2GB devices started 18 months ago with the introduction of the Air 2. The lifespan of 4GB devices started 4 months ago with the 12.9 iPad Pro. As a result, the lifespan of the 9.7 Pro is shorter than the 12.9.
Apple isn't doing us any favors by giving us 2GB of RAM. It's simply good enough for iOS without being as good as the Pro. This is just the typical Apple strategy of metering out the upgrades.
From reading many stories about Apple product development, it seems like there's a disconnect between the product teams inside Apple, and even with the iOS team.
The small iPad Pro was probably developed to be just an iPad Air 3, not an iPad Pro. I mean Apple didn't just churn this thing overnight, it was probably already in development a year or two ago, and during that time, even the iPad Air 2 can run iOS9's multi tasking, so this iPad Air 3 is simply a reiteration, with just the SoC and camera being upgraded. But then came the iPad Pro, and since it was going to target different market (and more room inside), they maxed it out, and it was probably too late to redesign the board for the iPad Air 3/Small iPad Pro for additional RAM.
I would say the next one will have 4GB RAM. This is a transition product. The current iPad Air 2 will be the "iPad 2," that it will linger around for few more years as the lower end 9.7" iPad, while all the goodies will be for the "Pro" lineup.
The small iPad Pro was probably developed to be just an iPad Air 3, not an iPad Pro. I mean Apple didn't just churn this thing overnight, it was probably already in development a year or two ago, and during that time, even the iPad Air 2 can run iOS9's multi tasking, so this iPad Air 3 is simply a reiteration, with just the SoC and camera being upgraded. But then came the iPad Pro, and since it was going to target different market (and more room inside), they maxed it out, and it was probably too late to redesign the board for the iPad Air 3/Small iPad Pro for additional RAM.
I would say the next one will have 4GB RAM. This is a transition product. The current iPad Air 2 will be the "iPad 2," that it will linger around for few more years as the lower end 9.7" iPad, while all the goodies will be for the "Pro" lineup.
I think this is true... that the iPad air 2 will turn out to be one of the more longer lived products. Its still immensely powerful due to the three core design and was the first device with 2 GB RAM. Its a great buy right now because of the 100 dollar reduction too.
Well said
And to everyone else
100% Correct we live in a day and age where its like Give me the "Specs" I need the Specs of this If not I won't buy it.
Forget Specs if it just Works, that was Steve Jobs's vision.
I can even say this when you try out at the store an iPad Pro 12.9 Vs a iPad Pro 9.7 try and force your brain to forget the Specs You will See No difference in Features and Performance.
Even with the iPad Air vs the iPad Air 2 its 1GB RAM vs 2GB RAM
Useability they run everything just fine same programs and Apps work. When people are measuring things like Apps Starting Up 5 seconds or 0.2 seconds faster or slower. They need to get their priorities in order and these are First World Problems.
Do the math on how many more pixels are on the iPad Pro. 2732 x 2048 = 5.6 million pixels. Multiply by 4 for 32-bit color and you get a whopping 22MB of memory. It just isn't that much compared to the amount of RAM. Granted there is some extra overhead but it's not GB worth.