iPad Pro Why does iPad Pro have 6GB RAM whereas MacBook Air has 8GB?

[ct2k7]

I would think that as a Pro device, the iPad would be given more RAM? Or are we thinking that Swift / Objective-C apps are more efficient at utilising memory? Maybe it’s because the workload is different on the MacBook Air?

Of the 6GB RAM in the iPad Pro, 2GB remains unusable for apps, leaving 4GB memory allocation for apps and 2GB for the OS. This marks a diffference in the previous generation which saw 4GB across most of the lineup. Have any performance improvements in memory usage / greater op been recognised yet?

My guess is that improvements to multi tasking require more RAM, so we’re just preparing for it along with more intensive apps, however, that doesn‘t answer the question.

 

[iPadified]

MacOS is a fair bit larger than iPadOS so perhaps it need more RAM. I agree that 6Gb could just as well be 8 Gb in the iPP. However, every component uses electricity which decreases battery time. So it is trade off between power draw of components and weight of the battery.

iPadOS evolve rapidly and soon the 6Gb will be fully used.

 

[ct2k7]

MacOS is a fair bit larger than iPadOS so perhaps it need more RAM. I agree that 6Gb could just as well be 8 Gb in the iPP. However, every component uses electricity which decreases battery time. So it is trade off between power draw of components and weight of the battery.

iPadOS evolve rapidly and soon the 6Gb will be fully used.

Yes, I would agree that macOS is older and has a larger RAM requirement because of how big it is compared to iPadOS.

How much battery live would be shaved off by using 8GB instead of 6GB? I can’t imagine it’d be that much. At the same time, I don‘t have any statistics on paging in iPadOS (I have no idea how it uses swap for instance), so surely RAM overspill would be latency driven and power hungry from disk if swap using were large? On further reading it looks like iOS has not supported a backing store, so no swap file.

My thoughts is that the new LIDAR camera needs even more RAM for processing.

 

[throAU]

Because it is the digital equivalent of a hammer and not a screwdriver, with different priorities on different components.

Apple made a call based on total BOM cost, and shaved spec where it could be shaved to fit into a price point (and physical enclosure size along with all the other components) with the other specs they wanted it to have.

People aren't doing stuff like running copies of Windows on their iPad.

 

[Seanm87]

iOS tends to need less ram as it is very well optimised. This is the reason iphones only have 3/4 gigs of ram and android phones have like 16 gig and they both perform the same.

 

[The Game 161]

Guess because IOS uses less ram but i can imagine as more pro apps are released for the iPad that apple will increase the ram on future iPads.

 

[DNichter]

iOS is better optimized and requires less RAM. It's just a number and isn't equivalent across all devices.

 

[AutomaticApple]

I would think that as a Pro device, the iPad would be given more RAM? Or are we thinking that Swift / Objective-C apps are more efficient at utilising memory? Maybe it’s because the workload is different on the MacBook Air?

Of the 6GB RAM in the iPad Pro, 2GB remains unusable for apps, leaving 4GB memory allocation for apps and 2GB for the OS. This marks a diffference in the previous generation which saw 4GB across most of the lineup. Have any performance improvements in memory usage / greater op been recognised yet?

My guess is that improvements to multi tasking require more RAM, so we’re just preparing for it along with more intensive apps, however, that doesn‘t answer the question.

iPadOS handles RAM much better than MacOS in recent years.

 

[lympero]

Because Apple is cheap. iPadOS sucks at handling ram. safari reloads tabs all the time. end of story.

 

[Digitalguy]

iPadOS handles RAM much better than MacOS in recent years.

No, it is more an illusion than reality.... it just uses RAM differently...
IOS "feels" fast because it does not page to disk,. it ejects things from memory instead... also, apps are not allowed to use much RAM, that's why pro apps are "underdeveloped" compared to mac and windows...
Problem IPadOS is letting multitasking happen more and more and you start to feel the problem...
I am starting to hate 2GB devices, including the pro 9.7... it stutters every time I try to multitask, even lightly, compared to its bigger 12.9in brother (which is also dual core but stutters much less with its 4GB) or 3GB devices like the mini 5, which flies, but then you tend to multitask less there...
With multitasking improving and pro apps coming thanks to ARM Mac, things don't look good even for 4GB devices...
If IOS 14/15 allows to use an external monitor, maybe in split screen, plus the screen of the ipad (maybe in split screen too), with heavy multitasking becoming the norm, 4GB devices will start refreshing and losing data like crazy. They will still be as fast as always for traditional ipad things... but not for desktop-like use...
I am personally starting to think I'll hold on until we have a 8GB ipad for pro use...

 

[throAU]

iPadOS handles RAM much better than MacOS in recent years.

Lol, no.

iPadOS/iOS just does a LOT less in the background and kills stuff on you whether you like it or not.

Go open a bunch of tabs on your iPad, leave them alone for the day (or even a couple of hours) with partially filled forms, etc. and watch them re-load (losing the state) when you come back to it.

Don't get me wrong, I love the iPad and I have several of them, but comparing to the Mac is literally like comparing hammers and screwdrivers. Both do different jobs and are optimised in different ways to meet their price/size/battery/cost requirements.

One does not replace the other. You can try, but you'll be limited and the experience won't be anywhere near as good as using the right tool for the job.

 

[joeblow7777]

iPadOS is still a mobile operating system which runs simpler mobile apps and still has relatively limited multitasking functionality compared to an actual desktop OS. It’s like asking why a car has a bigger engine than a motorcycle.

 

[ct2k7]

iPadOS is still a mobile operating system which runs simpler mobile apps and still has relatively limited multitasking functionality compared to an actual desktop OS. It’s like asking why a car has a bigger engine than a motorcycle.

If we are to look at it in this way, why are we increasing the RAM at all but not the usable RAM by apps?

 

[throAU]

If we are to look at it in this way, why are we increasing the RAM at all but not the usable RAM by apps?

2 reasons

1. The OS itself is getting bigger and moving more TOWARD laptop/desktop replacement use. Memory use will increase as iOS does more complex things, whether it becomes a full laptop/desktop replacement or not.
2. RAM chips are manufactured and sold in specific capacities. As time moves on those capacities get larger and smaller capacity chips of a given speed stop getting produced (e.g., go try and buy a retail 512MB DDR4 memory module for a laptop or desktop). It may simply be a case of apple including larger capacity chips purely because they fit in the same physical space for the same/little additional cost vs. the older models. Or that the chips of a particular speed they want aren't produced in smaller sizes.

 

[Deliro]

Besides MacOS running more processes - full fledged apps.