The Evolution of iPad Pro: Understanding the Limitations of RAM

In recent years, Apple has made significant strides in improving the capabilities of its iPad Pro lineup. The latest iPad Pro models boast eight or 16 gigabytes of RAM, significantly surpassing the five-gigabyte limit imposed on iPad apps as of 2021. However, this seemingly generous upgrade comes with a crucial caveat: Apple only allows iPad apps to utilize up to five gigabytes of that RAM.

The disparity between the Mac and iPad Pro's memory handling capabilities is striking. When the Mac faces memory pressure, macOS employs a sophisticated page-out mechanism to disk, swapping bits back and forth between RAM and SSD as required. This ensures efficient use of resources and maintains system stability. In contrast, iPadOS, iOS has no such concept of swap, relying on a more straightforward approach to manage memory.

Consequently, when the iPad comes under memory pressure, iOS takes a different tack. Instead of swapping data to disk, it simply kills background apps to free up memory for foreground applications. This approach may seem harsh, but it allows the iPad Pro to perform admirably with multitasking capabilities that rival those of its Mac counterparts.

The stark contrast between the two devices' performance is largely due to their differing design philosophies. Historically, Apple prioritized power efficiency and storage constraints when developing the original iPad, fearing that excessive RAM would compromise battery life and increase cost. This decision limited the iPad's ability to handle demanding apps and multitasking scenarios.

Despite these initial limitations, Apple has since adapted its approach to address user demands. The newer iPad Pro models have significantly expanded their memory capabilities, offering a choice between 8GB or 16GB of RAM. This revised strategy acknowledges the growing importance of multitasking on the iPad, allowing users to efficiently manage multiple apps simultaneously.

This shift in perspective is evident in the author's own experiences with the iPad Pro. By leveraging its impressive RAM capabilities, they were able to create a seamless and responsive workflow that effortlessly integrated multiple apps. Whether running complex games, social media platforms, or creative applications like Procreate, the iPad Pro proved capable of handling even the most demanding tasks.

However, it is worth noting that this increased capacity has limited implications for users who primarily engage with non-memory-intensive apps. For such users, the five-gigabyte limit imposed by Apple may be more than sufficient to meet their needs. In fact, many will likely remain unaware of this limitation, given the absence of any discernible performance impact.

The author's mention of Gabriel García Márquez highlights a nuanced aspect of human behavior: our tendency to prioritize perceived value over actual performance. This phenomenon is exemplified in the way people might express outrage at minor limitations, such as the five-gigabyte RAM cap on iPad apps, rather than acknowledging their own usage patterns and habits.

In conclusion, Apple's decision to limit RAM capacity on iPad apps highlights both the device's strengths and weaknesses. By leveraging its impressive multitasking capabilities, the iPad Pro has become an attractive option for users who require seamless performance in various applications. However, this approach also underscores the importance of understanding one's own usage patterns and limitations to maximize the full potential of the device.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- The latestand by that, I mean,the absolute greatest iPad Prohas eight or 16 gigabytes of RAM now.But Apple only wants iPad appsto use up to five gigabytesof that Ram in 2021, withM1, what the absolute-Sponsored by Curiosity Stream with Nebula,hit that subscribe button and belland I will give you acookie, a shiny emoji cookie.So the iPad is just fundamentallydifferent from the Macand we can tell by themhaving fundamentallydifferent names and all.When the Mac comes under memory pressure,when too many apps areasking for too much RAM,more than what the systemcan happily provide,macOS starts to page out to disk,basically swapping bits back and forthfrom RAM to SSD as required.iPadOS, iOS has just nosuch concept of swap,it is completely obliviously swapless.Back in the day, it justconsumed too much power,wore down too much storage,and didn't provide thatutterly instant experiencethat apple demanded for theiPhone and then the iPad.So instead, when the iPadcomes under memory pressure,when you do somethingin the foreground appthat asks for more RAMthan what the system'shardware can happily provide,iPadOs just does a jetsam,it just kicks jettisonsyotes of background appor several, kills themjust to watch them diein order to free up memoryfor the foreground apps.Now, the iPad non-Air,non-Pro, just nothingmay only have three gigabytes of RAMand cost barely over 300 bucks,but the iPad Pro can go up to eight,even 16 gigabytes of RAMand starts at 800 bucks.So why not just let itbe all that it can be?And they do kinda, sorta,it's less than idealfrom a Mac point of view,but it works for the iPadbecause you can havemultiple big apps in memoryand keep them instantlyresponsive all at the same time.So like a rage-baity poster-typeperson can have Safariwith a few tows ready to repostand the socials are CMS open on the leftand Procreate with a bunchof layers going on the right,this video, running picture and picturewithout dropping a frameon top of both of themand messages in slide overso they can trash talkwhat I'm saying right nowto any friend or fellow posterwho also doesn't happen to knowor particularly care howthe iPad actually worksbecause it's just so damnlazy for Cloud traps,but I digress.With eight or 16 gigabytes,you can also multitask througha bunch of different apps,even big cross-compiled gamesand Data heavy social networkswithout having any of them relaunchor any Safari tabs reloadespecially on the 16 gigabyte iPad Pro.It's just apps for days.And for the vast, vastmajority of apps and workflowsand the vast majority of people,not only won't the five gigabyte limitever be an honest to Jobs,actual real world type problem,but odds are you wouldn't even notice itmuch less be irked by itat least if people didn'tpublish first, research secondor never, which irks me obviously.Just like Marquez says,\"Never put up a number without context,never put up a what ifyou can't answer the why.And if you can't answer the why,strap on your researchpants until you can.\"Now, for some very specific apps,you can absolutely hitthat RAM limit and hard.Apps like Procreate thatcan benefit from more layerswhich do absolutely require more RAM.It's for those very few, butvery specific types of appsthat apple has just nowstarted testing a very new,very specific entitlementso that they can check system resources,see how much extra memoryis currently available,lying aroundand then request and getmore of that memory to use.And because someone who'sworking on a mountain of layersin Procreate is probablyfocused entirely on Procreateand not bouncing as muchbetween other Windows or apps,Apple is gonna let thatforeground focused appjust be super RAM thirstyat least for as long asyou stay focused on it.But the app has to be able to handle itwhen and if you do decide to bounceand start doing something elseand that memory being takenaway as fast as it was givenbecause iPadOS' priorityis still and always,making sure everythingyou do feels instantly,utterly responsive.So, if you see a bunchof articles or tweetscomplaining about the RAM limit,just laugh and click out of thembecause they only caredabout the what so faras they could rage-baityou for monetization,not the why in order toprovide you with actual value.But if you do see articles ortweets actually explaining it,even if they hate it,even if they suggest different limitsor swapping jetsam for swap,give them a read and somewell earned attentionbecause they did their damn joband they gave you that value.And to help me do my damnjob, check out Nebula.It's where I post all of myvideos ad free, sponsor freeand many of them withextended bonus content,including originals thatyou can only get on Nebulalike Impact iPhone.- There was no question thatwas a game-changer phonethat was ahead of its time.- We're gonna make somehistory together today.- The iPhone really has changed,I mean my life in so many ways.- It was the keynote every Apple fanhad always wanted Apple to deliver.(crowd cheering)- Are you getting it?- Steve was just obviously likea visionary and incredible.- It was like CES was a distant memory.- Everyone knew that we had never seenanything like this ever before.- That's 100% going tobe where everyone goes.- And you can get it bundled in for freewhen you sign up withcuriositystream.com/reneritchie.or just click the link in the description.And right now, becauseyou watched this channel,it's 26% off, less than 15 bucks a yearfor all their thousands ofamazing documentaries and serieslike a World Without NASA:all about how the space agencyhas changed the earth forever.Over 26% off, less than 15bucks for the whole entire year.Just click the link in description,or go to curiositystream.com/reneritchie.then go watch my original.Here's a deeper diveinto new iPadOS featuresand also a video of the YouTube algorithmthinks you'll enjoy even more.It's human versus machine.So let me know which one you pickedand I'll see you in the next video.\n"