Rumor: Apple to bump 'iPad Air 2' RAM to 2GB, keep second-gen Retina iPad mini at 1GB

Posted:
in iPad edited August 2014
Buyers of Apple's next-generation 9.7-inch iPad will have more RAM to play with, according to a Wednesday report from the Republic of China, as the company is said to be preparing to offer the forthcoming revision of its popular tablet with two gigabytes of onboard RAM.




The second-generation iPad mini with Retina display will not share in the upgrade and will instead keep a similar configuration to its predecessor, Taiwanese blog TechNews.tw noted. Both tablets currently ship with one gigabyte of RAM.

Though the limit seems relatively paltry compared to traditional computers, Apple's iOS operating system is designed to intelligently manage RAM usage. Most memory-saving operations are transparent to users, though there are some -- such as releasing pages from Safari's cache, causing them to be reloaded -- that crop up in daily use.

Relatively little is known about Apple's future plans for the iPad. Many believe that the tablets will gain the iPhone 5s's Touch ID-equipped home button and a faster, so-called "A8" processor during the lineup's next refresh, though the rumor well runs dry after that.

Apple is thought to be planning an iPhone-focused event on Sept. 9. While it is possible that new iPad models could be rolled out at the same time, the company has recently chosen to unveil changes to the iPad at a separate event in October.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 108
    2gigs of ram would definitely help apps like Photoshop Touch and Procreate.
  • Reply 2 of 108
    jason98jason98 Posts: 768member

    What would be nice - if Touch ID is introduced along with seamless multi-user experience on iPad - personalized folders, mail boxes, preferences, etc.

    Not sure if Apple is going to do that ever as they would prefer each family member to own a separate iPad.

  • Reply 3 of 108
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member

    Hmm. Sounds wrong. They made a point of unifying the platform with the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2. Why would they split it again?

  • Reply 4 of 108
    Remember last year when all the rumors said the mini would use a different chip than the Air? Here we go again...
  • Reply 5 of 108
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

    Since I'll be getting the Air 2, this rumor sounds good to me!

     

    The more power and more ram, the better!

  • Reply 6 of 108
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

     

    Hmm. Sounds wrong. They made a point of unifying the platform with the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2. Why would they split it again?


     

    Well, the Mini Retina is cheaper, and I always found it strange that it was equally as powerful as the Air. In my opinion, the larger model should always be a little better and a bit more powerful.

  • Reply 7 of 108
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    jason98 wrote: »
    What would be nice - if Touch ID is introduced along with seamless multi-user experience on iPad - personalized folders, mail boxes, preferences, etc.
    Not sure if Apple is going to do that ever as they would prefer each family member to own a separate iPad.

    1) I still haven't heard a solid solution as to how they would implement that securely without requiring installing apps for each user account or how they would use a single app installation per device that would infuse the proper user files as needed, or how they will prevent a major power and performance hit for keeping accounts and apps running on other users, like with OS X and Windows.

    2) Perhaps the new Family Sharing plan is a step in that direction. Perhaps the longterm goal is to allow a single account with multiple users to use a single device interchangeably. If there is anything that I see that could lead to that solution I think that is it.

    3) Even if you have Touch ID you would still need to have a username or avatar for each account because it's possible that there could be a duplicate for either the fingerprint or passcode used to secure the device.
  • Reply 8 of 108
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post

    In my opinion, the larger model should always be a little better and bit more powerful.




    I’m all for gimping an unusable tablet, but I’m more for unification of a platform. It makes a ton of sense to be able to have the confidence to go into a store, buy from a tablet lineup, and know that the software you want WILL work on that model. Also, the iPad mini is already gimped. Hi-yo!

  • Reply 9 of 108
    stuffestuffe Posts: 394member

    Seems odd to bring parity between the 2 for 1 generation then start to diversify the lineup again. Other than a minor clock difference I wouldn't have expected any difference.  Mind you, with the iPhone 6 1Gb rumour, then this, it just shows all rumours are rubbish :)  Let's wait and see.

  • Reply 10 of 108
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

    Makes no sense you get the same powered tablet but smaller. Usually that means it should cost MORE.




    Why? It’s the same chips. Buy in bulk, save money.

     

    If they weaken the Mini more will choose the Air which has higher margins, revenue, and profit.




    Completely different products with completely different use cases.

  • Reply 11 of 108
    stuffestuffe Posts: 394member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

     



    Why? It’s the same chips. Buy in bulk, save money.



    Completely different products with completely different use cases.




    The screen isn't the same, and it's smaller and considerably higher PPI, therefore like a more expensive component, plus the whole thing may (may) be more difficult to assemble.

  • Reply 12 of 108
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

    nope.

     

    Its about maximizing profits.

     

    Makes no sense you get the same powered tablet but smaller.

    Usually that means it should cost MORE.

     

    If they weaken the Mini more will choose the Air which has higher margins, revenue, and profit.


     

    I agree. If the models are equally as powerful, then Apple should raise the price of the Mini.

     

    It doesn't make sense to offer an Air for $500, when an equally as powerful Mini is $100 cheaper.

     

    Hell, they could even be the same price, if you ask me.

  • Reply 13 of 108
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,192member

    Hello, side-by-side apps--on the Air 2, that is!

  • Reply 14 of 108
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Interesting even if it doesn't make sense to me. I'm an original iPad customer so what happens to the Mini doesn't bother me too much. This may infuriate software developers that want to bring new capabilities to all platforms though. Beyond that RAM is so cheap these days It wouldn't make a big dent in platform costs.

    This does make me wonder though if the AIR will have a higher performance A8 implementation with a wider memory bus. That would do a lot to eliminate one bottle neck for the A8. We could see the return of the "X" variants.
  • Reply 15 of 108
    stuffestuffe Posts: 394member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post

     

     

    I agree. If the models are equally as powerful, then Apple should raise the price of the Mini.

     

    It doesn't make sense to offer an Air for $500, when an equally as powerful Mini is $100 cheaper.

     

    Hell, they could even be the same price, if you ask me.




    I believe that while the componentry (screen aside) is the same, the mini is actually clocked lower for battery and heat dissipation reasons.  So while your argument is totally correct from a costs perspective, there is still a small disparity from an experience perspective.  Could it be that the Mini uses chips that don't quite pass the quality checks but are fine if you run them a bit slower?  That's basically how a lot of X86 chips work, there is no difference between them oftentimes at similar speed ratings, the higher rated ones just get marked as such because they benchmarked better under load.

  • Reply 16 of 108
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Originally Posted by stuffe View Post

    The screen isn't the same, and it's smaller and considerably higher PPI, therefore like a more expensive component, plus the whole thing may (may) be more difficult to assemble.

     

    Yeah, but that has nothing to do with the topic of discussion. We’re talking onboard RAM. It’s no more difficult than assembly would be otherwise.

  • Reply 17 of 108
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    solipsismx wrote: »
    1) I still haven't heard a solid solution as to how they would implement that securely without requiring installing apps for each user account or how they would use a single app installation per device that would infuse the proper user files as needed, or how they will prevent a major power and performance hit for keeping accounts and apps running on other users, like with OS X and Windows.
    It is pretty obvious that the designers of iPad saw it as a personal device not a shared device. As such there is no clean way to multi users at this point in time.
    2) Perhaps the new Family Sharing plan is a step in that direction. Perhaps the longterm goal is to allow a single account with multiple users to use a single device interchangeably. If there is anything that I see that could lead to that solution I think that is it.
    Frankly all the people whining about multiple users can dive head first into a frozen lake for all I care. The device simply was never designed for multiple users nor should it be upgraded to support multiple users.
    3) Even if you have Touch ID you would still need to have a username or avatar for each account because it's possible that there could be a duplicate for either the fingerprint or passcode used to secure the device.

    The use of Touch ID just further highlights that these are devices designed for personal use.
  • Reply 18 of 108
    stuffestuffe Posts: 394member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

     

     

    Yeah, but that has nothing to do with the topic of discussion. We’re talking onboard RAM. It’s no more difficult than assembly would be otherwise.


     

    >Makes no sense you get the same powered tablet but smaller. Usually that means it should cost MORE.

     

    >>Why? It’s the same chips. Buy in bulk, save money.

     

    >>>The screen isn't the same, and it's smaller and considerably higher PPI, therefore like a more expensive component

     

    Seems relevant to the ensuing discussion.

  • Reply 19 of 108
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by stuffe View Post

     



    I believe that while the componentry (screen aside) is the same, the mini is actually clocked lower for battery and heat dissipation reasons. 


     

    You're correct. I just looked it up and it appears that the A7 in the Air is running at 1.4 Ghz, and the A7 in the Mini Retina is running at 1.3 Ghz, so a very small difference, but nonetheless a difference.

     

    It seems that Apple is going to widen the gap further between the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini Retina 2, and I see no problems with that.

  • Reply 20 of 108
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member

    Rumor or not, more RAM would be useful.

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