Apple to reportedly double 'iPad 3' RAM to 1GB

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014


A new report claims that leaked debug photos purportedly from Apple's third-generation iPad show that the device will sport 1GB of RAM, double the amount of its predecessor.



On the heels of recent reports that Apple will increase the RAM in its upcoming iPad model, a hacker and iPhone jailbreaker known as "Chronic" offered up a specific number: 1GB.



Leaked debug photos allegedly of Apple's next iPad that surfaced last month showed a line of code that read "vm_page_bootstrap: 244276 free pages and 8396 wired pages." By multiplying the number of free pages by the size of a page (4,096 bytes), the developer deduced that the device will have 1GB of RAM.



Apple's second-generation iPad, released last March, carried 512MB of RAM, the same amount as the iPhone 4.\t



"Chronic" also reported earlier on Tuesday that the golden master build of iOS 5.1 has passed Apple's internal quality assurance testing and is set to arrive soon with the addition of two secret features.











Speculation surrounding the next-generation iPad has surged in the run-up to Apple's media event, scheduled to take place on Wednesday. The so-called "iPad 3" will likely boast a 2,048 x 1,536 pixel display, a faster processor and 4G LTE. There has been some disagreement, however, on whether the new processor will be a quad-core A6 chip or an A5X dual-core chip. Recent reports have pointed to the A5X dual-core option as most likely.



A pair of reports have also claimed that Apple will set aside its current numbering system and call the new device the "iPad HD."



[ View article on AppleInsider ]

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 45
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Might have better luck with this here: "Is anyone else worried about the extra power draw of the RAM, too?"



    Between potential quad-core, LTE, and the doubling of RAM, will we have any battery life left?
  • Reply 2 of 45
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    Might have better luck with this here: "Is anyone else worried about the extra power draw of the RAM, too?"



    Between potential quad-core, LTE, and the doubling of RAM, will we have any battery life left?



    If reports are correct, it's about .81 mm thicker, or at least, the back is. So that leaves a lot of extra room. Some might be used for the LTE chip, if present. But thats not appreciably thicker from the pics I've seen of it. So what else could the extra space be for? I imagine a thicker battery.



    I don't know how thick the present battery is. If we did, we might have a fair idea of how much more power this one contains, assuming it isn't a better technology on its own.



    But, only the 3G/LTE models need more power. The WiFi models don't. So if the battery is more powerful, and we just have a WiFi model, or have 3G/LTE turned off, we should get a good deal better battery life. A fair tradeoff, I suppose.
  • Reply 3 of 45
    tipootipoo Posts: 1,141member






    Keeping 512 was pushing it in the iPad 2 IMO, its a fast device and so even more annoying when you get slowed down by having to reload tabs in safari or have sluggish switching to and from larger apps. Keeping it for the 3 would definitely be a no-no with 4x the pixels.
  • Reply 4 of 45
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    If it has HiDPI display, which seems like a given now, 1GB is surely expected. I figure that will probably hold for 2 years until 2GB is feasible.



    As for power draw, it's small but it's constant. I hope with all the new HW needed for that display that it gets at least the same usage times as before. I'm okay with a thicker and heavier unit if means longer life.
  • Reply 5 of 45
    psych_guypsych_guy Posts: 486member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    Might have better luck with this here: "Is anyone else worried about the extra power draw of the RAM, too?"



    Between potential quad-core, LTE, and the doubling of RAM, will we have any battery life left?



    Probably not. It's going to suck (all the battery life, I mean). Apple will launch a product that will be a battery hog and watch their sales hit the floor.



    Seriously, though, I think I'll skip the hype this go-'round. I did it last year and it was a headache. I'll wait a month or two before I even consider buying one. Not that I don't want one, mind you. Just don't want to be a part of the frenzy this year.
  • Reply 6 of 45
    shogunshogun Posts: 362member
    Brainstorm: Could the incessant "iPad mini" screens actually be for... wait for it... Car stereos???



    I'd kill for an apple car stereo that will AirPlay from the iPhone in my pocket without me having to noodle the phone. In fact, take the calls, too, and voice text.



    The only challenge I imagine is the many different kinds of stereo internals in cars... If that's actually true. If it's not an issue, it's a slam dunk.
  • Reply 7 of 45
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    Might have better luck with this here: "Is anyone else worried about the extra power draw of the RAM, too?"



    Between potential quad-core, LTE, and the doubling of RAM, will we have any battery life left?



    It is a misnomer that LTE will use more power. First generation LTE devices used *two* radios, one for LTE and one for 3G(evdo). This resulted in higher power consumption. However, iPad 3(HD) will be using a new Qualcomm chipset that integrates the two radios. LTE power consumption will not be higher than 3G. LTE also have power saving modes that allow iOS to turn off the uplink radio (for example) when the user is just reading content.



    http://www.snet.tu-berlin.de/fileadm...max_eberle.pdf



    Doubling the RAM won't have an impact on power either, because it's likely a single chip regardless, and probably at a higher density (nm) than the iPad2 memory.



    Quad-core and the new screen (which requires dual lighting bars) are the only things that might really impact power consumption. However, as is rumored, I would expect an enhanced dual-core rather than a quad-core in the iPad3. The slightly thicker case of the iPad3 can probably be attributed to the new camera assembly, but I would expect Apple to make lemonade out of lemons and use the extra space for a slightly bigger battery.
  • Reply 8 of 45
    I think the new iPad is going to be called 'iPad DH' in honor of the American League.
  • Reply 9 of 45
    also....if the one GB of ram theory proves to be true, wouldn't that also indicate that the A5X processor is in fact the iPad 3 core processor? the line before it states /DEVELOPMENT_ARM_S5L8945X . This seems to indicate, providing "chronic" is a reliable source that tomorrow will show us an iPad 3 with 1GB of RAM and a dual core improved graphics A5X processor. Seemingly the retina display has been proven to be true, lets all just cross our fingers for full 4G support.
  • Reply 10 of 45
    shogunshogun Posts: 362member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RegurgitatedCoprolite View Post


    I think the new iPad is going to be called 'iPad DH' in honor of the American League.



    iPhD. Should sell well to the academic crowd.



    Quiz: What will the catchy Apple homepage phrase be?



    Seeing is... Unbelievable.

    Get in touch with your inner Amazing.

    Hold your breath. This screen doesn't suck.

    ...
  • Reply 11 of 45
    Me likes your ideas, Shogun.
  • Reply 12 of 45
    mgsarchmgsarch Posts: 50member
    It was a shock that the iPad 2 RAM was 512. I welcome 1GB but it would have been absurd for another iteration at 512. I wish Apple wasn't so stingy on RAM.
  • Reply 13 of 45
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by austingaijin View Post


    It is a misnomer that LTE will use more power. First generation LTE devices used *two* radios, one for LTE and one for 3G(evdo). This resulted in higher power consumption. However, iPad 3(HD) will be using a new Qualcomm chipset that integrates the two radios. LTE power consumption will not be higher than 3G.



    I'll bet you a $25 iTS card that LTE will be lower than the stated '3G' usage times.



    Quote:

    Quad-core and the new screen (which requires dual lighting bars) are the only things that might really impact power consumption. However, as is rumored, I would expect an enhanced dual-core rather than a quad-core in the iPad3.



    I think a dual-core chip is possible, too. Do the dual lighting bars need to be used for all panel types of this density? There is talk of IGZO but I think AH-IPS is plausible.
  • Reply 14 of 45
    dagamer34dagamer34 Posts: 494member
    More RAM is almost always good for power consumption for a very simple reason: you need way more power to reload assets that you have to regenerate from closing an app or downloading data from a network resource (especially if that resource involves a cellular radio instead of WiFi) than keeping that data in RAM.



    When you have to reload data from the Internet, the OS need to turn on the WiFi/cellular radio, check to see if there's a connection, pray that connection is good and packet loss is low (there is always packet loss), hope that servers aren't acting up, then download that data and keep the radio on for instant availability for several minutes before turning it off again when in sleep. This process sucks battery power.



    Some may then ask why the iPad 2 only had 512MB of RAM with all of these wonderful benefits. More RAM costs money to Apple. Shorter battery life does not.
  • Reply 15 of 45
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dagamer34 View Post


    More RAM is almost always good for power consumption for a very simple reason: you need way more power to reload assets that you have to regenerate from closing an app or downloading data from a network resource (especially if that resource involves a cellular radio instead of WiFi) than keeping that data in RAM.



    When you have to reload data from the Internet, the OS need to turn on the WiFi/cellular radio, check to see if there's a connection, pray that connection is good and packet loss is low (there is always packet loss), hope that servers aren't acting up, then download that data and keep the radio on for instant availability for several minutes before turning it off again when in sleep. This process sucks battery power.



    Some may then ask why the iPad 2 only had 512MB of RAM with all of these wonderful benefits. More RAM costs money to Apple. Shorter battery life does not.



    I don't think your argument holds for non-disc drive reads which is why Apple has been stingy with RAM.



    Now when it comes to page viewing having a page reload every time you switch between tabs does drain the power faster and slow down usage for obvious reasons. I returned my first iPad because of that very annoyance with Safari and 256MB RAM.



    Here's an old article that details why RAM in these small devices can't just be added willy nilly...
  • Reply 16 of 45
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by melgross View Post


    If reports are correct, it's about .81 mm thicker, or at least, the back is. So that leaves a lot of extra room. Some might be used for the LTE chip, if present. But thats not appreciably thicker from the pics I've seen of it. So what else could the extra space be for? I imagine a thicker battery.



    I don't know how thick the present battery is. If we did, we might have a fair idea of how much more power this one contains, assuming it isn't a better technology on its own.



    But, only the 3G/LTE models need more power. The WiFi models don't. So if the battery is more powerful, and we just have a WiFi model, or have 3G/LTE turned off, we should get a good deal better battery life. A fair tradeoff, I suppose.



    LTE Chip is built-in to the 3G chip. There is plenty of room for expanded battery tech.
  • Reply 17 of 45
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    Might have better luck with this here: "Is anyone else worried about the extra power draw of the RAM, too?"



    Between potential quad-core, LTE, and the doubling of RAM, will we have any battery life left?



    It's gonna be dual core.
  • Reply 18 of 45
    srangersranger Posts: 473member
    I hope it has more memory. My original iPad crashes all of the time now in Safari after the latest update. It appears to be running out of RAM and IT IS VERY ANNOYING....
  • Reply 19 of 45
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post


    LTE Chip is built-in to the 3G chip. There is plenty of room for expanded battery tech.



    From what I can see only the MDM9600 is available to vendors. That's the 45nm version with LTE, meaning the 2nd gen LTE. The 28nm MDM9615 isn't slated until Q2 which is pretty close to the expected launch date.



    It seems like Apple and Qualcomm's relationship could bring the MDM9615 in with the iPad HD but how certain are we that Apple will introduce LTE outside an iPhone? I don't think any iPad has gotten cellular HW that was better than the iPhone came out that same year.
  • Reply 20 of 45
    anakin1992anakin1992 Posts: 283member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by austingaijin View Post


    It is a misnomer that LTE will use more power. First generation LTE devices used *two* radios, one for LTE and one for 3G(evdo). This resulted in higher power consumption. However, iPad 3(HD) will be using a new Qualcomm chipset that integrates the two radios. LTE power consumption will not be higher than 3G. LTE also have power saving modes that allow iOS to turn off the uplink radio (for example) when the user is just reading content.



    http://www.snet.tu-berlin.de/fileadm...max_eberle.pdf



    Doubling the RAM won't have an impact on power either, because it's likely a single chip regardless, and probably at a higher density (nm) than the iPad2 memory.



    Quad-core and the new screen (which requires dual lighting bars) are the only things that might really impact power consumption. However, as is rumored, I would expect an enhanced dual-core rather than a quad-core in the iPad3. The slightly thicker case of the iPad3 can probably be attributed to the new camera assembly, but I would expect Apple to make lemonade out of lemons and use the extra space for a slightly bigger battery.





    thanks for the link to the paper.



    LTE uses OFDM while 3G uses WCDMA. at higher bit rate, i would guess that LTE would consume more power.



    instead of using 2 radios, QUALCOMM combines them into 1 radio?
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