Quite frankly, I registered in order to comment for the sole purpose of saying that sog35 and at least one other person in this thread is a $&@%#^**. Who are you to tell people what they should or shouldn't think? I own an iPad Pro and was very aware once I received the device that it did not have always on "hey Siri" OR 3D Touch and I found that very disappointing in a BRAND NEW top of the line apple device. So, dude, take your overbearing, self-aggrandizing snark and go find someone who gives a *^%* about your opinion.
I have to say, that this really pisses me, as an iPad Pro owner.
You have USB 3 speeds and charging times though... Seems far more useful on a 12" pro tablet then talking to it.
Still no reason to gimp the most expensive iPad. I love everything presented yesterday, especially environmental hard works but this leaves bad taste in my mouth. And I don't even own larger iPad Pro YET.
This is the kind of arbitrary, capricious decision making at Apple that drives people crazy. Worst case, this oversight could've been addressed with 9.3.
I'm pretty sure it does not have the exact same hardware... the motherboard is different, the video controller is different, the Lightning interface is different. And guess what!? The microphones might even be different!!!
The point of Apple's Motion processors is to monitor and process input from various sensors. In order for this to work efficiently the Motion processor would need a direct path to those sensors, so the main CPU can be completely bypassed. If for some reason Apple did not engineer the original iPad Pro so that the microphone had a direct path to the M9 and instead that data could only be accessed through the main CPU, then always on "Hey Siri" would not be possible. Having the main CPU constantly monitor and process audio input would eat through your battery charge - which is why every other device requires itself to be plugged in before enabling "Hey Siri".
LOL And you're calling other people delusional? You're the one who seems to be emotional beyond rational.
You do know the M9 motion processors are built-in to both the A9 and A9X, right?
That there is no special fab for some sort of fictional "Hey Siri" high-speed-bus-to-the-microphones on every A9X except the one for the large iPad Pro?
You made up all of the above (bolded), as if you had the first clue what you were talking about, then you have the gall to call other people "beyond rational"? Dude, you are a real piece of work.
First of all, I do know that the M9 is on the A9X, but so what? You do understand that M7 and M8 were not embedded, but they still had access to the data bus that connected to the various sensors? The entire point of having these coprocessors, embedded or not, is to bypass the main CPU cores, allowing for more efficient monitoring and processing of sensor input. I also hope you understand that the sensors are also not part of the SoC, they are distributed accordingly throughout the device. At some point they need to connect to the bus that feeds those Motion processors, again, embedded or not. It is completely possible that the microphone line on the 12.9" iPad Pro may not be connected to that bus. This connection would exist outside the SoC, so yes, the EXACT same SoC may not have access to the same resources. Much in the same way that I'm sure the new ambient light sensors in the 9.7" iPad Pro can exist and can be monitored using the EXACT same A9X.
Do I know exactly how it's actually implemented in either iPad? No I don't. And I never said I did. I'm just guessing based off what I think might be the reason. That's how my mind works. You're free to remain dismissive and ignorant and just settle for the laziest explanation - more power to you.
I have a 12.9" iPP and don't care that it's missing this feature. Why? Because I also have an Apple Watch that does "Hey Siri". It would be really annoying if every time I'm talking to my Watch my iPad also comes to life... ugh.
My guess is that driving that big screen has forced Apple to make compromises. They want to bleed every last minute of battery life so sacrifices had to be made. Shame though.
My guess is that driving that big screen has forced Apple to make compromises. They want to bleed every last minute of battery life so sacrifices had to be made. Shame though.
Doesn't "Hey Siri" need to store a sound signature in the sram in of the A9x? Maybe just isn't the on chip cache to store the sound signature and drive that many extra pixels.
Does the iPhone6 have more features than an iPhone5s?
of course the newer product has more features.
What planet do you live on.
The 12.9 Pro is FOUR MONTHS OLD. Deal with it. And always Siri is such a small feature anyway. Can't beleive all the crybabies on this site. You all should go to MacRumors and you will fit right in.
But both sizes have the same M9 co-processor. Makes no sense that one would support hey Siri and the other not.
"Hey Siri" should be on 12.9" version and I believe it will. why Apple didn't Apple include it in 9.3 is strange to me.
The M9 coprocessor is an extremely low power unit that monitors input from various sensors - it would stand to reason those sensors would need to be directly linked to the M9. If the mic in the 12.9" Pro is not tied to the M9, then "Hey Siri" obviously will not work. Now, I'm only guessing all of this, because I don't really know either, but it makes sense.
Huh? And by plugging in power, the Mic will connect to M9? Lol...dude, "Hey Siri" is software based. Apple just sometimes don't want to include things on a device which may compromise something else, but there is no freaking way that "Hey Siri" is hardware based.
My Apple Watch supports always on "Hey Siri." I'm not going to say it makes no sense because I wasn't involved in the design of the product, but it does beg the question why the bigger, more powerful, NEWER iPad Pro does not.
And I gave a plausible explanation why it's not on the NEWER 12.9" iPad Pro - When Apple designed that iPad, they simply decided "Hey Siri" wasn't a beneficial feature to have on an iPad.
But here's a couple more...
1. The iPad Pro was designed before the feature was considered or engineered. 2. "Hey Siri" was a completely new feature and they wanted a "limited" release. 3. The A9X SoC provided a design challenge that kept them from making the feature available in time for the Pro's release.
And all of what you said happened AFTER the design of A9 in 6S WITH "Hey Siri" capable. How is that reasonable? No one believes the crap you just spewed. Fcking feature was already included in a previous chip set A9.
That's all bullshit. The new 9.7" iPad Pro has the exact, EXACT, same fucking hardware. There is no excuse.
I'm pretty sure it does not have the exact same hardware... the motherboard is different, the video controller is different, the Lightning interface is different. And guess what!? The microphones might even be different!!!
The point of Apple's Motion processors is to monitor and process input from various sensors. In order for this to work efficiently the Motion processor would need a direct path to those sensors, so the main CPU can be completely bypassed. If for some reason Apple did not engineer the original iPad Pro so that the microphone had a direct path to the M9 and instead that data could only be accessed through the main CPU, then always on "Hey Siri" would not be possible. Having the main CPU constantly monitor and process audio input would eat through your battery charge - which is why every other device requires itself to be plugged in before enabling "Hey Siri".
LOL And you're calling other people delusional? You're the one who seems to be emotional beyond rational.
Dumbshit assumption! There's no direct/undirect paths to M9. It's fucking software base. Otherwise, plugging in power wouldn't be able to enable it. You will need to eat your own worlds when later Apple enable this feature in 12.9" iPad Pro in later iOS release.
I have to say, that this really pisses me, as an iPad Pro owner.
That, and the fact that there is now a freakin' 256GB model!
On the positive side, looks like we'll get a 256GB 7 Plus this year!!
I'm afraid the new direction to : 32/128/256GB for all new devices and the cost will be $150, not $100 to jump to next storage tier. That means we may see: $650/$800/$950 for 32/128/256GB versions of iPhone 7.
Huh? And by plugging in power, the Mic will connect to M9? Lol...dude, "Hey Siri" is software based. Apple just sometimes don't want to include things on a device which may compromise something else, but there is no freaking way that "Hey Siri" is hardware based.
It is hardware based.
It will suck up too much battery
BS! Both 12.9" and 9.7" have the same processors. I may believe it's due to power issue but refuse to believe it's a hard hardware based. What kind of machanism is triggered to enable this feature when the power is plugged in? Nothing. Only the damn software detects power supplied to the device and enables Mic to listen.
I have a 12.9" iPP and don't care that it's missing this feature. Why? Because I also have an Apple Watch that does "Hey Siri". It would be really annoying if every time I'm talking to my Watch my iPad also comes to life... ugh.
Have it off on my phone for the same reason....
It's not missing. It requires plugged in. I don't see why it is a big deal for people to plug in their iPad while it's not in use?
And all of what you said happened AFTER the design of A9 in 6S WITH "Hey Siri" capable. How is that reasonable? No one believes the crap you just spewed. Fcking feature was already included in a previous chip set A9.
but the 6s does not have to power a 12.9 inch screen, 4 big speakers, or 4GB of RAM.
its obvious this is a battery saving feature. Apple has decided the Hey Siri is not as important as preserving battery life on the 12.9 Pro.
If you read my comment carefully, you'd see I didn't argue about power issue but the processor design. Someone argued the 9X in 12.9" Pro might not have the capability but it was already included in the previous version of processor. I called that BS.
Sigh... Guys, this is terribly researched. The article is factually incorrect. I am using an iPP with iOS 9.3 and it does indeed support the full "Hey Siri" functionality (including while not attached to external power). Put down your pitchforks. I don't know where you get this stuff...
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You have USB 3 speeds and charging times though... Seems far more useful on a 12" pro tablet then talking to it.
First of all, I do know that the M9 is on the A9X, but so what? You do understand that M7 and M8 were not embedded, but they still had access to the data bus that connected to the various sensors? The entire point of having these coprocessors, embedded or not, is to bypass the main CPU cores, allowing for more efficient monitoring and processing of sensor input. I also hope you understand that the sensors are also not part of the SoC, they are distributed accordingly throughout the device. At some point they need to connect to the bus that feeds those Motion processors, again, embedded or not. It is completely possible that the microphone line on the 12.9" iPad Pro may not be connected to that bus. This connection would exist outside the SoC, so yes, the EXACT same SoC may not have access to the same resources. Much in the same way that I'm sure the new ambient light sensors in the 9.7" iPad Pro can exist and can be monitored using the EXACT same A9X.
Do I know exactly how it's actually implemented in either iPad? No I don't. And I never said I did. I'm just guessing based off what I think might be the reason. That's how my mind works. You're free to remain dismissive and ignorant and just settle for the laziest explanation - more power to you.
Have it off on my phone for the same reason....
That, and the fact that there is now a freakin' 256GB model!
On the positive side, looks like we'll get a 256GB 7 Plus this year!!
Maybe just isn't the on chip cache to store the sound signature and drive that many extra pixels.
You will need to eat your own worlds when later Apple enable this feature in 12.9" iPad Pro in later iOS release.
I'm afraid the new direction to : 32/128/256GB for all new devices and the cost will be $150, not $100 to jump to next storage tier. That means we may see: $650/$800/$950 for 32/128/256GB versions of iPhone 7.