Think of it this way, iPadOS is built on top of Darwin which is a variant of UNIX. It has all the capabilities of UNIX for example grep, ssh, bash, etc. I use these tools every day on my Mac and couldn’t do my job without them. But they purposely hid all those powerful tools away because they have a steep learning curve and would turn off the vast majority of iPad users. Would the iPad be more powerful if they gave users a Terminal app and unleashed the full power of Unix? Sure, but it would also make it much more complicated.
So it is always a question of where they are going to draw the line between the full power under the hood and what the hardware is capable of and how to make it a user friendly portable device.
I get the sentiment where the iPad is just supposed to be a user friendly (aka handicapped) machine. But did the Terminal make the Mac a user unfriendly machine in any way? Non-power users just won’t ever touch it. In fact I’d argue it made Mac more user friendly for power users.
Would you argue the same if Mac is treated the same way where the hardware is obviously handicapped by some artificial constraints? Would you be totally okay if Apple sold you a Mac with 16GB of RAM but limited the usable amount to 5GB for no good reason, other than making every app “user friendly”, or maintaining consistency with less powerful machines? What about limiting the amount of storage usable to 1/3 of what you bought?
Every argument like this is almost certainly from people who don’t use the iPad as the main machine and treat iPad as a companion to the Mac. I just have to disagree when Apple is obviously marketing the iPad as an independent or even a replacement for Mac.
Regarding the artificial constraints, do you think the iPad would currently be able to use all the RAM if they just removed some constraint they’d programmed in? Or do you think there would be potential stability issues?
Given that other article that was linked previously, talking about “crashing” when trying to allocate more RAM than allowable, I’m thinking that raising the RAM limit is a feature that’s almost certainly coming soon - but there’s OS-level stuff they’re probably working on in order to get the experience working better before they remove it.
It could be argued that they should’ve gotten that right before releasing the hardware, but Apple is a publicly-traded company, and they need periodic “wins” in the press.
I think “M1 in the iPad” is a solid “win”. Delaying that until they can say “removed the RAM ceiling for apps” - which is something very, very few people care about - wouldn’t make sense, PR-wise.
But ultimately it’s an important feature, and honestly it’s a silly limitation from the consumer POV - which is where you’re coming from. If we’re here next year and they haven’t managed to address the RAM issue I’ll be disappointed. But I’m expecting some sort of point release where they address stability issues from RAM allocation, and bump the limit.
If Apple didn’t advertise the amount of RAM available, I’d think this limitation would be perfectly acceptable like 2018 models. It’s the fact that they specifically marketed the 1TB+ models have 16GB RAM that make the situation a bit problematic.
I agree very few actually care about the 5GB limitation. But those very few people are very likely to be the ones buying the 16GB models. The limitation is actually substantial for those who need the extra RAM in pro apps like LumaFusion or Procreate.
I’m not sure if lifting the limit would pose stability concerns. I think Apple never explicitly specified how much RAM an app is allowed. The only way to tell is when the system is crashing third party apps. It could be the case where iPadOS is just incapable of allocating more RAM but I doubt it.
Which I think is the real pickle that Apple finds themselves in with how to market this as a pro device. My opinion is that they must have something that delineates the devices otherwise it’s an automatic cancellation in some people’s mind. It would be for me.
Bill Gates demonstrated a tablet computer way back in 2000, he saw it as the future. So did Steve Jobs, the idea for the iPad came years before the iPhone. Marketing the future while maintaining the present can’t be easy.
Here’s where I am struggling: I can purchase an M1 MacBook Air for less than I can purchase an iPad Pro with magic keyboard. I could even purchase the MacBook Air plus an iPad or iPad Mini and still be in the same price neighborhood.
The one advantage the iPad Pro provides that the MacBook Air does not is cellular built in. I love this aspect of my iPad Pro. But, is it worth the added cost and the inherent limitations of iPadOS to have built in cellular? Probably not.
So, @Bmosbacker, why purchase / carry an iPad Pro rather than simply going with a MacBook Air? In the end, don’t you have a less expensive, more powerful device that is easier to carry?
You’re accusing them of just arbitrarily imposing these limits as if they’re trying to punish us. As I said above, there are always tradeoffs. In the case of RAM they decided to not have a swap file backing up the physical memory on the device. Having a swap file has downsides and they decided it wasn’t worth it on the iPhone and iPad. So they have to have some limit or any rogue app could use up the entire ram on the device.
A lot has changed since 2007 and maybe they should reconsider having a swap file and unlimited ram limits, but that is a huge fundamental design change at a low level of the OS. Maybe they’ll never think it is worth the tradeoffs, time will tell.
Yes, BUT, I do a lot or reading and annotating on the iPad. The experience of reading and annotating on a Mac is not nearly as good. Also, I use the iPad when giving presentations and I give a lot! Also, for more complex deeper writing sessions, I prefer the focus on the iPad over the Mac.
Based on my use and needs, the iPad is far better in many instances. The Mac is better in other instances, hence, the value of having both.
My dilemma is not whether to have both an iPad and Mac but rather, what size iPad should my next one be.
I’m not suggesting putting no limit at all. I’m just saying with almost threefold total RAM increase, the per app limit should increase accordingly, not 10%.
In my experience, the 11-inch is better for reading/annotating and giving presentations; the 12.9-inch is better for typing/writing. The Magic Keyboard for the 11-inch is a bit too small and feels cramped; the 12.9-inch keyboard still feels a bit cramped compared to a MBP, but it is very manageable.
the hardware is obviously handicapped by some artificial constraints
There is a reason for the constraint, that’s all I’m pointing out. And you’re right they probably should increase the limit and maybe that is coming in the future.
I’ve had both the 11-inch and 13-inch and I prefer the 13. Sometimes I feel like it’s a little too heavy if I’m holding it for a long time, but I think it is still worth that tradeoff.
Thanks for the introspection on the podcast and here. My situation is quite different and as you say, we each will adapt to our own needs. However your reflection, and an iMac that came my way unexpectedly, has caused me to do likewise. I’m stuck with W10 for work until I retire (soon). My 2018 iPad Pro is my constant computer companion outside of work. However my MBP which I bought for mobile s/w development is getting older and can easily be replaced by the iMac (except for mobility).
So, somewhat following in your footsteps down a different path, I’m now committing to an upgrade of an M1 iPad Pro and giving my MBP to my wife as an upgrade to her Air. The mobility I truly need is not for heavy computing, but all the other technical pleasures the iPad brings. I’m gravitating to the two-modes of iMac and iPad Pro. I do expect the s/w to continue to develop for the iPad Pro though. The M1 and 16GB RAM option convinces me there is much more to come around the corner. I won’t frustrate myself by trying to do something the iPad can’t do well, I’ll just wait for it to come available while enjoying all the things I can do with it’s mobility and freedoms (pencil) and power it already has. And stick to the rest with the iMac. Enjoyed the episode thanks!
Also, for more complex deeper writing sessions, I prefer the focus on the iPad over the Mac.