No RAM on the iPad

[SeoxyS]

Reading the latest DJTT blog post, I noticed the claim "There is no RAM."

Just wanted to point out (as an iPhone and soon iPad developer) that iPhone-like devices (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) definitely do have RAM. Apple does not advertise that fact, because it does not deem it important. (They don't advertise processor speed either for the iPhone and iPod Touch.)

The iPhone 3GS has 256MB of RAM, while the earlier iPhones and all the iPod touches all had 128MB of RAM. I won't know for sure until I get my hands on one (unfortunately even developers can't get 'em early), but I imagine it'll come with either 512MB or 1024MB of RAM.

More importantly than the size of the RAM though, is the fact there *is* RAM. The suggestion that it uses the main flash memory as a "scratch / swap drive" is false. If it were true, it'd be really bad for performance, but thankfully, that is not the case.

-Ken

[EanGolden]

thanks for the info- can you point to an apple page with supporting data?

[charo]

it's hard to believe people are thinking the iphone or the ipad don't have RAM

i looked on the "technical specs" page of the iphone and of course like mentioned they don't list it. I think they don't list it cause they don't want people to make a comparision to computer specs.

Just like everything else, its not only important how much ram it has but how efficient the programs (or program in the case of the iphone (ipad too?) makes use of it.

[SeoxyS]

Yeah, like charo said, Apple doesn't want you to compare the iPhone (&iPad) by its specs. They want you to compare the experience.

Take, for example, the iPhone 3GS and the Nexus One by Google. In terms of specs, the Nexus wins with its 1GHz CPU over the iPhone's 600MHz. Yet, thanks to the superior OS and lack of multitasking, the 3GS is a lot snappier.

Apple doesn't want the comparison to be based on the specs, where Google wins, but instead on the experience, where Apple wins. Apple has always been a company that defines itself and its product on the user experience, rather than tech specs.

You won't find anything on Apple's site that confirms or denies the existence (and amount) of RAM on the iPad. But trust me (or any of the many reports & spec dumps from other iPhone developers or hackers) on this, the iPhone has RAM, and so will the iPad.

-Ken

[space monkey]

Interesting. Out of curiosity what makes the 3GS OS superior to Nexus?

[Tigris]

As for the iPhone: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iphone

While this won't be confirmed as long as the iPad hasn't arrived, I'd say its save to say the iPad will sport at least the 256MB of the 3GS.

[lsmith]

i am guessing more in the 512mb range. remember that it with a bigger screen it needs to handle more information to be displayed at a time.

[xtianw]

the hp slate and the asus eee pad wipe the floor with that ipad thing.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/06/the-hp-slate/

http://gizmodo.com/5432794/multitouc...-sale-in-march

[lsmith]

Indeed they do. Unfortunately there is no hackintosh for these, then again there it monotouch (though still no multi touch support) for windows.

[SeoxyS]

the hp slate and the asus eee pad wipe the floor with that ipad thing.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/06/the-hp-slate/

http://gizmodo.com/5432794/multitouc...-sale-in-march

Your message is precisely why Apple doesn't live by specs. On paper, you're right. In real life, everybody is going to forget about those devices you just mentioned while the iPad is going to revolutionize an industry, just like the iPhone did.