Josh Ong
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.
"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."
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45 Comments
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?
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.
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.
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.