iPadOS 16 Adds Memory Swap to M1 iPads ⇥ macrumors.com

Sami Fathi, MacRumors:

Apple is adding virtual memory swap to iPadOS 16, allowing apps on the recent iPad Pro and iPad Air models to use free and available storage as extra memory for demanding workloads.

This sounds to me almost like old fashioned swap memory. If that is truly what is happening, I could not be more excited — and I do not even have an iPad that supports it. I have been one small voice in a chorus of people begging for features that justify the iPad Pro name. Allowing apps to truly remain in memory is a big step forward in transitioning iPadOS from its smartphone origins to something more, as Apple puts it, “desktop class”.

This, as much as the new-ish window management system, are almost convincing enough for me to think about buying a new iPad. Give it a few months and we shall see whether I bite the bullet.

Why it is limited to the highest-end new iPads is perhaps not the biggest mystery, but there does appear to be a minor story within this story. Fathi:

Virtual memory swap and the higher memory ceiling join a list of features coming with iPadOS 16 that are exclusive to the M1 iPad Pro and iPad Air , including Stage Manager. In fact, Apple told Digital Trends that Stage Manager relies on this virtual RAM swap.

It seems Apple probably did offer that rationale, but you will find no such quote in that Digital Trends article today. An unfortunate attribution error and an unsurprising explanation.