Just Enough Memory ⇥ subtraction.com

Khoi Vinh reviews his iPhone 6 Plus:

Being old, I recall a time when [1 GB of] memory seemed like a lot—especially for a device you carry around in your pocket! But in practice, it’s not nearly enough for the 6 Plus (and maybe not for the 6, either; I have no firsthand experience).

Still, it’s my opinion that the 6 Plus should never have shipped with just 1 gigabyte. What’s more, the whole thing makes me more skeptical than ever of Apple’s decision not publicize their mobile devices’ memory specifications. The implication is that users shouldn’t have to worry about counting RAM anymore, and while that may be closer to being true than it ever was before, it’s still not quite realistic.

Vinh’s assessment that Apple typically ships their iOS devices — particularly the non-S variants — with only just enough memory is absolutely correct. It doesn’t matter whether these specs are public knowledge — that only averts the meaningless spec tit-for-tat that defined much of ’90s and early ’00s computer advertising. I’ve complained about this a lot; it is my most recurring frustration with my iPad, and it noticeably impairs the user experience.