Running Programs in the Background

[coolstuffs]

I'm running two different Angry Birds, a comics and looking at a full-featured Smithsonian video. I noticed that when I switched to either of one of the running game from the video the game shows onscreen momentarily then the screen switch by itself to show the program icons. I thought the Ipad is capable of running programs simultaneously in the background. Any idea on this?

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[KevinJS]

There is little true multitasking on an iPad. Music is probably the only case where a background task continues to run when a new process is started.

All other processes are frozen in the state they were in when they were minimized. The "multitask" bar is actually nothing of the sort. It is simply a list of recently used apps that are ready to be resumed. Any apps not in the multitask bar will start from scratch when they are selected from the home screen/springboard.

This is one reason that a reboot will not sort out a problem app that has started to display unusual or unwanted behaviors. It must be taken out of the multitask bar to allow it to start from scratch, rather than the state last used.

Sent from my iPhone using iPF

 

[coolstuffs]

There is little true multitasking on an iPad. Music is probably the only case where a background task continues to run when a new process is started.

All other processes are frozen in the state they were in when they were minimized. The "multitask" bar is actually nothing of the sort. It is simply a list of recently used apps that are ready to be resumed. Any apps not in the multitask bar will start from scratch when they are selected from the home screen/springboard.

This is one reason that a reboot will not sort out a problem app that has started to display unusual or unwanted behaviors. It must be taken out of the multitask bar to allow it to start from scratch, rather than the state last used.

Sent from my iPhone using iPF

All the apps that I mentioned are in the multitask bar and have been running when switching to another app. But when resuming one of the games it starts from the beginning (that is starting from the beginning and you have to select the levels again) and not from where I made the switch. The only exception is the video. It did resume from where it is minimized into the bar. Any ideas? OS, memory, etc?

BTW, thanks for the input.

 

[KevinJS]

Could be memory issues that forces the app to start from the beginning. As I understand it, the multitask bar is a first in first out system, so when there is so much memory being used by waiting apps, their memory space will be overwritten, and the data will not exist to resume them. In this case they will start again as though invoked from the springboard.

Sent from my iPhone using iPF

 

[coolstuffs]

Could be memory issues that forces the app to start from the beginning. As I understand it, the multitask bar is a first in first out system, so when there is so much memory being used by waiting apps, their memory space will be overwritten, and the data will not exist to resume them. In this case they will start again as though invoked from the springboard.

Sent from my iPhone using iPF

As what I learned somewhere in the forum that the device only has 1 GB of memory, (not 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB as others would persistently insist to be) could this be the reason why we have the stated observation on multitasking? Or is it also due to some bug in OS?

 

[AQ_OC]

There is little true multitasking on an iPad. Music is probably the only case where a background task continues to run when a new process is started.

It seems, IME, to be music/audiobook and navigation. IOW, Nav will run in the background with music or audiobook in the foreground (on the screen) or the other way around.

 

[AQ_OC]

All the apps that I mentioned are in the multitask bar and have been running when switching to another app. But when resuming one of the games it starts from the beginning (that is starting from the beginning and you have to select the levels again) and not from where I made the switch. The only exception is the video. It did resume from where it is minimized into the bar. Any ideas? OS, memory, etc?

BTW, thanks for the input.

Likely is that the video app uses less ram and load the movie file in incrementally, as needed. The games, probably need more ram and thus get moved our of active memory once put in the background. It may depend on the game, too. For example, when I minimize Fruit Ninja with a group of apps on the bar, if I open it back up it comes up minimized. It might act differently with a different group of apps in the background. I just tried it with Angry Birds HD Free and after bringing it back up, it closed. When I activiated it again from the bar it started over from the beginning. Yet, Fruit Ninja pauses and resumes from where it left off.

 

[BocataDeChoped]

Games take a lot of RAM, it's almost impossible to keep them in memory if you switch to another app. It also happens with browsers if you have several webs opened in different tabs.

 

[theTimo]

As what I learned somewhere in the forum that the device only has 1 GB of memory, (not 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB as others would persistently insist to be) could this be the reason why we have the stated observation on multitasking? Or is it also due to some bug in OS?

Actually 1GB is not 'only'. But yes, the politics of announcing iPads as 16GB etc versions, sometimes gives people a wrong impression of the device. After all, how many of us have 16, 32 or 64 GB of memory (RAM) in our computers..? Well, the 16 and 32 GBs might be but 64 GB...

 

[coolstuffs]

Actually 1GB is not 'only'. But yes, the politics of announcing iPads as 16GB etc versions, sometimes gives people a wrong impression of the device. After all, how many of us have 16, 32 or 64 GB of memory (RAM) in our computers..? Well, the 16 and 32 GBs might be but 64 GB...

The 1 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB values all refers to RAM sizes. Indeed confusion arises if the terms, memory, ram, storage are being use. Referring to Apples website the 16, 32, 64 GB values refers to the term Storage. Of course to realize the Storage size/value Apple or any manufacturer uses RAM. The 1 GB size that I'm referring to in my thread also makes use of RAM but it is use by the OS while it is running an app. To make the distinction and avoid misinterpretation between Storage and this another RAM, I use the word memory. These terms are standard terms that one usually encounters in technical media. I'm not telling anybody to accept all this terms that I'm using but it is provided here for the sake of understanding when I use them in my inputs in this thread.

I definitely agree to what you have written, many have the 4, 8, 16, 32 GB memory computer systems nowadays. But 64 GB? I really don't know how many! All I can say, it is possible. The confusion resulting to a wrong impression I agree is the way the Ipad is being announced.

Thanks for the input. I do appreciate your insight.

 

[AQ_OC]

Actually 1GB is not 'only'. But yes, the politics of announcing iPads as 16GB etc versions, sometimes gives people a wrong impression of the device. After all, how many of us have 16, 32 or 64 GB of memory (RAM) in our computers..? Well, the 16 and 32 GBs might be but 64 GB...

It only gives the wrong impression to people who don't understand computers. There is nothing wrong with saying 16, 32, and 64GB versions when referring to the iPad, as that is really what is important to the user in terms of how much information they can store on the device. The fact that the device has 1GB of RAM need not even be mentioned to the typical user. The iPad runs apps that were designed to run on it within the confines of 1GB of RAM. Mentioning both types of memory (and yes, both are memory) is where things become confusing to some people.

 

[coolstuffs]

Further examination of the specs of the Ipad and a typical computer like the Macbook Pro shows the term "storage" used in both Ipad and Mac and in addition "memory" for the Mac.
Why the Ipad spec did not include "memory" I can't find any reason. Is it because it matters only to the users on how much information can be stored on the device, thus the Storage specs?
And the 1 GB does not matter?

Anyway, what is important to note from the specs is the consistency in the use of the term "storage" and "memory" by Apple, the manufacturer. While I agree that there is nothing wrong in using storage size in specifying the Ipad, there is also nothing wrong in using memory size if it is known. But who am I to argue which one to use?

I am just a user of the IPAD and what a better way of discussing matters about it in terms provided by Apple in order to be understood. Is the 1 GB memory important to me? Yes, because it helps in understanding what I raised in this thread. I'm not interested at the moment about the Ipad's storage size (maybe in the near future). However, if one feels that it is related to the discussion at hand, feel free to voice out your thoughts. Do one need to be computer savvy to participate and understand the thread? Do you?

 

[theTimo]

Slightly disagree with the 'both are memory' -portion. Hard drives on computers are seldom treated as 'memory' (excluding the temp-portion). The 16-32-64 GBs should be treated as 'strorage capacity' to avoid misunderstandings.

But there's nothing you or I can do about it, is there?

 

[coolstuffs]

Slightly disagree with the 'both are memory' -portion. Hard drives on computers are seldom treated as 'memory' (excluding the temp-portion). The 16-32-64 GBs should be treated as 'strorage capacity' to avoid misunderstandings.

But there's nothing you or I can do about it, is there?

!00% agree.

 

[AQ_OC]

Why the Ipad spec did not include "memory" I can't find any reason. Is it because it matters only to the users on how much information can be stored on the device, thus the Storage specs?
And the 1 GB does not matter?

To the vast majority of users, yes. That the iPad 3 has 1GB of RAM really doesn't make little difference. It runs the apps that run on the device. Apps load/unload as needed. Developers plan for the availability of that memory, users don't interact with it at all. Some users do care because they just do....some would even decide to buy or not to buy based on that. Also, that 1GB of RAM could give one a general idea of the overall capabilities of the device. The fact that the 2012 iPad has 1GB is not hidden. We learned of it on the day the new iPad was announced.

Anyway, what is important to note from the specs is the consistency in the use of the term "storage" and "memory" by Apple, the manufacturer. While I agree that there is nothing wrong in using storage size in specifying the Ipad, there is also nothing wrong in using memory size if it is known. But who am I to argue which one to use?

I don't really get what you are saying. All the 2012 iPads have 1GB of RAM, so that is not a spec that needs to be stated when deciding amongst the different models. The RAM is listed on the spec sheets, but that is mainly for those who are concerned about how the newer model differs from the older ones. Or when comparing it to other tabs. Most users don't care.

I am just a user of the IPAD and what a better way of discussing matters about it in terms provided by Apple in order to be understood. Is the 1 GB memory important to me? Yes, because it helps in understanding what I raised in this thread. I'm not interested at the moment about the Ipad's storage size (maybe in the near future). However, if one feels that it is related to the discussion at hand, feel free to voice out your thoughts. Do one need to be computer savvy to participate and understand the thread? Do you?

You can discuss what you like as far as I'm concerned. But you seem to be the one concerned about the terms people use. I was just stating the truth that both the 1GB and the 16, 32, and 64GB can be referred to as memory, but the only ones that need to be pay attention to in terms of selecting a model is the storage, not the RAM. Also, regarding your question, since you really have little idea how much RAM any app or game uses, nor can you change the RAM, your point in the OP really isn't much more than curiosity. It's not like on a PC or MAC where you can increase RAM to get the ability to load more apps in RAM. And on the iPad, you can't even increase storage.