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Friends don't let friends buy 16GB iPhones
Fortune ^ | SEPTEMBER 12, 2015, 12:16 PM EDT | by Philip Elmer-DeWitt

Posted on 09/14/2015 5:28:54 PM PDT by Swordmaker

Pre-orders for the new Apple iPhones began today and if history is any guide, millions of first-time buyers—trusting Apple not to sell them a lemon—will opt for the least expensive model, the one that comes with 16 gigabytes of storage.

But a 16-gigabyte iPhone 6S is a lemon—a $649 smartphone that will almost certainly run out storage before its contract runs out.

“Don’t buy a 16GB iPhone!” warns Gizmodo’s Kate Knibbs, calling it “the hand job” of iPhones—a product that works but does not satisfy.

The official explanation for not killing the 16GB model, offered by its senior VP of marketing Phil Schiller in June, is that it makes a superior smartphone more affordable for more people. As services move to the cloud, he says, price-conscious consumers may not need “gobs of storage.”

But the new phones do need gobs of storage. An estimate 4GB or 5GB just for the operating system. 1.5GB for a 200-song playlist. 75 megabytes for Angry Birds. 275MB for Monument Valley. 300MB for each minute of 4K video.

How much would it cost Apple to bump 16GB to 32GB? At today’s prices, according to IHS, roughly $6.72 per smartphone.

Apple is making a “serious strategic mistake,” argues Vox’s Matthew Yglesias, fattening already fat profit margins at the expense of customer experience.

“Killing the 16GB phone and replacing it with a 32GB model at the low end,” he writes, “would obtain things money can’t buy—satisfied customers, positive press coverage, goodwill, a reputation for true commitment to excellence, and a demonstrated focus on the long term.”


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: applepinglist
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To: Swordmaker; All
Perfect, I was wondering about this very same thing. I have .mac or whatever it's called now and was curious if the memory could be shared between devices. I'm an old guy, don't play games, don't watch movies, don't do all that need stuff the "young people" require.

I sure as Hell don't need 64GB on the device. On the other end, I don't think I need a data plan for more than 2GB/month based upon my figuring 1 page of data is ~ 60kb (off the top of my head). I don't think I'd do more than 10 pages of anything in a month. Talking, 1 and once in a while texting would be the limit.

I was looking at the last year's 6 because I want to use the ApplePay.

Am I right? Wrong? Half and Half?

21 posted on 09/14/2015 6:27:51 PM PDT by j.argese (/s tags: If you have a mind unnecessary. If you're a cretin it really doesn't matter, does it?)
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To: bolobaby
How much would it cost Apple to bump 16GB to 32GB? At today’s prices, according to IHS, roughly $6.72 per smartphone.

The real story is how much Apple is fleecing their customers for the upgrade to a reasonable amount of memory.

at least $100 per 16GB of memory. And don't you just love how you can't buy and add your own chip? That's why I will stay with my HTC - has two memory slots so if I need two 128's I can add them, no problem.

22 posted on 09/14/2015 6:32:54 PM PDT by Cyclone59 (Where are we going, and what's with the handbasket?)
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To: Swordmaker

That’s why I keep my 80GB iPod classic for music, and don’t put it on the Phone.


23 posted on 09/14/2015 6:36:45 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: amigatec

You only have 25 apps installed?


24 posted on 09/14/2015 6:38:28 PM PDT by callisto (The NSA - "We're the only part of government who actually listens to the people.")
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To: j.argese
Perfect, I was wondering about this very same thing. I have .mac or whatever it's called now and was curious if the memory could be shared between devices. I'm an old guy, don't play games, don't watch movies, don't do all that need stuff the "young people" require.

It's called iCloud now and yes, You can share between all your Apple devices. Photos can be shared. My girlfriend and I just spent four days in Seattle with both of us taking pictures. I set up a shared folder in the iCloud of my Seattle photos and then my girlfriend simple added hers to it. Now we both have all the photos from Seattle available to us. Easy.

25 posted on 09/14/2015 6:42:28 PM PDT by Swordmaker ( This tag line is a Microsoft insult free zone... but if the insults to Mac users continue...)
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To: Swordmaker

My company got HUNDREDS of 16GB iPhone 5S’s for $1 each.

Yep, Sprint.
Waste of a dollar.


26 posted on 09/14/2015 6:54:07 PM PDT by SJSAMPLE
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To: callisto

I have FIVE apps that I installed myself, mostly airline sites (United, American, Southwest) and fitness apps for my company’s plan. And my phone is still out of storage with a moderate amount of music.


27 posted on 09/14/2015 6:56:15 PM PDT by SJSAMPLE
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To: Swordmaker

You mean I can’t buy one of these POS for $125? Oh well, I just bought a used HTC EVO for $75. I wonder if I’ll live long enough to figure out how in the hell everything works on it? I just bought it for the Bluetooth connection. My car has hands free operation if the phone has Bluetooth.


28 posted on 09/14/2015 7:01:06 PM PDT by Allen In Texas Hill Country
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To: SJSAMPLE
My company got HUNDREDS of 16GB iPhone 5S’s for $1 each.

No, the 5S is an excellent iPhone for enterprise use. It will do lots that businesses need to get done. . . and it will work with the Apple Watch. . . and the rest of the Apple ecosystem.

29 posted on 09/14/2015 7:06:52 PM PDT by Swordmaker ( This tag line is a Microsoft insult free zone... but if the insults to Mac users continue...)
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To: Swordmaker

iCloud, thanks. I remembered halfway through my note but wasn’t sure so ... anyway. We’re still trying to decide what we’re going to do phone-wise.


30 posted on 09/14/2015 7:10:57 PM PDT by j.argese (/s tags: If you have a mind unnecessary. If you're a cretin it really doesn't matter, does it?)
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To: smokingfrog

Memory on the iPhone logic board is faster and directly wired into the memory map of the iPhone. Memory on an SD Card is treated as an external storage drive and is much slower than logic board memory.


31 posted on 09/14/2015 7:28:50 PM PDT by Swordmaker ( This tag line is a Microsoft insult free zone... but if the insults to Mac users continue...)
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To: HonkyTonkMan

I didn’t see her, but I’m not surprised. I was going to guess she is a millennial, but I realize there are plenty here who are good kids. Still, my mom is 69 and works with “good kid” millennials, and they have no problem using the F-word and the like when speaking to her or anyone else.


32 posted on 09/14/2015 7:47:04 PM PDT by Rastus
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To: Swordmaker

It’s funny; back in the 90’s, I thought it was pretty swank when I had a computer with a 1/2 GB drive. Now a phone with 16 GB is being called inadequate.


33 posted on 09/14/2015 7:50:30 PM PDT by Flick Lives (One should not attend even the end of the world without a good breakfast. -- Heinlein)
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To: Swordmaker

I got the 4 and 6 with 16 gigs and I never ran out of storage. My 4 was over three years old when I got the 6.


34 posted on 09/14/2015 7:51:35 PM PDT by AlaskaErik (I served and protected my country for 31 years. Progressives spent that time trying to destroy it.)
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To: Flick Lives
It’s funny; back in the 90’s, I thought it was pretty swank when I had a computer with a 1/2 GB drive. Now a phone with 16 GB is being called inadequate.

Back in the mid-80's I had a set up with the largest hard drive set up in Stockton Ca with almost a GB of HD space daisy chained to my Amiga computer. . . I had more than the main headquarters of a statewide bank located in town. They had only 360MB! LOL! This was a time when 10 and 20MB was considered sufficient for most computers. Our city was running on an old IBM system 32 with a 20MB HD with exchangeable disks. . . but most data was on paper still then.

One of the running jokes between my best friend and me is when he got his first hard drive for his Amiga, he bought a 20MB drive. A few weeks later I bought a 49MB HD. His words were "Why'd you buy such a large hard drive? I can't imagine ever needing more than 20MBs!"

Of course, every time he buys a larger hard drive, I can't resist saying that line: "I can't imagine you needing more than 20MBs!" It's always good for a laugh between us. The last time was when he bought four 4TeraByte drives. . . LOL!

35 posted on 09/14/2015 8:08:46 PM PDT by Swordmaker ( This tag line is a Microsoft insult free zone... but if the insults to Mac users continue...)
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To: amigatec

I use my phone a lot in the boondocks and trips without any connectivity. I want my apps, music library, podcasts, some photos and some videos w me. I recently filled up my 128 GB iPhone 6 Plus and found with most apps there is no way to erase content. You have to delete the app and reinstall it, then reload only the content you want.

Cloud is nice, but I want my content with me everywhere and you most definitely can fill up 128 GB quite easily.


36 posted on 09/14/2015 8:53:22 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not, no explanation is possible)
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To: j.argese

There’s no right answer. What works for you is right for you. I’m 64 and filled up my 128 GB iPhone 6 Plus in several months.


37 posted on 09/14/2015 8:56:13 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not, no explanation is possible)
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To: Flick Lives

Youngster. My wife bought me a 20 MB SCSI SuperMac external hard drive for our Mac Plus and I was livin’ large. Guess how much that storage cost?


38 posted on 09/14/2015 9:01:36 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not, no explanation is possible)
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To: Swordmaker
How much would it cost Apple to bump 16GB to 32GB? At today’s prices, according to IHS, roughly $6.72 per smartphone.

Its at 16gb for four reasons

  1. to accentuate product differentiation which ...
  2. in turn gives prospective buyers more to think and gossip about
  3. Apple knows their buyers kind of like the haughty disdain and abuse......it reassures them that they are getting a superior product
  4. Apple wants the extra 50-70$ (I don't really know) that it gets for the 32gb model which also is a step up in other ways
  5. --
  6. you would think Apple would at least put a mini-sd card slot in there...see reason #3 for an explanation

39 posted on 09/14/2015 9:28:20 PM PDT by dennisw (The first principle is to find out who you are then you can achieve anything -- Buddhist monk)
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To: Swordmaker

This is one case where I tend to agree with the “nay-sayers” regarding Apple. It is PAST time for Apple to dump the 16GB iPhone. In fact, I firmly believe if the lowest-end iPhone came with 32GB, it would drive even more reluctant upgraders to pop for the new one. An advanced Smartphone by any make or OS with 16GB or less storage is like buying a brand new desktop with 2GB of RAM and a20GB HD. It is insanity at best.


40 posted on 09/14/2015 9:38:20 PM PDT by TheBattman (Isn't the lesser evil... still evil?)
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