iPhone 7 To Start at 32GB Storage, Says WSJ (time.com) 235
An anonymous reader writes: It appears Apple has finally decided to do something about the not-so-enough 16GB storage on its base iPhone model. According to a report on WSJ, the Cupertino-based company's next smartphone -- expected to be named iPhone 7 will have 32GB internal storage on the base model.For years, Apple has offered a 16GB iPhone version for those who were on a budget or just didn't necessarily need too much storage. But as we moved forward -- the iPhone got better cameras and improved video recording capability and apps became more sophisticated and ate more storage -- we really reached a point where 16GB wasn't enough for most people. In many cases, people were unable to update their iPhone to the latest version of iOS because there wasn't enough storage left on the device. It's a welcome move, and something millions of people will appreciate.
How about having a user accessable mem card slot? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:How about having a user accessable mem card slo (Score:5, Informative)
Having used android devices with SD Card slots, I will never again consider an SD card slot to be a worthwhile feature. Not being able to offload applications was a big one. Having to play games like "Where the f__k is my data?" was another.
The hoops you had to go through to work with the things was just awe inspiring, and even then they didn't work reliably. I'd rather pay the premium and get more internal storage to begin with. At least then I know what to expect.
I understand that the most recent versions of android deal with external storage in a much more sane way, but that doesn't mean much when said versions of android have 10% penetration despite having been out for over a year.
Re: (Score:3)
All I remember running into is plugging in to charge and my SD storage was gone. Change USB plug in settings and never had a problem.
Re: (Score:2)
Most of those just sound like bad implementation on the fault of Android. I have a Windows phone and I have no problem putting apps on the SD card. Android used to have this feature and for some stupid reason they removed it. I don't really have a problem finding my data, just like I don't have a problem finding data on my desktop PC or Laptop which have much more complicated needs for managing my files.
Re: (Score:2)
Android used to have this feature and for some stupid reason they removed it
And yet it still exists on every phone I've used recently including my own running Lollipop and my partner's running Marshmallow.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Sounds like a user problem. Move to SD card is a feature in Android. Maybe sounds like a crap phone from a crap vendor problem.
Re: (Score:2)
Not being able to offload applications was a big one
Errr there's a lovely button next to every application listed call "Move to SD card". The only applications you couldn't do that were the core system image applications.
But what interests me more than you complaining about an issue which isn't an issue is the thought that this was an all or nothing approach. Why not just get both. Refuse to load your silly overside applications on your SD card and use it to store video, images, sync with your cloud of choice etc.
I'm never again buying a phone without an SD
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
It's not only Apple. My Nexus from Google doesn't have a memory slot either. Why!?
Re: (Score:3)
It's not only Apple. My Nexus from Google doesn't have a memory slot either. Why!?
You got sent the one without the slot because you are on the "don't slot list". You probably dropped you phone in the toilet while in a drunken stupor at some point in the past (that's how most people end up on the "don't slot list").
Re:How about having a user accessable mem card slo (Score:5, Insightful)
Apple owns the chump market. Duh.
It also caps their market share.
Re: (Score:2)
Apple owns the chump market. Duh.
It also caps their market share.
I'm pretty sure that the "chump market" is way bigger than the 15% market share that Apple currently has.
Re: (Score:3)
That's fine from Apple's perspective. I'm not so sure it's a net positive for consumers, however...
Re: (Score:3)
Having had contacts on removal cards wear out while in a mobile device and fail (SIM cards included), I'd actually prefer something with fewer mechanical links which is soldered on. More drop safe.
On the other hand, you can't replace the soldered mem cards by yourself. Which is worse, having removable memory that can wear out (but you can back it up), or having non-removable memory card go bad?
Re: (Score:2)
The non-removable battery, the sturdiness of a paper card, the walled garden were Apple instead of me decides what I may run, and of course what I MUST run and can't get rid of, on the phone, a repair policy where only "licensed" shops may open the holy grail (where "licensed" means that they threw money at Apple, not that they'd know jack shit about the device)...
Need I ponder this for a few minutes or is that enough to talk about? It's Apple after all, you really think we run out of things to complain abo
Nothing new (Score:2)
They used to offer 4GB and 8GB models too, the 16GB was actually the highend model a few years back.
Storage capacities increase, not really news...
Re: (Score:3)
They used to offer 4GB and 8GB models too, the 16GB was actually the highend model a few years back.
Storage capacities increase, not really news...
I think the news is that it took Apple so long to increase the storage on their entry level iPhones to something resembling reasonable.
Re: (Score:2)
The real question is whether or
Re: (Score:2)
Most people probably don't need 128 GB
You've obviously never met people who never take any pictures/video off their phone. There are more of them than you'd expect.
Re: (Score:2)
but it's not "most people". Most people do not need 128GB, that's a simple fact.
Well that solves that mystery (Score:2)
I assume they need to remove the headphone socket to make way for all those RAMs.
Re: (Score:2)
Of course it is. It's not *dynamic* RAM (DRAM), or even the much more expensive static RAM (SRAM, which still requires constant power to retain data), but it's undeniably Random Access Memory - you can access any location in roughly constant time regardless of what the last-accessed location was.
It's not what most people mean when they refer to RAM, but it's well within the technical definition.
Re: (Score:2)
News flash - you have to access complete blocks of system DRAM too - typically either 32 or 64 bits these days. And there is Flash out there for embedded applications that uses 8bit or smaller blocks as well. Changing the size of the block changes nothing about the fact that there's a fixed delay to access any random bit of storage, which is what RAM specifically refers to. Contrast that with a fully sequential memory such as tape drive, which involves radically different access times for block #1,000,000,
who stole my purple Nikes?!! (Score:2)
iPhone! iPhone!... PHEH!
Who am I fooling here, the cult just hasn't had their heart in it since Dear Leader ascended to a higher plane, abandoning us this vale of tears.
Elon! Elon! Elon!
Spaceship! Spaceship! Spaceship!!!
Yawn (Score:2)
So, it will have 32GB of storage. Every generation has increased storage capabilities. The only reason this is important for iPhone users is the phone is stuck with the amount it had when purchased. What would be exciting news is if the new iPhone let the user add there own storage. User replaceable battery would be newsworthy, too.
Re: (Score:2)
Samsung's latest EVO Plus 256 GB microSDXC card is capable of 95 MB/s read and 90 MB/s write (Class 10 U3 rating). Compare that to their PM971-NVMe [anandtech.com] which can store up to 512 GB of data and offers up to 1500 MB/s read and 900 MB/s write. 10-15 times faster. Only catch is it must be soldered on; due to the high pin count BGA.
Re: (Score:2)
The removable storage would be in addition to what was built into the phone. Storing pictures, music, etc. wouldn't be a problem at 95MB read.
16 GB flash is 2$ (Score:3)
Re:16 GB flash is 2$ (Score:5, Informative)
Flash *does* come in more than one grade, interface type, speed, etc. The crap(*) they put on a $2 USB stick isn’t the same thing that’s in even a cheap smartphone. If you don’t believe there’s a difference, buy a cheap micro-SD card and a good one, then compare benchmarks. You’ll easily see 5-10x increase in throughput on the good one.
(*) And that’s even assuming you’re getting an actual 16 GB module instead of a counterfeit with 2 GB of actual flash and a controller reprogrammed to make it look like 16 GB.
Re: (Score:2)
Sure, but the stuff they put in an iPhone doesn't cost more than a tiny fraction of what they charge for it. And they could easily provide an SD card for data only, where speed isn't that important.
Any way you look at it, this is just customer-hostile gouging.
Re: (Score:3)
Re:16 GB flash is 2$ (Score:4, Insightful)
A quick search reveals that 16 GB flash is like 2$ on Alibaba, and that's as an USB stick.
Do us a favor, buy one and test its actual capacity, and then get back to us so we can have a good giggle.
Re: (Score:2)
Not only the capacity, test the speed. Flash comes in a really REALLY large number of varieties.
Re: (Score:2)
Given the ridiculous premiums Apple charges for a few bucks worth of storage space, can you really blame people for going for the cheapest model? Unless you actually have a compelling reason to store massive app, video, or music libraries you may well never get your money's worth out of the upgrade. Especially considering you'll have to upgrade in a few years anyway since your current phone will be rendered obsolete by iOS's bloat and revolving-door APIs.
I'll give folks the benefit of the doubt and assume
Steve would be so proud. (Score:5, Funny)
It's inspiring to see that Apple can still Think Different, and radically reinvent its products generation over generation. Who could have predicted such a groundbreaking development?
You know what I'd like even more? (Score:5, Insightful)
You know what I'd like even more?
A removable memory card slot. Wait, it's Apple, so if I say that we'd end up with iMemoryStick. I mean a microSD card slot.
If Apple is going to pretend that their phones double as cameras and throw in things like 4K video support, they should have removable media support. No photographer is going to use a camera without removable media. (Or field-replaceable batteries, but that's a different issue.)
Re:You know what I'd like even more? (Score:5, Insightful)
No photographer is going to use a camera without removable media.
What does that have to do with iPhones? A photographer will use the right tool for the job, which presumably would be a camera with different lenses, battery packs and memory cards.
Re:You know what I'd like even more? (Score:4, Interesting)
What does that have to do with iPhones? A photographer will use the right tool for the job, which presumably would be a camera with different lenses, battery packs and memory cards.
Agreed. But if you ever watch any of Apple's keynotes about their phones, they always inevitably contain a section where they gush about the camera and show pictures shot "by a professional photographer" with the phone.
Apple loves to pretend that their phones are totally amazing cameras that can completely replace that DSLR the pros use.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
It's much easier to remove your phone case, pull open the media card slot, eject the card via software (assuming that is even still necessary in Android), remove the micro sd card, put the card in a card adapter, insert the card in the reader, and read the media. Then follow all the same steps in reverse. Yeah, that's way better than plugging in a cable or using wifi.
I assume SD cards are the "thing" for real photographers using real equipment, but I also see that they aren't nearly so great when applied
Re: (Score:2)
But if you ever watch any of Apple's keynotes about their phones, they always inevitably contain a section where they gush about the camera and show pictures shot "by a professional photographer" with the phone.
Professional photographers would recognize the limitations of using the iPhone for photography. Only amateur photographers who can't afford a decked out DSLR would whine that the iPhone wasn't a decked out DSLR.
Re: (Score:2)
If you just buy the cheap $200 Android phone that works perfectly fine as a phone, like the MotoG, then you could spend the remaining $500 and get a DSLR Camera [amazon.com]. Not just the camera, but just about everything you need to start taking really good pictures.
Re: (Score:2)
If you just buy the cheap $200 Android phone that works perfectly fine as a phone, like the MotoG, then you could spend the remaining $500 and get a DSLR Camera.
My current iPhone was $200 with case and screen protector. Since I'm not a professional photographer, I'm not going to spend $500 on a DSLR. The people I know who are professional photographers own $1,000+ DSLRs.
Re: (Score:2)
How did you manage to get an iPhone for $200? Either you're paying the carrier more than you should be every month, or you bought a used one off somebody else. Even getting last generation's model of iPhone or the iPhone SE is going to cost quite a bit more than $200.
Re: (Score:2)
How did you manage to get an iPhone for $200? Either you're paying the carrier more than you should be every month, or you bought a used one off somebody else.
The $200 is what I paid upfront for the iPhone and accessories on a two-year-contract. Being a Sprint customer for 20+ years and that I kept my last phone for three years probably helped.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:You know what I'd like even more? (Score:4, Insightful)
Heck, why exactly do you suppose they gush about the "professional photographer" aspect? It's actually a disclaimer covered in glitter - professionals are the only ones who could coax such a nice picture out of it.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
right but when you can fill a gig up in a matter of minutes now adays, removable would be nice even for the non professional
Get the Lightning to SD Card Reader adapter. Not all solutions need to be built into a phone.
http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MJYT2AM/A/lightning-to-sd-card-camera-reader [apple.com]
Re: (Score:2)
"No photographer is going to use a camera without removable media."
BS.
Phones are viable for some photographer work and "photographers" use them. These phone are not limited to removable media varieties, a feature that enjoys far less success than forum posters would like you to believe.
OK, but bizarre editorializing in the summary (Score:2)
Well, never mind that a lot of big companies use the things as on-call, etc, devices and those don't need a lot of storage for personal snapshots and movies. The really wierd part is the bit about "millions of people will appreciate". Can't they have just bought their current model with more memory? The fact that they didn't says the exact opposite; "millions of people won't get a new one because the lower memory model was the one in their budget" ?
Re: (Score:2)
Never mind, there must be special versions for corporate purchases; this model 6 my employer gave me says its capacity is 12GB, never mind the 16 the summary is complaining about.
I wonder... (Score:2)
...if they put the extra 16GB of RAM into the spot where the headphone jack used to be...
Now I have twice the MP3s I can't hear! w00t!
Just in Time !! (Score:2)
Someone at Apple must have realized that it wouldn't look good when competitors were to have more RAM than iPhone would have in storage Flash. (OnePlus 3 having 6G, likely to start a race to the top)
So Yes, it was time to raise the minimum amount of storage.
New model size skip (Score:2)
About freaking time (Score:2)
I was pissed that the only options for the iPhone SE was 16 and 64. It struck me as a cheap cash grab.
Wasn't pissed enough to not get one, mind you. But it was still annoying. Of course, it wouldn't be an issue if current apps weren't so breathtakingly bloated.
I mean, Facebook alone, with it's separate client and messenger apps, can easily hit a *gigabyte* all on their own. I can't even fathom how breathtakingly badly you have to code something to end up needing that much space.
So I am making due by con
"became more sophisticated and ate more storage" (Score:2)
"became more sophisticated and ate more storage"
I think you meant to say that Apps are more poorly written today, and thus take more storage.
what is the fuss about lowest storage (Score:2)
How does it matter what is the lowest storage? What should matter is highest storage because that is the real limitation. iPhone already offers 128 GB which is more than most latest Android phones and definitely more than any cell phone which was available at the time of iPhone 6 was released. No one is forcing anyone to buy 16 GB but the fact that people buy tells that there are lots of people for whom it is not worth extra money for extra storage.
Android and Windows have 32 GB because many of them come wi
Re:Probably an excuse to jack the price. (Score:5, Funny)
Yes it should.
If we were still in 1996.
Re: (Score:2)
Thank goodness they haven't sullied the iPhone with something so crude and pedestrian as a Micro SD Card slot. The beautiful sleekness of the Shiny(tm) is blissfully unmarred by something so ugly and practical.
If they built in a card slot then people would just plug in as much memory as they might want or need, and we can't have that, now can we?
Re: (Score:2)
Sir Jonathan Paul "Jony" Ive would never allow something like a "slot" on his beautiful designs.
After all, form is above function. The latest Mac mini update is proof of that. We can't have the users upgrade their own computer's RAM!
Re: (Score:2)
32 MB should be a rock bottom minimum in this day and age.
Pfft. 32KB should be enough.
Re: (Score:2)
It's not "just an excuse to jack the price" if usability on the latest iOS would be limited by having only 16GB, for example
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Maybe because 32GB of flash costs $10, and everything else is gratuitous markups on Apple's part?
Re: (Score:2)
Maybe because 32GB of flash costs $10, and everything else is gratuitous markups on Apple's part?
What does that have to do with the fact that I have 8GB free space on a 16GB iPhone?
Re: (Score:2)
Because it's difficult to anticipate future needs, and paring down to just the 8GB you're using probably still costs you $8. It almost always never makes sense to aim below the current cost/benefit "sweet spot". Same reason it's usually silly to buy a hard drive under 1TB (maybe 2TB these days, I haven't ben paying attention for a while) - you pay almost as much for considerably less capacity. Even if you don't immediately need the extra capacity, you get it almost for free and it dramatically reduces th
Re: (Score:2)
Because it's difficult to anticipate future needs, and paring down to just the 8GB you're using probably still costs you $8.
My iPhone came with 16GB. The cost for the memory was included in the price. That I only use 8GB doesn't mean it cost me more.
[...] maybe 2TB these days, I haven't ben paying attention for a while [...]
Last year I replaced the five 300GB hard drives in my file server with five 1TB hard drives that I picked up for $50 each. Most of the 300GB hard drives were failing after five years of 24/7 service. Now I have three times the extra space that I had before in a RAID-6 configuration. I'm not going to spend $500 on 2TB drives to have six times the extra space. In five years, I'll buy w
Re: (Score:3)
You seem to have misunderstood - I meant that the cost of a quality 8GB chip might be around $8, while a 32 GB chip would be only $10 or so, so 25% greater expenditure on a relatively inexpensive component gets you a 400% increase in capacity. In that case, it would be foolish to buy the 8GB chip unless you were completely certain you would never use the extra 24GB during the life of the device. Unless of course the manufacturer used the distinction as a completely artificial delineator between product t
Re: (Score:2)
You seem to have misunderstood - I meant that the cost of a quality 8GB chip might be around $8, while a 32 GB chip would be only $10 or so, so 25% greater expenditure on a relatively inexpensive component gets you a 400% increase in capacity.
Because I'm using 8GB out of a 16GB iPhone, you inferred that I wanted an 8GB iPhone? You misunderstood me. I got a 16GB iPhone because that was the base model. When I trade in this iPhone, the next base model will have 32GB (or maybe 64GB). But I'm not going to lust after the 128GB iPhone. I can't even fill out the space on the iPhone that I got.
Re: (Score:2)
Why is how much storage you have free on your 16GB phone at all relevant to the conversation?
Because having more isn't always the answer. Most people don't deal with what they have, always yearn for what they don't have, and make life miserable for everyone else.
You are aware that there are people who are not you, yes? And they may have different needs?
I'm just offering my opinion. If you don't find my opinion useful, I'm sure someone else will.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm sorry, but you're opinion is pretty unhelpful. Just because there are some people that can waste any amount of storage their phone has doesn't mean that everyone who needs more than 8GB is being wasteful. That's just nonsense. Maybe more storage isn't always the answer, but it's certainly more likely to be the answer than less is. And people getting more storage isn't going to make anyone else's life miserable, so not sure what that's about.
Re: (Score:2)
'm sorry, but you're opinion is pretty unhelpful.
That's your opinion. But I'm not going to tell you that you shouldn't have expressed your opinion even though I don't find it helpful.
Re: (Score:2)
You're right. This is all opinion. Except that you're in a very, very small minority. Your opinion does not matter. This is a fact.
So what? This is Slashdot.
Re: (Score:2)
I'd love to hear from the "someone else" who thinks that creimer's opinion that he doesn't need more storage space is useful to them.
If this was a business meeting, you would be the bullying boss who ridicules someone for asking a stupid question that "someone else" was afraid to ask for fear of being ridiculed. You're the problem, not the solution.
Re: (Score:2)
I think it's a valid point. Most of my photos, music, contacts, and other files are available in the cloud. I keep a minimum of stuff on my phone (which is an Android OS phone BTW) because there's no need for more. I keep some stuff around for those times when I'm offline, but those times are few and far between and I certainly don't require immediate access to 100+GB of data during those times.
All things being equal, more storage is better. Still, all things are never equal. I'd rather see the manufac
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
This outlines the problem right here, for a flagship phone, it's ridiculous to charge so much and have such a small amount of storage and no means of upgrading it. iPhone, Nexus, and others are all guilty of this problem
Really, I have no problem with the fact that phones exist with 4GB or 8GB of storage. But for $700, it's just kind of stupid. The 8GB phones are cheaper Android ones that you can add an SD card to if you decide you need more storage later. But if Apple and Google (Nexus) are going to charge
Re: (Score:2)
Or if that's too much, perhaps read the summary that helpfully provides several reasons.
The problem I see with many people using the iPhone is that they're too lazy to manage the space that they have. A friend with an 128GB iPhone can't update iOS because he ran out of space from having too many apps, pictures and music files. If Apple offered a 256GB phone, he would run out of space in six months or less. The idea of — gasp! — removing unneeded apps, photos and music seems incomprehensible to some people.
Re: (Score:2)
There's a difference between the user being stupid and not managing their space, and Apple being scumbags not offering enough RAM in the first place and not providing a MicroSD slot for simple space upgrade.
Re: (Score:2)
Apple being scumbags not offering enough RAM in the first place and not providing a MicroSD slot for simple space upgrade.
Nothing is stopping you from buying an Android phone.
Re: (Score:2)
I wouldn't buy an Apple phone...
Re: (Score:2)
I wouldn't buy an Apple phone...
Yet, here you are, bitching about Apple phones that you don't plan to buy.
Re:Probably an excuse to jack the price. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
I feel bad for the Apple sheep. Someone has to try to protect the stupid and hipsters from themselves
Re: (Score:2)
Nothing is stopping you from buying an Android phone.
You're right, and I did.
And it comes with a new-fangled MicroSD slot so I can save as much stuff as I want and then swap cards from time to time without losing anything or having to transfer the stuff I want to keep. A 128GB microSD is only about $30 or so. A 256GB is about $80 or so. For me that would take a hell of a long time to fill up, but not for other people.
So yeah, for the the choice was obvious, plus having a replaceable battery is a nice feature. When it starts to get fuzzy, $25 gets me a new one
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Frankly, it's pretty weird that people have swallowed the marketing that these 800 dollar pocket computers should be disposed of every year or two.
From what I read in The Wall Street Journal this morning, more iPhone users are taking three years to upgrade. I usually trade in my phone after 3+ years.
Re: (Score:2)
Frankly, it's entirely expected that idiots on Slashdot, who apparently never interact with human beings, believe that most iPhones are disposed of every two years. Sure, those who still take subsidized phones may replace them, but those phones aren't disposed of. They get refurbished by the carrier, or sold by the owner. The phones are in use for probably 5 or 6 years, depending on how well they are cared for.
This is really no different than the early PC market. Those with cash and incentive (game play
Re: (Score:2)
That may be true, but a reasonable person with a not extraordinary amount of apps, photos, and music can fill up a 16GB phone pretty easily these days.
Re: (Score:2)
That may be true, but a reasonable person with a not extraordinary amount of apps, photos, and music can fill up a 16GB phone pretty easily these days.
What's the point of bitching about the iPhone for having limited memory when buying an iPhone with the least amount of memory available? Run out of space, manage it. Need an iPhone with more memory, upgrade on the next cycle.
Re: (Score:2)
You get gouged if you want to upgrade the storage on your device. Setting a low amount of storage on the base model forces people to spend an extra $100 or more to get a usable amount. It's just a marketing trick to make the price of the phone look lower than it really is.
Re: (Score:2)
See? Just because YOU don't need more than 8 GB doesn't mean NO ONE does.
When I had a first-generation 8GB iPod Touch, I only used 4GB on that device. I had the Touch for eight years before the battery died and I replaced it with an iPhone, which was cheaper than the current generation iPod Touch at the time.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
On the other hand, there might be an element of vanity at work skewing those numbers too. If you're intelligent enough to be super self conscious about your image and subtleties about the way people perceive you, you might
Re: (Score:2)
You may be joking, but bluntly, I prefer hiring gay people. For the obvious reasons: No kids, none to be expected (at the very least with a WAY lower probability) plus it makes your company look appealing to the hipster crowd if you have a pro-(whatevergender) outlook. Plus, for whatever reason, I have no idea why, the ones I know who're gay are also the ones who are incredibly good at their job.
Yes, I want my coworkers FABULOUS!
Re: (Score:2)
Increasing the storage on the base model isn't price gouging, having an unreasonable amount of storage on the base model and then forcing everyone to pay $100 for an extra 16GB to make the phone usable is how they gouge you.