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grockk

macrumors 6502
Mar 16, 2006
365
5
There are A LOT of people that don't use anywhere near the 16GB. Apple probably has data on how much used space and therefore keeping that option is smart money if the benefit of upgrading would only make a few people happy and keep most from upgrading to second tier. I've seen several with just 4-5 GB in use.
 

AxoNeuron

macrumors 65816
Apr 22, 2012
1,251
855
The Left Coast
Seriously, with how NAND prices have gone down since the iPhone went to a 16GB base model (in 2010 IIRC) 16GB of NAND flash costs less than a third of what it did then. The fact that Apple is still sticking with a 16GB base model is absolutely inexcusable. It's greed and that's all there is to it.

In this day, charging $100 even for 48GB more storage (16 to 64) is absolute BS. You can buy a 64GB flash drive today for less than $20, and it literally uses the *exact* same NAND flash. There's no excuse for it. Apple is selectively withholding the benefits of Moore's Law for its own greed, and that's inexcusable since other phone manufacturers ARE moving to a 32GB base model.

Asking someone to pay $750 for a 16GB phone? Not only am I going to say no, I'm going to say HELL no. I'm sticking with my iPhone 5 for another year.

I truly am stunned that they chose to STILL stick with a 16GB base model. In the year 2014!!!

I *might* be a bit less mad if they had made 32GB the base model in the iPhone 6 Plus. Seriously, a 1080p display is going to have much larger apps just by necessity. I am mad because I was really looking forward to this phone. I want it very badly. But Apple is trying to screw people, as if iPhone users are absolute morons and won't notice it. I for one will not abide it. I have been a loyal Apple customer since my first iPhone in 2007. If I decide to upgrade this year it will be the first time in 7 years that it won't be an iPhone.
 
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Ramio

macrumors 6502a
Sep 13, 2011
919
2
Houston, TeXas
Seriously, with how NAND prices have gone down since the iPhone went to a 16GB base model (in 2010 IIRC) 16GB of NAND flash costs less than a third of what it did then. The fact that Apple is still sticking with a 16GB base model is absolutely inexcusable. It's greed and that's all there is to it.

In this day, charging $100 even for 48GB more storage (16 to 64) is absolute BS. You can buy a 64GB flash drive today for less than $20, and it literally uses the *exact* same NAND flash. There's no excuse for it. Apple is selectively withholding the benefits of Moore's Law for its own greed, and that's inexcusable since other phone manufacturers ARE moving to a 32GB base model.

Asking someone to pay $750 for a 16GB phone? Not only am I going to say no, I'm going to say HELL no. I'm sticking with my iPhone 5 for another year.

I truly am stunned that they chose to STILL stick with a 16GB base model. In the year 2014!!!

I *might* be a bit less mad if they had made 32GB the base model in the iPhone 6 Plus. Seriously, a 1080p display is going to have much larger apps just by necessity. I am mad because I was really looking forward to this phone. I want it very badly. But Apple is trying to screw people, as if iPhone users are absolute morons and won't notice it. I for one will not abide it. I have been a loyal Apple customer since my first iPhone in 2007. If I decide to upgrade this year it will be the first time in 7 years that it won't be an iPhone.

Get the 64gb. Double the capacity as before for the same price. I agree about the 16gb but the 64gb for a $100 more is pretty good.
 

Benk3350

macrumors member
Jun 19, 2010
87
18
Remember when iPod Nanos were 2 and 4gb options? And you could get the iPod Classic (called iPod video at the time) with 30gb if you were really crazy!

Times have changed and I have a 128gb iPhone now... give a few years and I'll have a couple terabytes.
 

vega07

macrumors 65816
Aug 7, 2006
1,269
18
Some of the justifications in this thread are pretty funny!

Anyone who normally buys 32GB could have saved $100 if Apple did the "expected" thing of making 32GB the base model. That's how I look at it, as opposed to me spending the same $299 and gaining and "extra" 32GB ($299 for 64GB). I didn't need the extra 32GB. So while it's nice to have, I would have rather saved $100 and bought the base model (16GB is too little,a nd 32Gb should have been the base).

So instead of me saving money, Apple "forced" me to spend the same amount as last year to get the minimum storage space I want.

I agree.
 

iososx

macrumors 6502a
Aug 23, 2014
859
6
USA
I guess. Hey at least they caught up on screen-size now. Maybe on the S model we can catch up on the base model storage.

I dont need 64GB of storage nor do i want to pay an extra 100 for it. On the other hand most other phones start at 32GB. That being said im in the "apple ecosystem".

I am in the same boat as the other user. 16GB is almost enough storage for me but when its time for an OS update, its a pain in the rear to have to delete a bunch of crap just to be able to apply the OS update.

Personally I think you have some very good points which I agree with.

Only Apple knows why they failed to offer a 32 GB size, but every decision made revolves their insatiable desire for more profit. Their priorities in order are slight of hand marketing, which produces the fat margins they love and finally convincing customers it's in their best interest.
 

bambooshots

Suspended
Jul 25, 2013
1,414
2,891
It's more of a "Hey! Great idea! I just saved $100!"

I can understand Apple's reasoning. They may want to keep a 16GB tier for those that truly don't need that much space. I bet there are still more people out there that truly need more than 16GB than us power users on these forums, and for those that do, Apple just quadrupled your memory from 16GB to 64GB for $100 more.

Sorry if it doesn't work with you, but Apple has done their research.

I don't get offering 16GB on the Plus, though. If they want to compete with the Notes, they really do need to come with 32GB standard to be competitive with those Notes.

----------

Personally I think you have some very good points which I agree with.

Only Apple knows why they failed to offer a 32 GB size, but every decision made revolves their insatiable desire for more profit. Their priorities in order are slight of hand marketing, which produces the fat margins they love and finally convincing customers it's in their best interest.

And yet...here we are.
 

Cathode

macrumors regular
Aug 5, 2008
164
5
Flagstaff, AZ
I don't know where you get the "most" from, but many of the big players including the Galaxy S5 and One M8 come with only 16GB standard.

Sigh. I don't know where you get "many" from.

  • LG G3
  • Amazon Fire
  • Samsung Galaxy Alpha
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 3
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 4
  • Sony Xperia Z3
  • Nokia Lumia 930
  • Nokia Lumia 1020

Oh, sorry. I guess a few of those phones technically came out in 2013. Oops.

And let's not forget, that poor S5 you mentioned supports expandable memory. A 64GB MicroSD card runs for about $35 on Amazon.

It's not an Apple product though. You win I guess? :rolleyes:
 

rockyroad55

macrumors 601
Jul 14, 2010
4,152
59
Phila, PA
Because the 16GB is an upsell option. With the new camera tech and video, customers will want the 64GB. The 16GB is still cheap to produce.
 

dharadvani

macrumors member
Sep 13, 2014
48
0
Seriously, with how NAND prices have gone down since the iPhone went to a 16GB base model (in 2010 IIRC) 16GB of NAND flash costs less than a third of what it did then. The fact that Apple is still sticking with a 16GB base model is absolutely inexcusable. It's greed and that's all there is to it.
It's not rocket science. It's pricing strategy. The 16GB model exists for three reasons:

1. The iPhone 6 is a much more expensive phone to make than past models. Raw parts for previous models were around $200; all signs point to over $250 for the 4.7" this time. To cover that large jump, Apple floated the idea of a $100 base price increase earlier this year, and it didn't go well.
2. Since they couldn't make the entry point $299/749 without backlash, they needed to convince customers to move up to that middle model voluntarily so they can make their margins.
3. Et voila. Four times the storage for $100 is just enough to convince a large number of people to embrace the new $299/749 price while still providing a $199/649 option for customers who care about nothing but the price.

I am mad because I was really looking forward to this phone. I want it very badly. But Apple is trying to screw people, as if iPhone users are absolute morons and won't notice it. I for one will not abide it.
Settle down. You're still getting more than you were before; you're just not getting it as quickly as you'd like. The first $100 got you 16GB last year; this year it gets you triple that. The second $100 covered 32GB; this time, it's double that.

They didn't increase the 16GB configuration because they don't really want people to buy that one. Putting 32GB in it would have made it more attractive and shifted ASP away from their target. You could call that being a greedy seller, but you can also call it being a cheap customer. Apple has been fairly consistent and direct about its margins and about the customers it wants to serve.
I have been a loyal Apple customer since my first iPhone in 2007. If I decide to upgrade this year it will be the first time in 7 years that it won't be an iPhone.
Plenty of great Android options out there.
 

roland.g

macrumors 604
Apr 11, 2005
7,414
3,152
OP should "turn the other cheek". :D

Excuse me but I think you are wrong. 64GB just got cheaper. You weren't going to see a 32GB entry level. You should be glad they didn't go 16/32/64/128. They could have kept models and pricing the same and just tacked on the even more expensive 128. But they didn't.
 

sr1329

macrumors member
Apr 1, 2009
50
0
Good ole' fashion screwing.

Keep the 16GB model at 199 and DOUBLE the 32GB model for the same price to 64GB at 299.

I know Apple is a business and this is obviously to make is seem like you are getting "more for your money" therefore convincing more people to bite the bullet and upgrade to the 299 model when they have been hanging on to the 199 model in the past expecting it to at some point become a starting 32GB standard.

Lineup should read:

199 = 32GB, 299 = 64GB, 399 = 128GB

at the current rates why not:

199 = 16GB, 299 = 64GB, 399 = 256GB ???


-rant over-

16 is useless and they know it. They just want to screw the aspirational purchasers with a mild taste of an iPhone. It works great only you will be in settings clearing out your storage every week or so. You will suffer through constantly managing your space enough that you will learn that you must buy more than 16GB for this whole thing to be useful without headaches.

Effectively this is a $750 device not a $650, at least in a usable headache free form. Any current iPhone owner should know better than to buy a 16GB.

----------

OP should "turn the other cheek". :D

Excuse me but I think you are wrong. 64GB just got cheaper. You weren't going to see a 32GB entry level. You should be glad they didn't go 16/32/64/128. They could have kept models and pricing the same and just tacked on the even more expensive 128. But they didn't.

Thank heaven for small mercies.
 

mtneer

macrumors 68040
Sep 15, 2012
3,179
2,714
Apple is no charity. If they can charge $100 for 16GB or 48GB or whatever, they should. I bet the other guys would do the same in an instant if they could. But they don't have the mojo Apple has to call the shots.

On the other hand, just the fact the Apple gave a break to customers who we're going for the higher capacity models is itself a manifestation of the various market pressures it faces.

If Apple is pressured more, maybe next year they will go 32GB standard, otherwise they are fiduciary obligated to their shareholders to make as much money as possible off their customers backs while giving back the least in return. It's the nature of the corporate beast - Apple or anyone else.
 

Nate.

macrumors regular
Oct 7, 2012
174
108
Chicago, IL
It honestly makes perfect sense to me, at least, as far as sense in a move by Apple these days goes... :rolleyes:

16GB is not enough for any iPhone 6. It isn't. I don't care how little music, movies, photos, whatever, apps, you have, it isn't enough space for you. Don't make it up. Apple knows this though, and they know you'll try to cover for it now and be pissed about it later. That's EXACTLY why they recently revised the iCloud prices, and why the "cloud" is becoming an ever so important buzzword in Apple's favor. 16GB but with 1TB of memory in the cloud would certainly work for a lot of people, but for those that it wouldn't work for -- 64GBs, and for people like me who want even more, 128GBs.
 

Geckotek

macrumors G3
Jul 22, 2008
8,768
308
NYC
It honestly makes perfect sense to me, at least, as far as sense in a move by Apple these days goes... :rolleyes:

16GB is not enough for any iPhone 6. It isn't. I don't care how little music, movies, photos, whatever, apps, you have, it isn't enough space for you.

My gf currently uses less than 12GB....16GB will be fine for her.

Edit: But it would have been some nice peace of mind to get 32GB for her. 64GB will be overkill for her needs.
 

JoEw

macrumors 68000
Nov 29, 2009
1,583
1,291
It's more of a "Hey! Great idea! I just saved $100!"

I can understand Apple's reasoning. They may want to keep a 16GB tier for those that truly don't need that much space. I bet there are still more people out there that truly need more than 16GB than us power users on these forums, and for those that do, Apple just quadrupled your memory from 16GB to 64GB for $100 more.

Sorry if it doesn't work with you, but Apple has done their research.

I don't get offering 16GB on the Plus, though. If they want to compete with the Notes, they really do need to come with 32GB standard to be competitive with those Notes.

----------



And yet...here we are.

By research you mean basically required another 100 dollars to make your phone non-crippled.. 16gb is so 5 years ago..
 

WilliamG

macrumors G3
Mar 29, 2008
9,924
3,800
Seattle
I thought for sure Apple would do away with 16gb and keep the 32gb as the lowest. After having 16gb for 4 years now it's not worth it anymore. All the apps are bigger size and every time there was an ios update I had to delete apps to make space for it.

Shocked they kept 16gb but what ever I guess lol. I went with 128gb this time around.

Not shocked in the slightest. Businesses will buy a bunch of 16GB iPhones. So for Apple it's the smarter decision to keep it since they're in business to make money!
 

JoEw

macrumors 68000
Nov 29, 2009
1,583
1,291
64GB price = old 32GB price, why are you complaining? :confused:

Because we could of got a 32gb for the price of 16 but Apple wants us to pay 100 dollars more.

It has been close to 5 years and apple still has a baseline 650 dollar phone at 16gb of memory..
 

bambooshots

Suspended
Jul 25, 2013
1,414
2,891
By research you mean basically required another 100 dollars to make your phone non-crippled.. 16gb is so 5 years ago..

It may seem crippled to you, but for many other people, it's just fine.

But another poster brought up a good point. Apple just doesn't sell to consumers. Businesses also get iPhones for work. They don't require top spec phones to perform.
 

donaldkwong

macrumors member
Sep 15, 2014
74
0
My gf currently uses less than 12GB....16GB will be fine for her.

Edit: But it would have been some nice peace of mind to get 32GB for her. 64GB will be overkill for her needs.

She may have a bad time with 16GB going forward. App sizes are going to increase significantly over the next year due to a combination of @3x images and 64-bit universal binaries.
 

makerleone

macrumors regular
Apr 24, 2014
166
0
USA
We can clearly see that the demand of iPhone 64GB is very higher than 128GB and 16Gb so i just hope that apple can fulfill the demand.
 
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