Apple Preparing to Launch 128 GB Versions of Full-Size iPad?

[jclardy]

I don't see them offering this for $800, as that just seems ridiculous for an iPad, even if it does have 128GB of storage. Maybe if they drop the 64GB and replace it with this, so that your extra $100 on the 32GB actually gets you a decent amount extra.

[scott911]

Originally Posted by pmz

Storage is expensive. It's cheapest from Apple than other company. SD cards are a joke stop suggesting it. 2013 is too early for 32 to replace 16 and so on. iOS is not dated. Consumers don't buy Android over iPad, they buy Android when they don't know the difference. Macrumors is a bunch of irrational whiners.

That about covers it.

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Positively no one cares if you're excited about a boring storage option. I can promise you that.

Explain how SD cards are a joke? And I fail to see how apple's the cheapest option. They ream you with each $100 memory upgrade when it's clear that apple get it at a fraction of that, and even excellent SD cards (class 10 from sandisk for example) cost less than a dollar a gB.

[a0me]

Originally Posted by cgc

Is there something you need patched in iOS that doesn't work or are you just one of those guys who requires updates to feel good about software? I'm not being sarcastic and am genuinely curious why you think iOS needs an update.

This article from John Gruber is a good start.
In short: the iOS UI was created 6 years ago for a screen that's 20% the resolution of today's screen, with a very limited feature set compared to what smartphones can do today. It's more than about time for a new UI.
http://daringfireball.net/2013/01/th..._skeuomorphism

[adildacoolset]

Originally Posted by jont-fu

... and most people would naturally use the cheapest SD cards they find, causing slow app startup times and stuttering HD video playback. And what would happen when the card fails? Besides, managing what to store in the card and what in the internal memory would be a hassle. There are many good reasons why there are no memory card slots.

Though I agree the price of storage is high, but it's more related to Apple's business model.

Putting it simply: Even all these android OEMs are beginning to drop SD cards: Google themselves, the HTC droid DNA has lost it, even the sony Xperia Z. And many others.

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Originally Posted by blackcrayon

Right. Because this 128gb model is the only update Apple has planned for the iPad. Ever. Adding this 128gb model is requiring 100% of Apple's employees working day and night on it; nothing else is being done or planned to be done but this.
They're going to cancel the 5th generation iPad and just continue with the 4th gen with more storage. Forever.

It'll still be better than what Samsung has to offer.

I used a note 800. I have to say that I've never been more apalled by a tablet of that caliber.

[frabber]

Don't bother the price is going to be astronomical.., the only good thing about it is that it will drive the 32/64GB prices down...

[Sandstorm]

Maybe Apple will drop the iPad 2 (it still has the dock connector and slowly is becoming really old) and make the iPad 4 16GB the new "cheap" option?

Something like this->

iPad 4 16GB $399
iPad 4 32GB $499
iPad 4 64GB $599
iPad 4 128GB $699

?

[ElTorro]

Just give us a way to put a microSD card and the storage problem is solved.
Apple will charge a fortune for the 128GB model, I bet.

[kazmac]

The 64gb iPad with a contract isn't much less than a 64gb Macbook Air. Honestly I paid close to the 64gb contract with my 32gb wifi iPad, warranty and case.

A 128gb iPad even with just wifi as these codes suggest, may mean a price hike.

Personally, if I wanted that much storage I'd go for an MBA at the very least - especially if the prices are similar.

[ugahairydawgs]

Originally Posted by coolspot18

I think consumers are starting to question the value proposition of an iPad... Android tablets for 1/2 the price are starting to look very attractive.

That's how product markets work. Everything is in tiers in terms of quality and you will always pay extra for the differences.

I drive a Ford SUV. The difference between that and a Mercedes, while noticeable, does not justify the excess cost.....to me. But in the debate between Apple devices and Android based devices.....the extra cost is worth it (again....for me).

This sort of value proposition, as you call it, plays out every day in every product segment in the market.

[likemyorbs]

Yeah, once again, I don't care. I want iOS 7. Apple needs to let go of the thought that their OS is timeless....it ain't.

[SeniorGato1]

Stock price goes down, innovation goes up. There's nothing for Apple to hold in their back pockets anymore.

However I still don't see a need to upgrade my 64GB Verizon iPad 3.

[roasted]

Originally Posted by pmz

Storage is expensive.

It is?

Originally Posted by pmz

It's cheapest from Apple than other company.

Check me off on "LOL" with that one.

Originally Posted by pmz

SD cards are a joke stop suggesting it.

A joke... why a joke? The fact that I can increase my storage space by adding an affordable little card is a joke? C'mon, bro.

Originally Posted by pmz

iOS is not dated.

Originally Posted by pmz

Consumers don't buy Android over iPad, they buy Android when they don't know the difference.

Even though this ball can sway either way, I'd argue the exact opposite... not to be stubborn and refute what you have to say, but simply based on what I've seen. Most iOS users I know bought their device simply because they felt like they were getting the best thing out there. It's no secret that while iOS devices can fill the needs of more advanced individuals, the devices are made and designed for the simple minded. I wouldn't conclude this as a fact of life that people are buying an iPhone because they know exactly what it can do and know it'll do everything that they need to at work, but instead, they bought the iPhone because they had no clue alternatives existed and thought this was the end all/be all of phones.

Originally Posted by pmz

Macrumors is a bunch of irrational whiners.

Nailed it.

[dirtclod]

I have a hard time wondering why people wouldn't like this.

That said, I have a 64mb iPad 2 that I really like and I've never felt the need for anything more. It's as fast as I need it to be and the battery life is amazing for what I do with it.

Count me a satisfied customer! If I were in the market for a new one I'd get the one with the most storage. That's a no-brainer.

[downpour]

Originally Posted by likemyorbs

Yeah, once again, I don't care. I want iOS 7. Apple needs to let go of the thought that their OS is timeless....it ain't.

What do you want them to do to it?

Currently the OS does very little, with the main functionality offloaded to apps. I much prefer this approach to something like Windows Phone where they try to integrate a load of stuff into the OS itself.

What I really want to see is more speed and fluidity. When I first used iOS what impressed me was how everything worked instantly, but with successive updates they have lost this and now you often see jerkiness and stuttering.

Some minor aesthetic things wouldn't go amiss, perhaps some 3D transitions between pages etc, as long as it isn't at the expense of stability.

[MacRumorUser]

Originally Posted by SeniorGato1

Stock price goes down, innovation goes up. There's nothing for Apple to hold in their back pockets anymore.
.

We have yet to see some genuine innovation from Apple since the iPad launched 3 years ago.

Refinements, yes plenty. But genuine innovation in either hardware or software not so much. (In fact software wise - not at all in a long time)

[gnasher729]

Originally Posted by SHirsch999

Upload documents, media, etc WITHOUT Internet access or iTunes. Currently I cannot do this and would love to be able to. If you know of a way to do this, without jail breaking, please let me know!

Maybe _you_ could do it with USB. 99% of users couldn't.

[Macist]

With my iPhone I now pull so much content directly over WIFI that the onboard storage is less and less relevant.

There'll be some iPad power users that'll like this extra space but for me why buy this when you could just get a MacBook Air?

[downpour]

Originally Posted by MacRumorUser

We have yet to see some genuine innovation from Apple since the iPad launched 3 years ago.

I think that's being a little harsh, 3 years isn't a very long time.

What other company has created a new product as popular as the iPad in the last 3 years? Take something like the Xbox 360... that was developed 10 years ago and there still isn't a proper replacement.

People are talking like Apple has had its day, but Apple still has many of the same individuals who developed the iMac, iPhone, iPad etc still working for them and they are more than capable of bringing out another break-through product. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they did it again this year.

[iDento]

Originally Posted by Rot'nApple

128 will be great for those that want it, but personally, as someone who got the 64 original iPad, I'd never do that again. Too expensive to have it obsolete within two years via iOS software updates and I'm not interested in selling old and apply to new plus cash outlay the difference... For me, too expensive.
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Will be great if the 128 GB replaced the 64 GB, we'll pay 100$ for the same GBs. I will go for the 32 GB again as it's more than enough IMO, and pay less

[Dagless]

A 128gb iPad would be worth it for me, and a 128gb iPhone would be nice too. Though I reckon we'll see that capacity in the iPad way before the iPhone gets it.
If I could store my entire iTunes and iPhoto libraries on my devices - that would just be splendid.

[donrsd]

Apple is getting pathetic.
Can you imagine the price for 128gb iPad/iPhone!!??

Im so close to selling my iPhone 5 and getting a Galaxy Note 2.
Apple has dropped the ball since Jobs died.

Im a fanboy to nobody - I just want the best product available

[Dagless]

Originally Posted by Macist

With my iPhone I now pull so much content directly over WIFI that the onboard storage is less and less relevant.

There'll be some iPad power users that'll like this extra space but for me why buy this when you could just get a MacBook Air?

You're aware of the differences between a MBA and an iPad? I don't want a computer to digest my media, I want something that's an iPad. If I wanted a MBA for media I should just got for a 3tb laptop instead; a bit thicker but gallons of storage.

[downpour]

Originally Posted by mrsir2009

Computer hard drives are very different to the flash memory in iDevices. Because unlike the flash memory in iDevices, which Apple has a total 100% monopoly over, computer hard drive makers have competitors. So if one hard drive company doesn't make a bigger hard drive once the technology is there and it's economical, someone else will, and with that will take all the business.

Are you saying Apple has no competitors in the tablet market?

I don't happen to like the competitors tablets myself, but that doesn't mean they aren't there... and a lot of them have much better storage than Apple's devices.

[marty1980]

16GB is not enough for an iOS device any more. 32GB should be the minimum for both phones and tablets.

128GB seems like a natural evolution for storage space in iOS devices.

With high resolution graphics and high speed Internet access and high resolution photos and videos storage gets used up quickly.

I went from an iPhone 4 32GB to an iPhone 5 16GB and I definitely feel the constraints. I frequently have to connect to a computer to backup and remove photos and videos to save storage. I am limited to only a couple "large" games/apps on order to leave room for other content.

[gnasher729]

Originally Posted by donrsd

Apple is getting pathetic.
Can you imagine the price for 128gb iPad/iPhone!!??

Im so close to selling my iPhone 5 and getting a Galaxy Note 2.
Apple has dropped the ball since Jobs died.

Im a fanboy to nobody - I just want the best product available

After reading your post, I'd say you really should go ahead and buy a Galaxy whatever.