128gb iPhone: When are we likely to see one?

[Dwalls90]

Apple's whole theory of cloud will never work until there is more network capacity.

Unlimited plans will be phased out and we'll all be screwed, constantly being charged for overages or checking our data usage.

It's only feasible if the networks multiply literally by hundreds of times in capacity, or wifi becomes virtually widespread everywhere.

 

[ijohnbro]

I've had my 64gb iPhone 4s for a week now and I'm loving everything about it, but my 45gb itunes library has left me with about 10.1gb of free space. It's inevitable that with the size of apps, this space will diminish quite quickly.

Anyway how soon can we expect a 128gb iPhone?

In the future you will be seeing 256GB, 512GB, Etc Etc, iPhones and Androids

 

[Dwalls90]

In the future you will be seeing 256GB, 512GB, Etc Etc, iPhones and Androids

Well, yea, the future has no limit on time or a specific estimate

We first need to see SSDs become more affordable and also increase in capacity, as that is a good indicator of this component's pricing, technological limit and demand. Most hardly breach the 240-256Gb mark before the price is ridiculous, and have been that way for a while.

I don't see NAND prices sharply dropping anytime soon, so I think the 128Gb option for $399 is still at least two years away.

 

[Matthew9559]

lol, it took long enough for the 64 GB. It's going to be awhile, if ever.

 

[vitzr]

There's too much money to be had selling iCloud space, for Apple to produce an iPhone with more capacity than they currently offer.

Based on the freemium model and locking in all future users via Lion & iOS 5, Apple is setting themselves up for profits beyond the major oil companies wildest dreams.

Apple is nothing if not the worlds best marketeer. They know people stop reading after seeing the word "Free". It's what they want to believe. Therefore by making iCloud an integral part of all devices sold, the customer is locked in even tighter than in the old iTunes days. The new, larger, more comprehensive Apple EcoSystem featuring both iCloud and iTunes, is a cash cow larger than many can comprehend.

By capturing the great majority, if not all of the customers data, pictures, video, and backup files, Apple promises to continue to build an empire unlike any other in the tech sector.

 

[tirk]

Considering the number of people here who were sure that the 4S would not be released with 64GB, I think the OP may be asking the wrong people!

(Delighted with my 64GB 4S, though a 128GB version would be nice....at the right price!)

 

[mactmaster]

Judging by how long it took to get the 64GB iPhone and the fact that it was added at a new higher price point rather than replacing the 32GB model. I would guess no sooner than 2013.

 

[darkfiber]

The first iPod Touch model with 64GB of storage came out in Sept 2009 when the 3rd gen launched. So that is 2 years from the time a 64GB model became available on the iPod Touch until the iPhone got it. If Apple is going to make a 128GB model I suspect we will see it on the iPod Touch and maybe iPad first and then later on the iPhone.

For those who say we won't see a 128GB model because of iCloud, they said the same thing when people asked if the next iPhone (which turned out to be the 4S) was going to have a 64GB model. Having iCloud is only useful in areas that you have a fast data connection which certainly isn't always the case.

That being said, I think it will be a few years at least.

 

[applefan27073]

The iPod Classic once had this capacity - and that was a HDD. Creating a 128 GB SSD will be slightly expensive (from Apple's standpoint) so it may have to wait a few years before the hardware becomes a bit cheaper.

 

[mkrishnan]

For those who say we won't see a 128GB model because of iCloud, they said the same thing when ....

Just to clarify what I said specifically, I'm speculating on where iCloud (and LTE) might be by the time a 128gb iPhone is feasible. I agree -- where they are now, I don't see any sensible way in which iCloud does away with the need for on-device space. If anything, the need has become more pressing since now there is not only the stupid 20MB limit on cell downloads but also the capped data plans new users are on.

I suspect that we'll get to 128GB, but it might take a while. jaytv111 posted the number of days between capacity boosts:

221 days 8GB -> 16GB
500 days 16GB -> 32GB
847 days 32GB -> 64GB

You could look at this as an average (as that user did), but you could also look at it as a trend, which appears to be slowing. If the apparent trend were to continue, it could be something like 1100-1200 days (more than 3 years) to the next bump.

On the other hand, if hardware and data network (traditional, more than cell) allow it, we could see that very soon, the iPhone hardware allows for more porting of games from the PS2/XBox era, that are multi-GB in size (as opposed to most iOS games right now, which are <1GB). If we see DVD or even BD-based games make the jump to iOS, that would be another major expansion of how much room an iOS device needs.

 

[jaytv111]

Just to clarify what I said specifically, I'm speculating on where iCloud (and LTE) might be by the time a 128gb iPhone is feasible. I agree -- where they are now, I don't see any sensible way in which iCloud does away with the need for on-device space. If anything, the need has become more pressing since now there is not only the stupid 20MB limit on cell downloads but also the capped data plans new users are on.

I suspect that we'll get to 128GB, but it might take a while. jaytv111 posted the number of days between capacity boosts:

221 days 8GB -> 16GB
500 days 16GB -> 32GB
847 days 32GB -> 64GB

You could look at this as an average (as that user did), but you could also look at it as a trend, which appears to be slowing. If the apparent trend were to continue, it could be something like 1100-1200 days (more than 3 years) to the next bump.

But the first boost was in-between iPhone generations, so it makes sense it was short. The last one was between the 3GS and the 4S, which had the extraordinarily long update between the 4 and 4S. I think the average is more applicable because if they continue to only do capacity increases between generations, (which is the case with the latter 2/3), then the trend indicates that it will be about 2 iPhone generations before they have the next capacity boost. So we're talking realistically probably October 2012 will be the 5 with 32/64 GB, and then another year until the 6 with 64/128 GB.

By the way, here's some news about when the next gen flash memory boost will be.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5193/intel-and-micron-imft-announce-worlds-first-128gb-20nm-mlc-nand

 

[sentinelsx]

There's too much money to be had selling iCloud space, for Apple to produce an iPhone with more capacity than they currently offer.

Based on the freemium model and locking in all future users via Lion & iOS 5, Apple is setting themselves up for profits beyond the major oil companies wildest dreams.

Apple is nothing if not the worlds best marketeer. They know people stop reading after seeing the word "Free". It's what they want to believe. Therefore by making iCloud an integral part of all devices sold, the customer is locked in even tighter than in the old iTunes days. The new, larger, more comprehensive Apple EcoSystem featuring both iCloud and iTunes, is a cash cow larger than many can comprehend.

By capturing the great majority, if not all of the customers data, pictures, video, and backup files, Apple promises to continue to build an empire unlike any other in the tech sector.

...

 

[thatoneguy82]

Soon, hopefully. I'm tapped out in my storage with music, photos and videos. So glad about iTunes Match so I can access my library. But I like having it on my phone and not depend on data to hear a simple thing like music. And the data caps, that's actually something I haven't really thought of before. I ditched my unlimited data plan for the 4GB tether. But, with constant streaming, that will be met easily, especially constant music play. Maybe AT&T should have some sort of plan that data stream from the iCloud will be treated different. I'm sure they can tell from the packets and the phone itself. It could be a nominal tiered fee plan since they love doing that.

 

[Patriks7]

Many people aren't ready to pay for $1000 phone yet

I, sadly, spent almost 1,000€ on a Nokia and that was about 4 years ago. Worst purchase I have ever made.

As for the topic, I think it's going to take at least 2 years. I'm guessing we'll see a 128GB iPad with the next release and a year after that the iPhone will follow.

 

[fat jez]

The first iPod Touch model with 64GB of storage came out in Sept 2009 when the 3rd gen launched. So that is 2 years from the time a 64GB model became available on the iPod Touch until the iPhone got it. If Apple is going to make a 128GB model I suspect we will see it on the iPod Touch and maybe iPad first and then later on the iPhone.

Part of the problem is the space the SIM card takes up in the iPhone. That space is used for a second NAND chip on the iPod Touch. Given we now have a 64GB iPhone, I don't see any reason we can't have a 128GB iPod Touch, but I don't think we'll see a 128GB iPhone any time soon - the technology just isn't there yet to cram that much storage into a NAND chip.

Remember, the biggest driver for NAND chips are SSDs and there's a heck of a lot more room in an SSD, mean you can get by with more, smaller capacity NAND chips than you can in a portable device for the same storage space.

 

[AbSoluTc]

I've had my 64gb iPhone 4s for a week now and I'm loving everything about it, but my 45gb itunes library has left me with about 10.1gb of free space. It's inevitable that with the size of apps, this space will diminish quite quickly.

Anyway how soon can we expect a 128gb iPhone?

I have to ask, why on earth do you need to carry around your entire 45gig iTunes library? Are you going to listen to all that music at one time?

I just don't get the need to carry around your entire library. I don't know of ANYONE who listens to ALL their music, ALL the time. It's usually a playlist or two or three. Not 45 gigs of it.

Is it just the fact that you say you can that people do it? Help me understand this. Lol.

 

[decafjava]

I have to ask, why on earth do you need to carry around your entire 45gig iTunes library? Are you going to listen to all that music at one time?

I just don't get the need to carry around your entire library. I don't know of ANYONE who listens to ALL their music, ALL the time. It's usually a playlist or two or three. Not 45 gigs of it.

Is it just the fact that you say you can that people do it? Help me understand this. Lol.

Becasue you might want to listen to a particular song, album or playlist when you don't have a reliable data connection or have already reached your monthly limit. Read the rest of the thread.

 

[jaytv111]

I have to ask, why on earth do you need to carry around your entire 45gig iTunes library? Are you going to listen to all that music at one time?

I just don't get the need to carry around your entire library. I don't know of ANYONE who listens to ALL their music, ALL the time. It's usually a playlist or two or three. Not 45 gigs of it.

Is it just the fact that you say you can that people do it? Help me understand this. Lol.

lol wasn't that what they said about the iPod at first? "who in the world is going to be listening to thousands of songs???"

Nowadays, it's much more than songs, it's movies, TV shows, podcasts, games, apps, books, tons of things that people just didn't do with old iPods. It's really easy to fill up even 32 GB on a phone nowadays, while that much capacity was at one time inconceivable for a cell phone to have.

If iOS games and apps keep getting more advanced at the rate they're going now, it's going to get real easy to fill a 64 GB iPhone, which is why some people will clamor for a 128 GB iPhone.

 

[thatoneguy82]

I have to ask, why on earth do you need to carry around your entire 45gig iTunes library? Are you going to listen to all that music at one time?

I just don't get the need to carry around your entire library. I don't know of ANYONE who listens to ALL their music, ALL the time. It's usually a playlist or two or three. Not 45 gigs of it.

Is it just the fact that you say you can that people do it? Help me understand this. Lol.

Because it's MY library. It's MY music. At any point, there will be a time that I want to listen to an old song and be glad it's in there. If you don't have a lot of music then that's easier.

What I don't get is WHY do I have constantly subject myself to constant synching and picking and choosing just to pick what I should have on my phone. And by that time, the moment has passed.

You fail to see that music is much storage space. Having your entire library or most of it ensures that you can play that song and not have sync to your computer and delete one to put that. That moment of want will be fulfilled.


This is WHY. For me, at least.

 

[lordofthereef]

Will we see one? I am sure we will. When? hard to say. I think Apple is going to push their cloud experience. I think the cloud is very doable if they get some good compression algorithms. Pandora uses a very minute amount of bandwidth, all things considered. If we get other stremed content like that, a measly 2GB data plan could be great. Right now I am using google music and love it, but it is a data hog. 4 hours of streaming in the car yesterday ate about 650mb of data. Pandora would have been about 1/10th of that, maybe slightly more.

 

[rumz]

I have to ask, why on earth do you need to carry around your entire 45gig iTunes library? Are you going to listen to all that music at one time?

I just don't get the need to carry around your entire library. I don't know of ANYONE who listens to ALL their music, ALL the time. It's usually a playlist or two or three. Not 45 gigs of it.

Is it just the fact that you say you can that people do it? Help me understand this. Lol.

I've got 6 gigs left on my 64gig iPhone. My library-- the audio portion, not video-- is over 150gb (some of us use apple lossless or just have a ton of music.)

So why should anyone need so much storage? Convenience. Time and energy are precious-- I don't want to micromanage the music on my devices. I want a sizable selection with me all the time. You may have different music habits-- to each his own.

 

[rumz]

Part of the problem is the space the SIM card takes up in the iPhone. That space is used for a second NAND chip on the iPod Touch. Given we now have a 64GB iPhone, I don't see any reason we can't have a 128GB iPod Touch, but I don't think we'll see a 128GB iPhone any time soon - the technology just isn't there yet to cram that much storage into a NAND chip.

Remember, the biggest driver for NAND chips are SSDs and there's a heck of a lot more room in an SSD, mean you can get by with more, smaller capacity NAND chips than you can in a portable device for the same storage space.

One thing I haven't seen addressed in this discussion is that size may not be an issue... There's a chance the next iPod will be larger in some fashion (taller? Wider? Or perhaps the form factor will be relatively unchanged). Though likely any extra space will go toward a huge battery if LTE is included in the next gen.

For my part, I agree with the speculation that the iPod Touch may get 128gb this year and then the iPhone a year later (assuming Apple's product lineup doesnt really change). Based on the "every other year" capacity bumps of the Touch / iPhone, I thought it was possible the iPad could see a bump to 128gb in Spring 2012, but alas, it probably didn't make sense to Apple just yet from a financial and perhaps strategy standpoint. Capacity just hasn't been the selling point that it once was in the old days (pre-iPhone / Touch).

 

[NewAnger]

I've got 6 gigs left on my 64gig iPhone. My library-- the audio portion, not video-- is over 150gb (some of us use apple lossless or just have a ton of music.)

So why should anyone need so much storage? Convenience. Time and energy are precious-- I don't want to micromanage the music on my devices. I want a sizable selection with me all the time. You may have different music habits-- to each his own.

If I could get a 128GB iPhone, I would consider leaving my iPod Classic at home. I have a 64GB iPhone but I rarely use it for music anymore because I like to bring all of music with me considering I drive for my job. As it is now, I have 120GB used on my iPod.

 

[matttye]

iPhone 1: 4GB/8GB
iPhone 3G: 8GB/16GB
iPhone 3GS: 16GB/32GB
iPhone 4: 16GB/32GB
iPhone 4S: 16GB/32GB/64GB

Actually the only one that did NOT get a capacity boost was the 4.

The first iPhone got a 16GB boost too.

 

[NewAnger]

The first iPhone got a 16GB boost too.

It did, I Believe that was in February of 2008. I went down to AT&T and bought two of them just to use as iPods.