Apple's 64GB Era is Over

[Iwavvns]

Unless you have icloud… it’s really not. Not really sure why Apple always lags behind on hardware… and charges more. Starting to reach my wits end with Apple.

I beg to differ. I own an iPhone 13, an iPhone 15, and an iPad 10th generation. I’m using about 19GB of storage space on each of my iPhones and about 20GB on my iPad. 64GB is plenty if you exercise self control. But, then again, Apple doesn’t really cater to self control.

 

[Cervisia]

Has it really been that long? Damn, Apple's cheap. Gotta protect those margins, I guess.

Will 128GB serve as the base storage config for iPads and iPhones for the next 7-8 years too?

It's double the size, so it should last double the time

 

[centauratlas]

My first computer had a 40 MB hard drive. I remember upgrading it to 200 MB, installing every game I owned on it, and actively searched for more games just to use all that free space for something.

The Apple ][ and ][+ could use tape (eg. a tape recorder) or the Disk ][ 5.24 inch floppy drive which was about 113k per side. 48k RAM could be expanded to 64k RAM.

No matter how much is available it is never enough.

 

[Captain_Awesome]

The 64GB phone era might be over, but now with a 128GB phone, 64GB is already used when taking the new phone out of the box 😂

 

[mansplains]

Introducing the MacBook Air M5, with 64GB base storage

 

[frownface]

it's crazy that my iphone5 had 64gb of storage.... 12 years ago.

 

[nutmac]

And 5GB should be 200GB free space. But that’s wishful thinking…

Since Apple wants every iPhone users to pay for iCloud storage, I would be ecstatic with flexible pricing -- $5/month per 1 TB.

 

[cdsapplefan]

Apple could have added a 64gb option for the iPhone 16e to make it $499 price.

 

[locovaca]

My first computer had a 40 MB hard drive. I remember upgrading it to 200 MB, installing every game I owned on it, and actively searched for more games just to use all that free space for something.

When I got my first 1gb drive I copied the contents of an entire cd to it… because I could.

 

[Maigrais]

iPhone 4 cheapest model came with 8 GB storage. People formed lines around the building to get one on launch day.

In 2010, Apple then flagship model iPhone 4 shipped in two sizes 16 & 32GB sizes. You’re thinking of the discounted model that was released the following year when iPhone 4S was announced.

 

[Baywatchboy]

And to think, my first iPad only had 16GB

 

[johnsawyercjs]

Why I remember when we had 8GB and were happy to have it. View attachment 2488422

I remember having a conversation with someone decades ago, in which we were both marveling over the fact that 10 megabyte hard drives were now available, and one of us said "And I hear they're releasing a 20 megabyte drive soon too!" We both felt like "And what's next? We land a starship on Antares??"

 

[Iwavvns]

My first computer had a 40 MB hard drive. I remember upgrading it to 200 MB, installing every game I owned on it, and actively searched for more games just to use all that free space for something.

Yes, and I think that is exactly what Apple is banking on.. customers looking for more stuff to fill up the new space prompting the need for more storage because the new space is now full, it’s psychological marketing. And that will prompt the next unnecessary upgrade in storage space, and the cycle continues because too many people lack self control.

 

[CarAnalogy]

And I think it's here to stay.

Apple's goal with this isn't necessarily just to get money from people who don't have enough with 5GB (which is everyone btw).

What Apple is aiming for imo is that because people will need to buy extra storage, they will most likely add a credit card to their account to pay for it. Adding a credit card to your Apple ID makes your account spend-ready to buy more stuff on the app store or through in app purchases. You could of course buy a gift card, however because it's a recurring payment I think most people will have added their credit card and so that obstacle that would have before prevented you from making some purchase, is now gone.

That's great for the iPhone 16e and iPhone 16. However it's gross that the Pro models still come with 128GB of storage, because of the price but also because it handicaps the iPhone since that storage model removes camera features.

The 17 Pro should start at 256GB and it's also time for a 2TB iPhone.

Your ideas are intriguing and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

Seriously, these are both spot on. Why not offer a 2TB iPhone considering they promote the Pro Max as a literal movie camera? There are plenty of people that would hand over their money for that, and it would be relatively easy for them to do.

And that's exactly right about iCloud, it's definitely more leverage at this point than genuinely offering people something useful for free. It's the DropBox model. Prompt people into using it, instantly fill up the free tier, then prompt them endlessly to upgrade.

It is less scummy than Google though, which will stop your email coming in if you exceed the shared storage tier with any other service. Mailbox storage should be separate.

But that reminds me, one reason Gmail made a huge splash back in the day is that you had some ridiculous amount of storage for the time, like 5GB, AND they made a show of how that free storage slowly ticked up over time, keeping pace with the general storage usage of the era.

Pretty sure they quit that a long time ago when they went full corporate and stopped doing anything fun (thanks Vic Gundotra...)

 

[dan110]

And the sycophants are celebrating like this shouldn't have been done five years ago.

 

[scrapesleon]

should be starting at 512gig minimum

 

[tenordrum]

64gb is more than enough for my wife's SE3, and I don't use that much on my 128gb 13Pro, or my M1 IPP.

I prefer a lower entry price. Not everyone needs space for a ton of apps. Different folks have different needs/wants.

 

[Fuzzball84]

Nand flash is super cheap, although 128 GB and cloud storage is enough for most people. Their charges on higher capacity models is extortionate.

And I would bet the flash memory they use is not the highest quality. As even moderate quality nand has a long lifetime with all the flash memory management processes available.

 

[klasma]

Hey! This is a brilliant idea that would incentivize the purchase of several devices!

Does anyone know how to mention Tim Apple to make him read such a great idea? I’d easily have 15GB of free storage right now…

I think it’s bad for the environment because people would just hoard old devices.

And I could effectively cancel my 50 GB subscription with all the devices I own.

 

[Virinprew]

iPhone 4 cheapest model came with 8 GB storage. People formed lines around the building to get one on launch day.

Actually iPhone 4 launched with 16 GB base. The 8 GB was added later when it was the cheaper model below 4s.

 

[ttyRazor]

Great, now have Macs (air and mini especially) start at 512 GB. The 12” MacBook started at that and I hoped it was the start of a trend, but it remains a frustrating one-off for low end Macs.

 

[CIA]

It sucks there isn't a 64GB (or even 32GB) option anymore for corporate buyers. Companies that run single apps for remote operations on an iPad are paying more for storage they don't need. They should sell low end versions that are not publicly available through the business portal or something.

 

[SnowPenguin]

When will the 256GB era end in the Mac World?

 

[breenmask]

meanwhile Apple increased prices.

people who asked for 128GB minimum played themselves.

 

[now i see it]

Since Apple wants every iPhone users to pay for iCloud storage

all this talk of paid iCloud storage got me thinking...
Ive been paying only $0.99c every month for 10 years (for 50GB tier) but I no longer back up to iCloud anymore - and certainly don't need 50GB - so I started culling. Copying stuff to my Mac.
And now I've got it below 2GB. so free iCloud for me from now on . Thanks guys! (for saving me $0.99c/mo) ha