Does anyone else think 16 Gb is too small for an iPad?

[number84]

I went with 16Gb and used the $100 towards 4G. Like everyone is saying it really depends what you do with yours. For me, I never put any media on it except when traveling, and stream everything. Plus don't play those 'hardcore' games that take up lots of space.

 

[Tsuchiya]

I think 16GB is too small for the new iPad. Purely because, as it's been mentioned, all those higher res graphics will hog more storage space.

Also, things kind of build up on iPad. When I brought my 64GB, I thought it was a little overkill. However, over time it fills up with content. I've got a bunch of photo albums, dozens of books, hundreds of PDFs, some music (I store some offline content for Spotify), a lot of videos (AVPlayerHD>stream to TV) and too many apps to count.

Also with the new iPad, although people shrug it off as a feature, it captures 1080p video. I've never used my iPad for any serious filming (obviously ), but I still have dozens of clips built up over the year. Mostly silly little stuff around the house or moments with friends and family. Still, again it builds up.

It's nice to not have to worry about storage

 

[bjmach]

I ordered a 16gb myself and never fill it up (Ipad 1 or Ipad 2). But funny I always let my kids use my Ipad 2 and they like taking pictures of themselves with it. Apparently a little too much because I checked my GBs after reading this post and I only had 2 GBs almost everything was in photos. DOH!!!!

 

[Steviejobz]

I will never get a 16gb again. I like being able store good amount and not worry about streaming.

If all you do is surf the web and check email, then its fine. but if you have any media whatsoever, 32GB is minimum.

Granted Apple rips us off charging $100 for 16GB but I find it necessary.

 

[SgtP3pp3r]

In response to some of the replies,

The average magazine file is ranging (as of my writing this reply) 250Mb-350Mb.

But take into account i subscribe to visually heavy periodicals, like National Geographic, Popular Science and Esquire, for example.

Please take into account I use this baby a lot. So much, in fact, i think i would have to categorize myself as a heavy user. For reference purposes i'll include a break down of how my space is broken up:

In periodicals alone i have quite a number of Apps, some with active subscriptions, some without, but they (the above mentioned triumvirate, Time Magazine, New York Times, Wired and others), account for around 2 Gb of space.

I also have some games, not many, not very heavy (GTA: CTW, Monopoly, World of Goo, Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, Zombie GS, PvZ HD, Contre Jour, Risk, Solitaire and others), but they account for around 2.5 Gb of the allotted 14 Gb.

The productivity apps (Numbers, Keynote, Pages, Penultimate, Procreate, SkethBook, GoodReader, and all their files -which i use heavily for work-) account for the biggest chunk of space, taking up around 3.5 Gb.

Then there is the 2 Gb of photos i carry around (that, i guess, i can do without. Although i admit, i enjoy soooooo much looking thru my sunny beach vacation pictures while i trudge thru my work week).

Last but not least, there are probably around 1 Gb worth of apps that i use for my day to day meandering (Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard, TED, Stanza, etc.)

Together, that makes 11 Gb of usage, without a single song or video.

I have iTunes Match, and an iPhone so i don't really have a need to carry music on my iPad.

Movies and TV shows i do carry around sometimes (Netflix doesn't cover the series i watch, and i am from a country other than the US so HBO Go is a No-Go -same as Hulu-).

So i have 3Gb for my TV shows, and any sort of wiggle room that i might need for downloading new apps. I have +4Gb of apps that are just sitting in iTunes, waiting for their turn at bat (mostly games, i uninstall some to reinstall others and so on).

And that's my iPad in a nutshell. I have a plethora of other smaller free apps that i use, that i didn't throw in because they are not very representative (space wise), but like i said, i'm a heavy user. I haven't timed myself on the iPad, but by the end of the day the battery is usually at least down to 60%, which implies 4 hours use, at minimum during my work day.

I use it heavily for my lectures (not for actually presenting -i have a Macbook for that-, but as my personal notes which i set on the podium as i progress thru the lecture). I also use it for grading, and keeping track of student projects; as well as keeping a great many text books that i require CONSTANTLY during my courses.

Ok, so maybe i'm not in the target audience for the 16 Gb. But it is the entry level iPad, and does account for the majority of iPads out there. Maybe eliminating the 16 and sticking to 32 Gb is a stretch, but 16 Gb (14 Gb allotted space) is still small for comfort, at least for me.

I found this little tablet integrated itself so neatly into my work life, that i now find 16 Gb suffocating.

 

[Luba]

iTunes says my 64GB iPhone has a capacity of 57GB. I believe it's due to iOS, due to how whatever storage is advertised you end up getting less, and due to apps. It would have been nice if Apple double the storage and kept the same prices, meaning there would be a 32, 64, 128 models. Anyway, with only 9GB left, that would be a bit cramped. 16GB is too small.

I didn't really care about the retina display, and as great as it looks on my iPhone; i honestly didn't find that i NEEDED to have it on my iPad. I am content enough with my iPad 2 to tote it around for another year or two before inevitably trading it in for it's newest incarnation.

Retina seemed like a great addition for the iPad though, and i'm sure a lot of people are going to enjoy their brand spanking new iPads (for lack of a better name). But i hadn't really sat down and thought about it, or what it implied until just 10 min ago... and now i hate the idea.

When i bought my iPad 2, it was an experiment. I didn't know how useful it might turn out. Didn't know if it would sit idly for months on my desk at home, or if it would turn out to be a marvel of modern technology that would become a piece of me. So i bought the 16 Gb version. Boy do i regret it. Specially now.
Not buying the iPad, i don't regret that; i regret getting the 16 Gb version.

This thing has become an inherent part of my day, i use it constantly, for note-taking, for web browsing, email reading, photo viewing and everything else Jobs implied on that great Keynote back in 2010.
But, what i find myself using it for more and more, is reading periodicals. I have a couple of subscriptions to magazines, and i love them.

But now i find out that those magazine issues are gonna end up weighing a whole lot more each on account of retina display. The extra pixels mean extra space, and the worse part is, my iPad can't even display the extra oomph... but i'll have to download it anyway. New iPad users will have to download the content for iPad 2 and original iPad, although they won't use it either... So it all turns into a lot of wasted space...

On a 16Gb iPad, this issue is specially infuriating. On my regular usage (which is a lot), I have had to cut down the amount of apps installed, limit the downloaded issues to 1 per periodical, have no music, few or no videos, and i still only have about 1.6 Gb free... and now I'm finding the periodicals and apps in general will weigh in a lot more for stuff that i will have to download, but ultimately cannot use... wtf.

No, seriously... wtf.

They should have just gone ahead and killed off the 16Gb iPad... it will become useless pretty soon, with much larger files on EVERYTHING. It's just too little space. I can't fathom using this thing at it's full potential with anything less than 16 Gb internal storage as is, i can't imagine with bigger files. It'll start feeling like a 256 Mb thumb drive...

Retina is fabulous, great, awesome. But the new iPad sizes should be 32, 64 and 128.

Sorry 16, but you're just not sweet anymore.

 

[ECUpirate44]

I don't think it's too small, but it depends on what you use it for. I stream everything so I have little need for a lot of on board storage. My iPad 2 is 16GB I use 2GB for music, 2GB for pics, 5GB for apps, and 1GB for movies, when i'm done watching a movie, I delete it and sync a new one.

 

[mattg3]

Well how much of the 16g is actually available?Isnt some of it assigned to Ipad tasks?

 

[ilpadrino6]

I dont think think it is too small, I went for 32gb. I don't Hoard all of my media. I will put on 2 movies and when I'm done watching i will take them off. It is mostly for apps and books/magazines for me.

 

[ECUpirate44]

Well how much of the 16g is actually available?Isnt some of it assigned to Ipad tasks?

I think 14.

 

[eclipseblur954]

In response to some of the replies,

The average magazine file is ranging (as of my writing this reply) 250Mb-350Mb.

But take into account i subscribe to visually heavy periodicals, like National Geographic, Popular Science and Esquire, for example.

Please take into account I use this baby a lot. So much, in fact, i think i would have to categorize myself as a heavy user. For reference purposes i'll include a break down of how my space is broken up:

In periodicals alone i have quite a number of Apps, some with active subscriptions, some without, but they (the above mentioned triumvirate, Time Magazine, New York Times, Wired and others), account for around 2 Gb of space.

I also have some games, not many, not very heavy (GTA: CTW, Monopoly, World of Goo, Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, Zombie GS, PvZ HD, Contre Jour, Risk, Solitaire and others), but they account for around 2.5 Gb of the allotted 14 Gb.

The productivity apps (Numbers, Keynote, Pages, Penultimate, Procreate, SkethBook, GoodReader, and all their files -which i use heavily for work-) account for the biggest chunk of space, taking up around 3.5 Gb.

Then there is the 2 Gb of photos i carry around (that, i guess, i can do without. Although i admit, i enjoy soooooo much looking thru my sunny beach vacation pictures while i trudge thru my work week).

Last but not least, there are probably around 1 Gb worth of apps that i use for my day to day meandering (Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard, TED, Stanza, etc.)

Together, that makes 11 Gb of usage, without a single song or video.

I have iTunes Match, and an iPhone so i don't really have a need to carry music on my iPad.

Movies and TV shows i do carry around sometimes (Netflix doesn't cover the series i watch, and i am from a country other than the US so HBO Go is a No-Go -same as Hulu-).

So i have 3Gb for my TV shows, and any sort of wiggle room that i might need for downloading new apps. I have +4Gb of apps that are just sitting in iTunes, waiting for their turn at bat (mostly games, i uninstall some to reinstall others and so on).

And that's my iPad in a nutshell. I have a plethora of other smaller free apps that i use, that i didn't throw in because they are not very representative (space wise), but like i said, i'm a heavy user. I haven't timed myself on the iPad, but by the end of the day the battery is usually at least down to 60%, which implies 4 hours use, at minimum during my work day.

I use it heavily for my lectures (not for actually presenting -i have a Macbook for that-, but as my personal notes which i set on the podium as i progress thru the lecture). I also use it for grading, and keeping track of student projects; as well as keeping a great many text books that i require CONSTANTLY during my courses.

Ok, so maybe i'm not in the target audience for the 16 Gb. But it is the entry level iPad, and does account for the majority of iPads out there. Maybe eliminating the 16 and sticking to 32 Gb is a stretch, but 16 Gb (14 Gb allotted space) is still small for comfort, at least for me.

I found this little tablet integrated itself so neatly into my work life, that i now find 16 Gb suffocating.

Well thats just it, the 16gb iPad isn't built for the work, its more of a coffee table / bedside table device, for most people that use it in that fashion 16gb is more than enough.

While you on the other hand, considering you use it for work the price difference is less of an issue because its more of a business investment (how i justified upgrading my macbook air for just light up keys haha) but thats why apple designed a cellular and higher storage capacities variants for a hefty fee, because they know the people that need it, need it and will be willing to pay for it.

 

[philosopherdog]

I just bought the 16 gb, but was considering 32. I lived with the 16 for the iPad 1 and it was fine for the reasons everyone else suggests, but I was thinking with the camera and video capabilities it would be nice to have more space. Ultimately, I couldn't accept parting with nearly $700 for a tablet. So I went for the 16 gb wifi. I sure it will be awesome. The tablet form rocks. I used the iPad 1 to the point of having scratches all over it and a dent on the back. So I got my use out of it. Totally awesome device. Can't wait to have a faster processor and better graphics on the new one.

 

[powerbook911]

It is a very difficult decision.

My original was 32 GB iPad. It has been "ok" on space, but I realize I never listen to music on it, so I can effectively remove all of that.

I bought a 32 GB "The new iPad."

There are truly TOO many decisions with the dang iPads.

White or Black?

WiFi or 4G?

Verizon or AT&T?

16, 32, or 64 GB.

That is a lot of decisions to make.

Only one easy for me is black because I tried white last year and didn't like it.

I have no idea if I will order another one, loaded or something in case I change my mind. Then you know there will be "The future iPad" next year, so is it really worth spending $200 extra for something you will only use a year and then move it to a family member or some other low use?

 

[jbachandouris]

I pre-ordered a 16GB, but really want a 32GB. I like leaving movies on there, but having 16GB limits that. As others suggested, I really can't justify the extra $100 as the wife is already going to pitch a fit when this one shows up (hey, I sold the iPad 2 and saved the money for this one).

I have considered waiting in line on Launch Day at the Apple Store, and buying a 32GB. I would either return/exchange the 16GB one or sell it on eBay. I haven't decided yet...

 

[M87]

Yes. I have 8GB of apps on my 16GB iPhone (which is effectively 13GB or so), and I'm pretty good about deleting stuff I don't use. I think with the retina display they couldn't also bump the storage. I would bet anything the next revision of the iPad will get a storage upgrade across the board for "free", 32GB to 128GB.

 

[bufffilm]

the OP is right...if you subscribe to magazines, they can take up space in a hurry. it's not always the videos and games that are space hogs.

i subscribe to the New Yorker, each issue averages roughly 250+MB each, so 2 months worth of backissues is 2gb. that ~15gb of usable space on the 16gb model suddenly seems even smaller after you start using it a bit.

i've learned long ago to avoid buying the entry level model of anything, esp. when the next step up (the 32gb ipad) was only 20% more. i wound up being surprised at how useful my ipad2 became and was very glad that i bought the 32gb. my next ipad will be at least 64gb.

icloud is so overrrated, especially when you travel. i took my ipad with me on my ski trip - fully loaded with movies and ebooks. the lodgings only have basic a/b/g wireless and on top of that, i started seeing dropped connections (which other 5.01 owners have reported having). streaming a movie from the Net would have been frustrating as heck.

if you don't store or play a lot of games i think 16gb is enough

games and hd movies are what takes space quickly (hd movie is 1-5gb, big fish games are 500-1gig, infiniti blade 1 gig, etc)

however, if you're willing to do some micromanagement 16gb is alright. i went straight for 32gb this time around.

 

[gadget123]

I have mostly games on mine and it's almost full. Very little music or video and it's a 16GB.

I have lots of movies but no room for them on my Iphone 4S (16GB) or Ipad 2. Tempted to go for a 32GB to give me more room rather than delete everything.

 

[Richard8655]

For wifi only users who don't need to travel with their home music/video collection (or even a subset), I don't see the need for anything larger than a 16gb iPad.

Think about it. With Apple TV, you can stream everything (all your music and movies) stored on your main computer wirelessly to your home audio system and/or big screen HDTV. The free Remote app makes it seamless.

So for those folks it seems like an easy decision. I think there's this misunderstanding that everything has to reside on your iPad or else you're in deep trouble. Apple's peripheral technology has made that thinking outmoded for these types of users.

Or else am I missing something?

 

[dfiler]

There are a few different types of users. While some people might proclaim that a certain type of usage is ubiquitous, I try to read these as just expressions of personal opinion. To do ore wise is aggrevating. So many people can't see past their own personal needs.

For me, even 8gb would be sufficient. I use only a handful of apps and store no audio, video, or periodical content on my iPad. It gets heavy use but only with apps that don't demand local storage.

 

[eclipseblur954]

I just can't wait for the jailbreak to come, ifile was great on my iPad 2, i bought about 5 32gb SD cards for about 100$'s on amazon, filled with HD movies for flights and such.

 

[The Bronx Bull]

I dont think it goes all the way to 2500, just the last 1000 is saved in photo stream.
I guess my situation is a little different because my main computer with iPhoto and iTunes is running for the majority of the day, home sharing gives me access to all of that anywhere in the house.

Right, but your photos are not "stored" in iCloud, per se, they're just there until the thirty days is up, or after you reach 1000.... How does that alleviate the cramped storage on your device? You wouldn't want to rely on Photo Stream to keep your photos in iCloud, because they can get easily lapsed and overwritten/deleted..

I want a way to actually straight up STORE my content in my 5GB of iCloud storage, but I don't see it as an option yet..

 

[3goldens]

yep, way too small.

 

[bobright]

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I just can't wait for the jailbreak to come, ifile was great on my iPad 2, i bought about 5 32gb SD cards for about 100$'s on amazon, filled with HD movies for flights and such.

What do you mean the iPad accepts those slot cards with movies?? Via USB somehow?

 

[eclipseblur954]

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What do you mean the iPad accepts those slot cards with movies?? Via USB somehow?

camera kit + jailbreak

 

[bjmach]

looking at most of your comments. Do you store music on the iPad because you don't have an Iphone/Ipod/Nano? Or do you store music on both meaning Ipad and one of those devices? I have a nano that all my music goes on (for working out/Iphone has all my music for the car etc....

As far as videos the Air Video app works well for streaming from my home network, even remotely