I'm strongly considering buying a new iPad mini, but I am also cheap, so I'm wondering whether or not 8GB is sufficient capacity to use the device normally. I figure if I do any documents, photos, or music can be stored in cloud services I already use. So I think the issue is whether or not 8GB would be limiting at all in terms of the apps I could use...Would it be a ridiculous number of apps to fill 8GB or can that be filled up pretty quickly with apps?
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Is 8GB too small for iPad mini?
- Thread starter Zauberer
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Yea if you are planning on playing games and using a variety of apps the I would go with at least the 16gb. It's always nice to have a little wiggle room just in case
Of course it's waaaaay too small... for me. It all depends on personal prefference though. If you're not planning to play storage heavy games and HD movies then 8GB might be enough for you. Just remember you're not even getting 8GB, but in reality it'll be something lke 6.5GB. For me it makes not only iPad, but any other media device just crap and useless, but like I said a personal prefference. For someone who's planning to use iPad mini only for internet browsing and reading books, capacity is not an issue. For me it's got to be a minimum of 32GB.
I think the big market for the 8gb will be the education market. There was reference to a strong emphasis last week about ibooks along with the mini.
Not sure if 8gb would be enough for a textbook market though, although as semesters change texts could be deleted and new ones added. Also if educators make use of streaming content in class it would help.
Not sure if 8gb would be enough for a textbook market though, although as semesters change texts could be deleted and new ones added. Also if educators make use of streaming content in class it would help.
8GB is absolutely ridiculous and practically speaking useless - sometimes wonder what planet Apple are on, sure they want to keep prices and spec down on the entry level products but they are truly taking the p*** launching an 8GB anything in the year 2012...
Even on my iPhone I have almost 8 GB of apps. And I am one who likes to "clean house" every few months. I assume iPad apps are even bigger due to graphics designed for larger resolutions.
But, as others have said, it's a really personal issue. Only you would know best what your habits, your needs, and your usage patterns are.
But, as others have said, it's a really personal issue. Only you would know best what your habits, your needs, and your usage patterns are.
About 8/10 people use less than 2GB on their iPhones, I'm sure an 8GB iPad would be fine for them. I work in a phone store, everyone wants an iPhone but a majority don't know why
Really?!?! Where does that figure come from?
On my iPod Touch 32 GB I've got 11 GB of music, 8 GB of films, 4GB of photos and the rest is Apps and Apples OS etc...with a spare GB for taking videos etc.
The issue is trip1ex that the cost for apple between an 8 GB device and a 16 GB device is $5 (maybe even less). Apple really shouldn't make a bad product (ie an 8 GB tablet) to save $5. That would be a big mistake and one I doubt Tim would make.
8GB is workable in the hands of people who know exactly what they're going to do with it and how to manage data, but I have so many friends that buy the cheapest iPhones and iPads and then get upset later because they ran out of space since they never dump photos or consider file sizes when buying apps.
IMO, 8GB is a necessary starting point in order to appear competitively priced but its far too small for a tablet and there will be a lot of disappointed buyers.
IMO, 8GB is a necessary starting point in order to appear competitively priced but its far too small for a tablet and there will be a lot of disappointed buyers.
The figure came from someone's butt. My wife cares little about apps or games but has accumulated 10GB of photos videos that she has shot with her iPhone 4S. If you put a camera on a device then people will use it.
Just a question for the OP and anyone else considering an 8GB model. Do you have an iPhone or other smartphone? How much content do you have on that? If you're over 8MB, what can you take off and be happy with?
I have a 16GB original iPad and it feels like it is too small. I have a 16GB iPhone 5 and it feels about right. The major storage hog for me will be movies. There are none on my iPhone and it won't be often that I need the extra space but I want it when I need it. Traveling and having more than 1 or 2 movies to watch on the plane is important to me. Also, some games are starting to come out that are approaching 1GB. If you want to play any of those then 8GB probably won't be enough.
I had been saying for 4-5 months when the rumors were really kicking up that I thought I would buy as much iPad mini as $300 could get me. I figured it would be 16 GB but had the hope that maybe it would be 32. I doubt it will be 32 but I can always hope.
I have a 16GB original iPad and it feels like it is too small. I have a 16GB iPhone 5 and it feels about right. The major storage hog for me will be movies. There are none on my iPhone and it won't be often that I need the extra space but I want it when I need it. Traveling and having more than 1 or 2 movies to watch on the plane is important to me. Also, some games are starting to come out that are approaching 1GB. If you want to play any of those then 8GB probably won't be enough.
I had been saying for 4-5 months when the rumors were really kicking up that I thought I would buy as much iPad mini as $300 could get me. I figured it would be 16 GB but had the hope that maybe it would be 32. I doubt it will be 32 but I can always hope.
That was actually a good thing for me to check. My 16GB phone has only 5.23GB of space used. However, that doesn't leave that much leeway, so my sense is I could get away with 8GB and feel fine, but all it would take is a couple big apps to make that space squeeze. I think I'd be safe with the 16GB though.
I dont agree, its $5 difference between an 8 GB device and a 16 gb device in parts. It would be silly for Apple to come out with a tablet that's guaranteed to cause lots of returns and upset people to save $5 and so I don't think they will do it. Also if they were to try and charge $100 for memory bump from 8GB to 16 GB, the press would eat them up.
This is something I've found myself concerning over, after I read the rumor (which might very well be the case).
Is 8GIG storage enough?
Pros:
- Cheap.
- Reading / Browsing / Social Media / Media Consumption.
- Streaming services. (NetFlix, AirVideo, ORB, News Apps, SlingBox,...etc).
- iCloud for Photos.
- ORB for streaming iTunes Playlists.
- 7.85 inch screen...
- Weight
Cons:
- Not much storage for holding 100's of apps.
- Not much storage for holding Pictures / Videos.
- Not much storage for holding Music.
Over all -- I think for the majority of people, an 8gig iPad mini will be sufficient because I don't think that everyone uses their devices equally. For the vast majority of it, I download Apps, use them, play them, and discard them when I am done. For example, Asphalt 6 is 1.3gigs. That a large storage percentage for an 8Gig.
I would think that having an 8gig iPad mini would just force people to be more focused on Media Consumption then hoarding their digital life around in the forms of Pictures and Videos -- I believe Apple is running on the right path. The Cloud is where a lot of the services will be.
Example.
I watch A LOT of videos (movies, tv shows) on my iPad 2. None of these are stored on the device. I use AirVideo, NetFlix, SlingPlayer and CNET TV app. I Dont play as many games as I use too -- but most games are between 100-400MBS which is fantastic. Ooh and I do browse the internet a lot with Safari and Chrome -- it's terrific!
There are my opinions - I'm excited!
Is 8GIG storage enough?
Pros:
- Cheap.
- Reading / Browsing / Social Media / Media Consumption.
- Streaming services. (NetFlix, AirVideo, ORB, News Apps, SlingBox,...etc).
- iCloud for Photos.
- ORB for streaming iTunes Playlists.
- 7.85 inch screen...
- Weight
Cons:
- Not much storage for holding 100's of apps.
- Not much storage for holding Pictures / Videos.
- Not much storage for holding Music.
Over all -- I think for the majority of people, an 8gig iPad mini will be sufficient because I don't think that everyone uses their devices equally. For the vast majority of it, I download Apps, use them, play them, and discard them when I am done. For example, Asphalt 6 is 1.3gigs. That a large storage percentage for an 8Gig.
I would think that having an 8gig iPad mini would just force people to be more focused on Media Consumption then hoarding their digital life around in the forms of Pictures and Videos -- I believe Apple is running on the right path. The Cloud is where a lot of the services will be.
Example.
I watch A LOT of videos (movies, tv shows) on my iPad 2. None of these are stored on the device. I use AirVideo, NetFlix, SlingPlayer and CNET TV app. I Dont play as many games as I use too -- but most games are between 100-400MBS which is fantastic. Ooh and I do browse the internet a lot with Safari and Chrome -- it's terrific!
There are my opinions - I'm excited!
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I don't have a tablet of any kind right now, so I'm having a hard time judging. I really don't see myself using it for music or videos, other than streaming. That said, while the rumors went with the assumption of 8/16/32/64, if as the above person said it's only $5 between 8 and 16, then maybe the 4 models are 16/32/64/128 and at the event all iPads will get a 128GB option...
The other thing to ask yourself is how long do you plan on keeping this and what are you going to do with it next? If it's 1 year and then off to eBay, the 8 GB might still be enough. The longer you have it, the more apps and other content you'll keep on it and the apps (games anyway) will get bigger and bigger. Mine will be held onto for a year, maybe two and then it will be a hand me down to my 11 year old daughter. By the time she gets my next hand me down, 8 GB would be way too small for everyone's needs and 16 might be pushing it.
No, no. That person meant that the cost to Apple is (probably) $5 (moving from 8GB > 16GB). The end consumer will probably see a $30-50 price difference.