You sound like you're in a dysfunctional relationship, where you believe you are "with" a multinational technology behemoth.
Nope, I've just been a customer for a LONG time, and their products have greatly enhanced my life and work... and I'd hate to see that be lost in the future because the bean-counters have taken over the company.
If Apple fundamentally changes (which they seem to be), where do I go? So, whether it has any effect or not, I have to try.
Never said it was fine for Apple to start anywhere. Wasn't necessarily defending the 16 is OK. Only stating my personal use was sufficient for me at this point in time, don't see where I am 'self-included'.
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For anything to change, people will need to speak with their wallet. Don't see that happening anytime soon.
citysnaps said:
"It's because a large number of iPhone purchasers don't take lots of videos, store music, need a lot of apps. etc. As a result, 16GB for that segment is fine. If your needs are greater simply purchase one with more memory."
You said:
This is so true. ... My primary use for my phone is ...uh..a phone, quick email reads and a GPS device for my work travels.
Which isn't what I (we) have been arguing. Of course some people can make it work, that's not the point.
re: 'speak with their wallets' - By the time you're able to see that with certainty, it will be too late.
I'm so tired of the 16GB angst. Apple makes a phone with more storage. Buy it. Stop crying.
You people sound like the most self absorbed, self entitled, self appointed marketing gurus... ... Why does the 32GB argument make any more sense...
Because 32GB is more in line with *cheaper* competition (ie: it's the industry-wide starting point), and it's the point at which a typical user won't have a bad user-experience and feel cheated by Apple for selling them a premium product with sub-par storage.
What I do feel they need to double on is discoverability. So many new features in iOS are made so obscure that I would probably never have realised they were there if I hadn't read about it on some blog. ...the multitasking menu has been revamped multiple times, which suggests...
Which suggest that the current designers are kinda clueless...
http://www.fastcodesign.com/3053406/how-apple-is-giving-design-a-bad-name
The current problem with Apple is much deeper than profit-over-UX from the bean-counters, more bugs, and goofy graphics. It's kind of a rot to the core (pardon the pun).
When they offer 32 gb baseline at the same price as current 16gb, they loose lots of sales of the 64gb model. asp will fall, revenue , margins and profits will drop.
Maybe they should start at 8GB then? That way, they could charge $100 more for 16GB. If they added a 32GB back in, they could go another $100 for that, then another $100 for 64GB. My gosh, they'd blow away the estimates then, huh? *sheesh!*
The point is that 32GB is now the norm, and it's the point at which most users wouldn't feel horribly cramped and possibly have a bad user-experience. Happy users... more users... Apple does better.
Ahh, but that will impact the 64GB sales. Sure will. But happy users are worth more than a $100 up-sell in the long-term. And, they could solve it by moving the line to 32/64GB, 128GB, 256GB. Problem solved!
You're absolutely right in what you're saying in terms of short-term, industry analyst, bean-counter, stock-market type thinking. And, where has that gotten most US companies? I don't want Apple to be like most companies, and the stock market is a joke. They didn't get where they are that way.
...there are millions of people wanting a 16gb and don' t need the 32gb, and they will demand a 16gb model ... There will be a time that 16gb base won' t cut it anymore for the non power user.
Yea, I think that was like 2014 or before. And, if 32GB were the base, I'm almost 100% certain no one would be demanding a 16GB model.
They have to reverse declining iPad and Mac sales by developing hybrids.
They have to speed up development of the Apple TV and offer more advanced hw to get it up to ps4, Xbox one standards and stimulating content for cable cutters.
They have to release a great update for the Apple Watch, which could be the next blockbuster.
They have tospeed up AR/VR development, and bring something more than a strap on your head iPhone the next 2 years.
Wow, are you sure you aren't some top tech industry 'analyst'? This is the kind of stuff that will spell failure for sure, so I sure HOPE Apple isn't going there!
iPad/Mac hybrid = M$ Surface (how many decades has M$ been failing in mobile and tablets???)
Apple TV - content, yes... but compete in the console market? OK
Apple Watch - Let me know when that becomes a big-seller, heh.
VR - Yea, I guess I can see you walking down the street with a goofy thing strapped to your forehead.

Do you, by chance, have Google Glass too?
Yea, this was the kind of advice Apple got that lead to the 'dark years' before Jobs returned. The clown-CEOs during those years listened to it... Jobs didn't.
The outlook isn' t that dark...
Every year, Apple was doomed, and after, they always came out on top...
Yep, and that's what I said too since the late 80s up until a year or so ago. Now, I'm pretty convinced the 'new' Apple isn't like the 'Jobs' Apple anymore, sadly. It will take several years before it has much, if any impact, just from brand momentum.
I would argue that 4.7 is more of a "normal" screen size than 4 is. ... but I think people need to accept the fact that what was "normal" 4 years ago isn't the same now. ... My hope for the future of the 4 inch model is they keep it on par with the other sizes. I really think keeping them all the same (as close as possible feature wise) and just giving people the choice of screen size without compromise is the best route.
Normal for a phone, or normal as in what the majority have/use? I guess my argument is that the 4" is more normal for the size of a phone (maybe even a bit big), but that for other reasons, people have started preferring bigger-than-normal sized mobile devices which also double as a phone.
But, IMO, phone size should be driven by use-case, not what's popular. And, I agree that there is a need for all the sizes (within reason). So yes, roughly the size of the 4", 4.7" and 5.5" are pretty good as far as current case dimensions. The more screen they can put into those package sizes, the better.
The 5.5" seems to actually be about 10% of the market, if I remember, so my guess is that if the 4" is on-par hardware-wise, it might be about 30%, leaving 60% for the 4.7" So, yes, the 4.7" is the most popular, but I'll bet the 4" outsells the 5.5". And, I don't think that's just due to cost.
A decrease in iPhone sales quarter, if it happens, doesn't mean "Rome is burning" either.
No, but it's just the tip of the iceberg... more like a symptom of the problem, and one of MANY.
It's one thing when you have the typical 'industry experts' predicting doom and gloom for Apple (that's been happening since the early 90s), or the ever-silly stock market. But now, it's people like me - very long term Apple evangelists - who have recognized a massive shiift in how Apple is operating, right down to core principals, and we're sounding the alarm.
If you say it enough times, that apples growth will slow, eventually you will be right. The same things have been said since the iphone 4.
Heh, it's been happing since LONG before that! But, it's a different group of people this time saying it. (Well, along with the typical 'industry experts' and stock market... but for very different reasons. In other words, the day-traders might be right this time, but not for the right reasons.)
My mom has the iPad 2. It still runs pretty well for her needs, and at 16GB, is far from full.
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But, buyer beware. Apple or no, the customer needs to take more responsibility in their purchasing decisions. It's just common sense higher quality photos and videos are going to take up more storage.
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If your point is simply Apple is being greedy by not offering more when they could without a significant hit to their margins, well no argument there. But anyone who's been buying Apple for any length of time knows that's always been the case. I'm not sure "greed" is the right word, but certainly preservation of their margins.
I have an iPad 2 as well, and while the latest iOS 9 has helped quite a bit overall, it's still quite sluggish. But, the big problem is keyboard input... it's too laggy to be productive anymore. It was completely find on iOS 7.
And, that's not great, but hey, the iPad 2 is quite old now. The problem is more with models like the iPad mini, which Apple was *still* selling when iOS 8 came out. My fear is that it's going to be a similar story for anything with 1GB RAM with the next iOS release or two.
And, it used to not be such a 'buyer beware' thing with Apple. Yes, they might have typically been a bit short on RAM for the base model, but you could just open the slot and stuff more in. You can't do that anymore, but Apple is still playing the same strategy. Back then, it was a mild irritation, now it's a big problem.
I don't care what we call it... I call it stupid. Putting profit and marketing tactics over user-experience is a great way to start Apple's fall.
Let's keep antiquated ideas alive because people don't move with the times.
Can you please explain the link between screen size and 'antiquated ideas'??? Apparently, I've been under this crazy impression that screen size is more related to use-case, than fashion.