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A day after the WWDC keynote address, Apple SVP of Marketing Phil Schiller joined Daring Fireball's John Gruber on Gruber's podcast, The Talk Show. The episode has not yet been posted, but The Verge was on hand to document the interview. Schiller addressed concerns about 16 GB iPhones, the decision between thin devices and battery life and the single USB port on the MacBook.

Gruber suggested to Schiller that the Cupertino company's iOS devices should come with larger storage capacities on the low end, as the 16 GB of storage provided in the base iPhone 6 or 6 Plus is harder to live with with the current size of apps. Schiller countered that services like iCloud could make up the difference.
Schiller also said that using 16 GB storage for lower-end models allows Apple to save money for use on higher-end components in other parts of the device, like the camera.

When asked about the relationship between the thickness of a phone and battery life, and whether maintaining the thickness of its devices could lead to more power-efficient internals and bigger batteries, Schiller said that Apple has the right balance with its devices. He points out that a device with a larger battery and thickness becomes heavier and takes longer to charge. Schiller notes that Apple tries to figure out the tradeoffs with every device it makes, and he thinks the company has made "great choices" in those tradeoffs.

The Apple SVP also acknowledged that the new MacBook, with its one USB-C port and new keyboard, isn't for everyone. However, he said he believes that Apple is a company that needs to release forward-thinking products like the new MacBook, which is an effort to push the world into a place where users don't plug things into their laptops. Schiller said he wants an Apple that's "bold and taking risks and being aggressive."

Apple has faced criticism for its "bold decisions" in the past, with users unsure of whether a 16 GB device is enough for a daily driver, concern about whether new devices will have improved battery life with thinner designs and products with new technology that come with heavy initial limitations.

While the episode has not yet debuted online yet, it should be available on Daring Fireball in due time.

Article Link: Phil Schiller Talks 16 GB iPhones and Thinness vs Battery Life Tradeoffs

What a load of bull, but so typical Apple. WE know what's best!

However, he said he believes that Apple is a company that needs to release forward-thinking products like the new MacBook, which is an effort to push the world into a place where users don't plug things into their laptops. Schiller said he wants an Apple that's "bold and taking risks and being aggressive."

Forward-thinking my a$$.
Then why don't you go full retard and strip it totally for ports. Make it wireless charged and call it the world's most expensive and innovative netbook.

Just push everything to the iCloud because that's all we want and need...
 
All the cloud storage and unlimited data in the world won't help you if you're on an airplane, traveling somewhere with no signal or in a foreign country with data roaming turned off. I wonder if Phil ever leaves his little hole in Silicon Valley.
 
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Apps don't run off the cloud. And they continue to take up more storage each year, as apps get more complex. Our phones are basically full blown computers at this point, and a computer with 16 GB doesn't make any sense. 64GB should be the minimum with 256GB the maximum.
 
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I'm not sure why people get upset with the 16GB iPhone. Apples current pricing is genius, it's like a voluntary price increase of the iPhone. It would be criminal IMO if Apple purposely made a decision that would reduce it's profits. As long as people are willing to buy iPhones like they did with the 6/6P this will continue to happen.

If you truly think it's dishonest to sell a 16 GB phone for 650$, do what I did and buy a different brand of phone. No point in complaining if you are still going to buy the phone.
 
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Except iCloud still stores your photos on the device even though you deleted all of them, they reappear and take up all your storage :-(
You mean iCloud Photo Library stores thumbnails of all your photos so you can access and download any of them if you need to?
 
I guess I used the wrong words. Instead of "right balance," I meant things somehow fall into places. These people only install minimal number of apps (usually social media apps), so they have plenty of space for pictures. Or some people don't even take pictures at all. So they have plenty of space for music. I do ask them whether they are really ok with 16gb, and I'm usually countered with "why would I need more?" Yeah... There's a reason why Apple can keep selling these 16gb iPhones and iPads.
Why are you making up scenarios to encompass everyone that uses a 16 GB phone? Yes there is a reason they keep selling them ... for their own profit margins ... as minuscule as those margins may be. It has nothing to do with the customer. Phil's comments clearly indicate his utter lack of understanding of the issue.
 
The problem is data usage by the apps we have on our devices. If we had an easy way to clear out "Documents & Data" to free up space, 16GB would be no problem for many. It makes sense that apps that store music, videos, or files should increase in size. It does not make sense that apps that do not permanently store data should continue to grow in size. I'm sure many are like me and have apps that are 20-60 MBs in size, but take up 200-500 MBs of space due to cache and data storage. Some apps allow you to free up the cache, but most do not. And some apps manage the data better than others. I have two apps that stream tv shows from two different networks. I use both frequently. One is 90MBs in size but takes up over 500MB of space. The other is 60MBs in size and takes up 70MBs of space. So far the easiest way (and usually the only way) to reduce the size of an app is to delete it and reinstall it.
 
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#1 Priority should be battery. Being the thinnest by millimeters should be absolutely irrelevant in 2015. His ******** excuse that it takes longer to charge is insane. 99.9% of people charge their phones overnight and batteries need to be able to last all day in 2015. A dead phone is bad for everyone.
I average about 50% remaining charge at the end of the day with my iPhone 6. Maybe once or twice a month I get it down to 20% and I think I only got it down to below 10% once or twice since last September.

The phone could last a full day for 95% of its users and we still have millions of users complaining. But 95% of all users would have to carry a bigger and heavier phone to shut down the 5%.
 
If this guy was truly concerned about an iPhone's battery taking too long to charge then he would push to include an iPad charger. Charging an iPhone 6+ with the included wall plug takes a ridiculously long time. And... do he and that other idiot honestly expect us to forget that other phones have fast charging?
Ridiculously long as in 1 to 2 hours?
 
They'd rather brag about shaving a millimeter of thickness off an already too-thin-to-safely-handle phone than use that space on battery capacity. When my phone is almost dead at 4:00 in the afternoon I couldn't care less how thin the thing is. Your engineers can make a thin phone, good for them. How about making one that will last a day instead.
You are aware that in independent tests, the iPhone battery life is generally in the upper third of compared phones. If the iPhone has a criminally short battery life, so do most other smartphones.

And I am really curious which apps are using up your battery most. Could you post the top five apps with their percentages as listed under Settings > General > Usage > Battery Usage?
 
Stop nickel and diming and get with the times already. 16GB has been obsolete for a few years now with the size of apps growing, something that the cloud has no bearing on.
Considering their sales numbers, they nickel and dime people just the right amount that most of their customers aren't too bothered.
 
I love how he describes someone who purchases a 16gb iPhone 6 Plus for $749 as price conscious. lol
 
Exactly those 8GB on the 5C make sure it is not a success. Put in 32 GB and make the front white and it would sell great at the same price.
While the 8 GB iPhone 5c is a shame, they offer a 16 GB 'version' for $100 more and a 32 GB 'version' for another $50 ... in the form of the 5s (which has a much faster processor as well).
 
cant believe people say 16gb is enough. There has to be a limit to excuses. People said the same thing with 1GB ram for iOS devices and look now, multitasking split screen is only supported with iPad Air 2 with 2gb ram lol.
 
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The iPhone 6 is too thin as it is. I can't hold it without a case.

Due to the choice of materials and thinness, it slips out of my hands every time.

Im really starting to get annoyed with Apple.

Here's the the problem. You bought the phone right? So how is Apple going to take your criticism seriously if you continue to make them rich?
When the Samsung S5 failed to produce good sales Samsung had to go back to the drawing board with the S6. Companies only listen when the money stops pouring in.
 
You may want to examine your phone and see if there are less space-hungry options. For example, if your mail is taking up a lot of space, consider an alternative like Mailbox which doesn't cache attachments. You may have to be prepared to give up your zinio subscription. Plug in your phone to iTunes and check out your "others" section. If it seems unusually large (a known cache problem), back up your phone and do a clean restore to free up some more space. iMessage is also a known space hog.

If your photo storage exceeds 5 gb, consider backing them up to Photos (maybe spring for the 20gb storage tier at $1 a month) and download the low-res thumbnails to your phone.

I don't scold my pupils for being dumb if they don't do well for their tests and exams. But I do tell them that the responsibility for studying hard lies with them. We learn from our mistakes and move on. I read, research, ask my friends on their usage habits and form an informed decision for myself. I have made many poor purchase decisions in my life. I just learn from them, hope I am wiser as a result, and move on.

My first smartphone was a 32gb iPhone 4s. It was just enough. But sometimes, I found myself pressed for space, like when I needed to record a video (45 minutes of footage takes up 9 gb of space on my phone already). That made me decide to settle for a 64gb iPhone 5s when it was time to recontract, and I am glad I did.

In the very least, I don't go around blaming others when I get a device with either too much or too little storage.

You didn't answer the question...

How does a typical non-technical Apple consumer know how much storage is needed PRIOR to purchasing an iPhone?

Most will buy the cheapest, which is still EXPENSIVE & don't know they need more storage until AFTER purchasing.

I think this is ANOTHER ploy for Apple to sell 16GB iPhones only to have people upgrade within 6-12months because they are OUT of storage.
 
Why are you making up scenarios to encompass everyone that uses a 16 GB phone? Yes there is a reason they keep selling them ... for their own profit margins ... as minuscule as those margins may be. It has nothing to do with the customer. Phil's comments clearly indicate his utter lack of understanding of the issue.

I'm not making up scenarios. Read again. 16gb is more than enough for people who buy phones just for the sake of having one.

I said there is a reason why Apple "can" keep selling them. Imagine all iPhone buyers were tech-savvy, and rise up against Apple to stop buying their products. They would offer base 32gb iPhone in no time.
 
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I'm not making up scenarios. Read again. 16gb is more than enough for people who buy phones just for the sake of having one
More than enough for ppl that just make phone calls and check e-mail? I'm pretty sure nobody is debating if 16 GB is enough for minimal use. That isn't even the topic of coversation.
 
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