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

[Candlelight]

I still only have an 8GB iPhone 4 but think will have to go for at least a 32GB option when I upgrade. Right now I have a handful of songs and a few apps, the rest is taken up by mail, messages, etc. Streaming music or iCloud access just isn't an option.

 

[cdm283813]

In the mean time I enjoy my Samsung Galaxy Note 4:

• 4GB of RAM,
• 32GB of built-in entry level storage,
• Up to 128GB removable flash cards
• 50GB free 2-year Dropbox subscription for Samsung Galaxy users (total 65GB)
• Huge removable battery with 2 spares...

Also...

• 3.7MP selfie camera with a super wide angle lens
  
• 16MP main camera
• OLED display
• Pressure sensitive stylus

I also have a Note 4 and highly agree with you. I have no complaints about the hardware. But for me it's the software that has my blood boiling. There are known issues with 5.0.2 which 5.1.1 fixes. Not one word on when I will receive the update from Samsung which has to be approved by Verizon. I have the ability to roll back to kitkat but after a while you can't get rid of the nag message to upgrade.
The thing that impressed me the most from the Apple keynote is their commitment to support old hardware with the ability to rollout updates at the same time between iPads and iPhones. I personally don't what to use a 3 year old device but many people are still happy with them.
So while I love the Samsung S6 from a hardware perspective I don't think I could live with the inconsistent/non existent update policy that every Android manufacturer has. Even Nexus updates are not consistent from Google. So this year looks to be the year I switch for good. But I like to always keep my options open.

 

[FieldingMellish]

Relying on iCloud subscriptions to make up for insufficient local storage is willingly joining the Matrix.

 

[woody74]

What a load of corporate garbage. 16GB is a joke and it is not like memory costs much nowadays. He is also totally wrong that cloud storage is lightning fast, it certainly isn't when it comes to pictures and even through I have iCloud storage how come my 16gb iPhone 6 still says that it is running out of storage. Maybe because the iPhone and iCloud are not managing the storage that well. Everyone knows upload speeds are slow as compared to download speeds.

Apple need to learn that data speeds outside of cities are not that fast and there is bad coverage in many places. Not everyone lives in San Fran or LA. Once again a tech company not living in the real world.

 

[AliMacs]

This guy should work for apple's marketing dept! Oh wait, he does!

Utter BS - save money to resource out for camera my a..

Apple wants to maximize margins. How do you think they even make billions and billions every year?!? It certainly isn't giving you the most for the least amount of $

 

[Jimrod]

In regards to battery. Yeah thicker phone harder to handle. But with iOS effiency, they could advertise far superior battery life. Not saying original iPhone thickness for the 6/6+. But if kept iPhone 5 thickness, 2 day of heavy usage with a week of standby if minimal usage.

Actually the thicker phones like the old 3G were far easier to handle, thinness is a bit of a gimmick, a bit like aluminium body when you need to put a case on to protect it. I'd prefer something more like the old sculpted plastic body phone with a far larger battery any day of the week to a 6mm thing that lasts a day on a charge IF you're lucky.

 

[JustThinkin']

... 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.

I'd say it's more like users can't plug their laptops into things. They can't plug it into their monitor(s), they can't plug it into their gigabit Ethernet. Those things already exist, but NO - you shouldn't be able to use those!

I realize a docking station can make some of this possible, but Schiller's suggesting we don't need those either! For most people this is unrealistic - at least for the foreseeable future.

 

[BlueTrance]

I wish there were some figures about iPhone sales depending on their capacity. I bet 90% of 16GB iPhone sales are gifts or carrier offers. They just want to put some "from $650" banners, when everybody is obviously buying at least the $750 64GB one.

 

[Wahlstrm]

I think there is a problem with Apple being a bit too user friendly for people to understand what they need.
16GB/32GB was the high end a few iphones back and the people who opted for the 4/8GB versions and had that work for them are probably thinking that 16GB will give them 2-4x the storage for the same price in the new base model. On paper thats true, but from a user experience you are lucky if that 16GB amounts to ½ of what that 8GB gave you in the past. On my first iPhone apps was a few MB´s and I think the max you could download w/o wifi was like 10 or 15MB.. Photos and videos where quite low-res and did not take up much space. Today I have a few apps that are 1-2GB each.. 8GB/16GB iPhone a few years ago could probably have 100+ apps.. Today the 8GB iPhone5c can have 2-3 games and that´s it.. For and most people hanging around on MacRumors this is common knowledge but try asking your non-techie friends or parents about it.. Apples U2/ios8 release probably made a lot more people aware but I still think that a lot of people don´t keep up with the rising file sizes of new apps, better camera and better video.

 

[MacrumoursUser]

Liar, liar pants on fire!

 

[Mr Fusion]

Let's break this down...

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.

Until Apple gives me a reasonable amount of iCloud space for my photos (or do what Google did, go unlimited) this argument is invalid. Not to mention the data costs I incur since I don't have an unlimited data plan.

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.

Is he referring to the 8MP camera in the front that can't take a shot in low-light or indoors, or the 1.2MP camera that takes photos so small they're useless? Real high-end there.

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.

How about using a higher wattage charger? Just a thought...

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.

He wouldn't be employed by the Mothership if he didn't think they made "great choices" what kind of response is this?

The Apple SVP also acknowledged that the new MacBook, with its one USB-C port and new keyboard, isn't for everyone.

Gruber should've pressed him on why they simply didn't add a Retina Display to the MacBook Air, instead of fragmenting the product lineup.

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.

Typically the only thing I plug into my laptop is my iPhone, because the battery can't last the whole day. If they had kept the USB port and charging port separate, I'd be much more interested in this product.

Schiller said he wants an Apple that's "bold and taking risks and being aggressive."

The only thing bold about Apple these days is the way they hang their balls out and middle fingers up to their own customers, as their products continue to slide in terms of quality but sell well based on brand power alone.

So bring it fanboys. I give you an hour to post the first, "If you don't like it, then you can GIT OUT!!!" reply.

 

[b-dogg]

What of 8gb in the €399 iPhone 5c?

So phone 8gb (-3gb for OS & formatting)
5gb iCloud (minus the device + other iOS device backups 0.8gb-2.5gb)

So back of the envelope, you're working with about 10gb even when using cloud. Anybody I've seen with an 8gb iPhone 5c is constantly getting "your device is almost full" messages. They only ever have 350-500mb free on their device and must connect to iTunes even to install delta iOS updates.

32gb needs to be the base onboard and 20gb needs to be the free iCloud tier.

I moved to google photos for this very reason. I'm amazed we didn't see any talk of iCloud pricing storage and/or iCloud photos after Google I/O during WWDC15.

 

[Serban]

Apple will give to users double the storage to icloud for free, from sept (10gb) and will sell iphone 6s with 32/64/128gb

 

[b-dogg]

Translation: We got rid of the 32GB option and kept the 16GB at the low end so everyone would upgrade to at least 64GB.

Yep, my theory is that the 16gb iPhones are for the 24month contract people who get them for "free". Nearly anyone I've seen with a 16gb iPhone 6 has got it via a carrier contract.

 

[mattopotamus]

sounds like phil does not realize using iCloud for photos/documents will push it to all of your devices...

 

[Michael CM1]

I hope he asked why new MacBook Pros can't be upgraded after purchase. I was able to upgrade RAM and install an SSD in my late 2011 MacBook Pro. The upgrades will keep me going until Apple ends support. This brings to mind Android Fragmentation. Customers are mostly stuck with the original version of the OS that came installed on the phone. To get the latest Android update, you’ll most likely have to buy a new phone and that's not a guarantee either. What Google does with software, Apple does with hardware. Against all odds, I hope this will change.

I get the desire to upgrade -- I have a MacBook Air with 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD -- but I'm guessing they don't really worry about upgradability because of the push to make them thinner. If you're using up every available inch of space in a given area, creating a logic board that allows for RAM access is going to waste a little bit of space. Same thing with an SSD, especially since I think the Macs now all use SSDs that look like DIMMs.

I checked out iFixit teardowns on my computer and yours and that's basically the deal. The storage -- ASIDE: iFixit writers, stop calling the flash storage memory like a noob -- is removable, although they don't exactly sell this type everywhere. Apple is also pretty good at not requiring the latest Macs to run the latest OS a few years down the road. They do turn off some features for older hardware -- I found this out when AirPlay for Mac was released and my iMac was a year too old -- but I've had pretty good luck with hardware, albeit with RAM updates each time. But that was more it was cheap enough to do compared to I needed to do it.

This isn't likely to change. Apple makes most of its money from iPhones and iPads, which you can't upgrade. Honestly I don't think most (in terms of numbers!) people who own these devices really want to open it and upgrade a part. There's that sector of us who do and know how, but Apple is more interested in making these things appliances. Nobody opens up a toaster to replace the coils with more powerful ones.

Also Apple is obviously trying to make these devices less and less about needing storage. Storing all of your photos in the cloud would be simply amazing, but also so freaking expensive. But you can do it in a way that's much more secure in terms of losing your photos -- you won't unless things bad enough happen to take down server farms. I like this movement, but with mobile and landline data limits, it's still not all there yet. Streaming audio is fine if you go up a few levels with your mobile provider, but it's still quite expensive to get everything done there.

 

[justinhu8]

Worst argument ever. You need to download a movie from iTunes to just be able to watch it, no streaming. You can't offload **** to the cloud without also having it on the phone.

 

[allanfries]

My 5s is a 32GB, and I still manage to have 10GB of that available. When I upgrade to the 6s in the new year, I'm pretty sure it will be 64GB.
I know people that have the 16GB iPhones, and don't have the storage even half full??

 

[Michael CM1]

"Save money" for higher end components. The phone cost $290 to make and they sell it for $650...

In parts. $290 (if that's right) in parts. Are you going to put those parts together? Are you going to research how to fit those parts together perfectly? Are you going to design the operating system we get for no charge each year that optimizes how those parts are used?

Apple has to create some hardware budget making each model to pay for R&D and numerous other expenses. Almost every time I have gone into an Apple Store for some sort of tech support or service, I haven't paid a dime. Aside from when I got my iPhone screen replaced recently, I can't remember ever paying. Those employees get paid. The store is charged rent. iCloud costs a ton of money to maintain, and the OS and free apps you get with the phone aren't designed without cost.

 

[Xiroteus]

Yeah, complete BS on the storage issue that likely costs them a couple dollars. Unless the phone is thirty dollars (moto g sale) 32GB should be the base level at this time. I bought a 32GB 3GS in 2009! because I thought 16GB was too small.

Other phones can get away with it a bit more if they take micro sd cards and or are MUCH cheaper.

 

[justinhu8]

In parts. $290 (if that's right) in parts. Are you going to put those parts together? Are you going to research how to fit those parts together perfectly? Are you going to design the operating system we get for no charge each year that optimizes how those parts are used?

Apple has to create some hardware budget making each model to pay for R&D and numerous other expenses. Almost every time I have gone into an Apple Store for some sort of tech support or service, I haven't paid a dime. Aside from when I got my iPhone screen replaced recently, I can't remember ever paying. Those employees get paid. The store is charged rent. iCloud costs a ton of money to maintain, and the OS and free apps you get with the phone aren't designed without cost.

I think that we can all agree that. The thing is that many high end Android manufacturers have moved to 32gb, who spend an equal amount on things like advertising and R&D. Yet Apple is still stuck on 16gb just to squeeze as much margins out as possible, just like how they haven't moved on the 8mp camera. Also, remember when they reintroduced the then 4 year old iPhone 4 back into India? http://indiatoday.intoday.in/techno...g-iphone-4-at-rs-15000-in-india/1/336263.html

Apple is #1 here to make money not for users, which can be said about all companies but that can be shown clearly with Apple

 

[Mike MA]

I agree with him completely about the macbook. If you don't like it, buy the macbook pro.

Rather the Macbook Air I suppose. At least until it will be redesigned too

 

[Avenged110]

Besides, if it wasn't for competition/large sales from other phones, it's likely we'd not have larger screens for a few more generations...

Personally, I still wish I could get an iPhone 6 with a 3.5" screen, so yeah, I would have liked that. I don't care if it's thicker, that would be sick.

 

[iPhysicist]

SVP of Marketing Phill Schiller. Marketing. That says it all. I could imagine he does not even care what Gruber asks because his answers are marketing answers. We already know what they think. We own their products. He does his job. We buy products.

 

[Michael CM1]

I think that we can all agree that. The thing is that many high end Android manufacturers have moved to 32gb, who spend an equal amount on advertising. Yet Apple is still stuck on 16gb just to squeeze as much margins out as possible, just like how they haven't moved on the 8mp camera.

I'm honestly fine with the 8MP camera since the other parts have gotten some great upgrades. There's no comparison between the iPhone 4s and 6 photos, especially if you use the flash. The 6 photos are 3264x2448 and take up almost 4MB each. I don't know if these are 72 dpi or 200, but that's bigger than most the photos we get from Reuters. The better photo quality from other cameras is from a million other things, many of which Apple keeps upgrading but will never reach SLR quality.

I would personally love an option for changing resolution like most p&s cameras have, especially when you get to 12 and higher. That's almost a must if Apple goes to 12MP like I think it will for the 6s.