All iPads The great memory rip-off

[GoCubsGo]

But that's the point, isn't it? 16GB models are very popular. I imagine people wanting to save $100-200. So why would Apple stop making them?

You kind of missed my point.
In order for Apple to move away from the 16GB they have to stop selling as many as they do. Inventory sitting on shelves that previously sold like hot cakes is a very good indication that the product is no longer desired. Look at sales of the next model up and perhaps move that down to the base and rid yourself of the 16 GB models.

16 GB is way too popular right now and therefore, as much as I hate it, 16 GB as base is the norm for Apple. Also, it is hard enough paying $500 for a 16 GB device with the specs we have today let alone another $100 for the next model up. To me, $500 for a 16 GB iPad isn't exactly an easy pill to swallow. I've done it because I prefer Apple and that is what I am paying for.

 

[syd430]

But Apple also has a responsibility to itself not to price things so high, when compared to the competition, that a lot of people decide not to buy an iPad.

Apple can charge a premium, just not too much of a premium.

Then obviously that's not charging what buyers are willing to pay.

That's more than what they're willing to pay.

For every additional dollar they charge, the more customers they lose. It's up to Apple to work out what the optimal price is.

 

[gotluck]

Hootoo tripmate isa better deal for portable storage unless you need the space specifically for apps. For media you are good to go. Your own little portable streaming station, no internet required.

Friends don't let friends get ripped off on storage pricing.

 

[richardbb85]

Exactly, ppl been willing to pay the premium price for extra storage.

A private company can charge whatever they want - namely, what buyers are willing to pay.

If I were running Apple, I would do just that - charge what my customers are willing to pay, as per my responsibility to shareholders. Which is exactly what Apple seems to be doing.

An iPad is not a basic utility like food or water, nor do they have a monopoly on tablets.

If you don't wan't to pay the outrageous price for a 64gb or 128gb iPad, then don't buy one.

If people wern't willing to pay so much for additional storage, then they wouldn't be charging so much for additional storage.

 

[Michael Goff]

I find it funny

"But the 16gb model is popular!"

I doubt anyone goes in there and says "I just need 16gb. If they offered the 32gb as the base model? SCREW THAT! I'm not buying an iPad"

People are buying it because it's the cheapest. :|

 

[macduke]

I don't have a problem with the pricing for different tiers. I do kind of have a problem with a 16GB base model. I've known many people who regret getting the base model. They figure that they aren't power users so the base model will do. Well 16GB in 2013 (soon 2014) is a bit on the low side. Honestly I think for most people even 24GB would be enough. 16GB is just a bit tight and they end up having to manage things, especially if they use Photostream. Furthermore, since 2010 the iPad base model has remained 16GB. During that time, the iPhone has doubled from 8GB to 16GB, and the MacBook Air has doubled from 64GB to 128GB. The iPad hasn't changed, even though many of it's retina apps have quite large file sizes.

 

[richardbb85]

I don't have a problem with the pricing for different tiers. I do kind of have a problem with a 16GB base model. I've known many people who regret getting the base model. They figure that they aren't power users so the base model will do. Well 16GB in 2013 (soon 2014) is a bit on the low side. Honestly I think for most people even 24GB would be enough. 16GB is just a bit tight and they end up having to manage things, especially if they use Photostream. Furthermore, since 2010 the iPad base model has remained 16GB. During that time, the iPhone has doubled from 8GB to 16GB, and the MacBook Air has doubled from 64GB to 128GB. The iPad hasn't changed, even though many of it's retina apps have quite large file sizes.

It's apple, they like to do everything late or last. Sooner or later iPad gona have 32gb base model n they will call it the best decision ever or some crap

 

[macduke]

It's apple, they like to do everything late or last. Sooner or later iPad gona have 32gb base model n they will call it the best decision ever or some crap

I don't think that's necessarily true. iPhone had way more storage than any other phone when it came out. It also had the first hi-DPI display, among other things.

 

[rui no onna]

Hmm, I do wonder how much Apple actually gets on iPad sales. For one thing, retailers do get a cut and since Walmart sells the iPad Air 16GB Wi-Fi for $479, we can probably surmise that retailer cut on that specific model is at least $20.

Price gouging on the iPhone is much worse enabled by the subsidy model carriers can't seem to let go of. Before the subsidy model, the base iPhone model was just $399 (after a $200 price cut just months after initial release).

 

[MimicBunion972]

I have been purchasing top-of-the-line iPads in the previous years. This year I had enough of it. The cost of producing memory chips has dropped to a fraction of what it was in 2010; and yet Apple is charging exactly the same price.

I am long-time Apple user and I have heavily invested in iOS apps. However this year I find myself seriously considering switching to other platforms. I tried Surface 2, despite its better pricing structure, the system is lacking in multiple major ways.

End up with a rMini 32GB wifi, knowing that it will be obsolete in one year. I honestly hope Microsoft and Google greatly improve their mobile platforms. That's the only way to force Apple to drop its ridiculous pricing structure.

 

[darngooddesign]

...End up with a rMini 32GB wifi, knowing that it will be obsolete in one year.

Exxagerate much?

The Mini 2 won't become obsolete in a year any more than my Mini 1, with two year old specs and 512MB of RAM is obsolete now.

 

[Jackintosh]

I understand we're not forced to buy Apple's tablets and that they can charge whatever they want. Maybe in the strict sense we shouldn't call it a "ripoff".

But it's the clever marketing of memory to entice the consumer to spend more money at outrageous cost that's the issue. The reality is that Apple could easily have designed-in portable storage such as an SD card or USB drive, and let the consumer decide and easily add storage. Apple saw fit to ignore that freedom for outrageous additional profit.

So I agree they can sell whatever they want and we don't have to buy whatever they sell. It's their insidious marketing techniques and psychological manipulation of something that should have reasonable cost that's the complaint from me.

 

[MimicBunion972]

Exxagerate much?

The Mini 2 won't become obsolete in a year any more than my Mini 1, with two year old specs and 512MB of RAM is obsolete now.

It really depends on how you use it. There are people happily using their iPad 1. But for me. I wish I can play a big-butt game and occasionally check email. I like to process photos while opening one or two cloud clients. But no, 1GB ram on rMini does not allow me doing that. I am getting low-memory crash already.

I am sure next year there will be the truly revolutionary iPad with 2GB ram that really supports multi-tasking.

 

[darngooddesign]

It really depends on how you use it. There are people happily using their iPad 1. But for me. I wish I can play a big-butt game and occasionally check email. I like to process photos while opening one or two cloud clients. But no, 1GB ram on rMini does not allow me doing that. I am getting low-memory crash already.

I am sure next year there will be the truly revolutionary iPad with 2GB ram that really supports multi-tasking.

That's interesting and all, but this thread has to do with "hard drive" storage, not RAM or even the multitasking abilities of iOS7. Why did you feel the need to complain about something that isn't relevant, instead of using one of the countless other RAM threads?

 

[rui no onna]

End up with a rMini 32GB wifi, knowing that it will be obsolete in one year. I honestly hope Microsoft and Google greatly improve their mobile platforms. That's the only way to force Apple to drop its ridiculous pricing structure.

I haven't seen the price of Macs dropping significantly despite the much bigger market share of Windows-based PC's so I don't really see them doing anything drastic in terms of pricing. They'll eventually increase base storage as technology dictates (sooner or later, NAND manufacturers are going to stop making 8/16GB NAND packages) but that's about it.

Apple doesn't appear to be going after the largest market share. They seem perfectly fine occupying a niche - one that's highly profitable. Given a lot of other tech companies seem to be losing money, I don't really blame Apple for not going for the lowest margin.

Exaggerate much?

The Mini 2 won't become obsolete in a year any more than my Mini 1, with two year old specs and 512MB of RAM is obsolete now.

Lol, tech tends to be obsolete as soon as you buy it. There's always something new and better just around the corner. That said, new tech doesn't mean your device will suddenly stop working so as long as you're content with the device's performance, who cares?

 

[darngooddesign]

Lol, tech tends to be obsolete as soon as you buy it. There's always something new and better just around the corner. That said, new tech doesn't mean your device will suddenly stop working so as long as you're content with the device's performance, who cares?

That's not actually true. Something is considered obsolete when it is no longer supported, out of date, or no longer useful. None of those things are true about a one year old iPad. The iPad Air did not make the iPad 4 obsolete, and the Mini 3 will not make the Mini 2 obsolete.

But I do agree with your point of if a device works for you then who cares if someone else considers it obsolete.

 

[gtmac]

Nothing new here and I certainly doubt anyone will be shocked to find out the price difference of the memory versus what Apple charging. The only thing that actually bothers me is that they don't start at 32 gig which is a reasonable memory space for today's tablets.

 

[irDigital0l]

I just bought a 16gb, the future is cloud.

And the future isn't here yet...

iCloud still has a long long way to go.

 

[Zmanbaseball2]

And the future isn't here yet...

iCloud still has a long long way to go.

Still waiting for Apple to let us have more than 5GB of free cloud storage. Apppne should let us have 5GB free for each device that is under your Apple ID. Like my iPhone 5, iPod touch 5, iPad 1 and iPad Air= 20GB of free iCloud storage.

 

[MimicBunion972]

That's interesting and all, but this thread has to do with "hard drive" storage, not RAM or even the multitasking abilities of iOS7. Why did you feel the need to complain about something that isn't relevant, instead of using one of the countless other RAM threads?

Why the RAM is relevant in this thread? The reason is dirt simple:

If this year's rMini and Air come with 2GB RAM, they will work well with the next 2 or 3 releases of iOS. And I (and many people alike) can stick with this year's iPads for 2 or 3 years. But no, Apple wants us to upgrade every year, or every 1.5 years. 1GB of RAM won't work well with iOS8 or iOS9. And when we upgrade, the extra we paid for storage today will worth nothing. And we will be paying the ridiculous storage charge all over again.

 

[darngooddesign]

Why the RAM is relevant in this thread? The reason is dirt simple:

If this year's rMini and Air come with 2GB RAM, they will work well with the next 2 or 3 releases of iOS. And I (and many people alike) can stick with this year's iPads for 2 or 3 years. But no, Apple wants us to upgrade every year, or every 1.5 years. 1GB of RAM won't work well with iOS8 or iOS9. And when we upgrade, the extra we paid for storage today will worth nothing. And we will be paying the ridiculous storage charge all over again.

Still not relevant to a discussion on whether Apple should lower the price of its storage; you just want to rant about it everywhere.

To put it another way. If the iPads came with 2GB of RAM, would you change your answer on whether the storage upgrades are overpriced? If you wouldn't, that detail is irrelevant to the discussion. This is whether you would be inclined to get more storage if they came with 2GB, simply if you think the upgrade to 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB are overpriced at $100, $200, and $300 respectively.

 

[Batt]

So I agree they can sell whatever they want and we don't have to buy whatever they sell. It's their insidious marketing techniques and psychological manipulation of something that should have reasonable cost that's the complaint from me.

I'm pretty sure this describes every marketer of goods on the planet. Some are better at it than others.

 

[rgarjr]

If this year's rMini and Air come with 2GB RAM, they will work well with the next 2 or 3 releases of iOS. And I (and many people alike) can stick with this year's iPads for 2 or 3 years. But no, Apple wants us to upgrade every year, or every 1.5 years. 1GB of RAM won't work well with iOS8 or iOS9. And when we upgrade, the extra we paid for storage today will worth nothing. And we will be paying the ridiculous storage charge all over again.

Good point there. They could have easily added 2GB of RAM and by that made the device capable of handling future OS updates.

 

[MimicBunion972]

Still not relevant to a discussion on whether Apple should lower the price of its storage; you just want to rant about it everywhere.

To put it another way. If the iPads came with 2GB of RAM, would you change your answer on whether the storage upgrades are overpriced? If you wouldn't, that detail is irrelevant to the discussion. This is whether you would be inclined to get more storage if they came with 2GB, simply if you think the upgrade to 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB are overpriced at $100, $200, and $300 respectively.

Of cause if the iPads came with 2GB of RAM I will change how I value the storage surcharge. For every $100 one spent on Apple storage surcharge, one can recover $15 at best in resale after one year. If a 2GB-RAM iPad can fit users' needs for another year, it effectively cut the monthly cost of having the extra storage. Thus if rMini today has 2GB, I still think the $100 storage surcharge from 16GB to 32GB is outrageous, but it will be a less pain to swallow.

 

[darngooddesign]

Of cause if the iPads came with 2GB of RAM I will change how I value the storage surcharge. For every $100 one spent on Apple storage surcharge, one can recover $15 at best in resale after one year. If a 2GB-RAM iPad can fit users' needs for another year, it effectively cut the monthly cost of having the extra storage. Thus if rMini today has 2GB, I still think the $100 storage surcharge from 16GB to 32GB is outrageous, but it will be a less pain to swallow.

So its still equally overpriced.