The Real Issue with 16GB & 1GB iPhones

[willmtaylor]

With the rise in emotions over some iPhones again shipping with 16GB in 2015 and the uncertainty of the new iPhones' RAM, I believe I've come to the issue at hand.

Disclaimer: I'm personally OK with Apple continuing to manufacture and sell 16GB iPhones. I've also never been bothered with my iPhone 6's 1GB of RAM. I'm not saying others aren't bothered or don't have issues, but that's the only experience I can speak from.

The issue at hand is thus: since I bought my first iPod and used MacBook in college (circa 2002), I've been an advocate of all things Apple to my friends and family--not a dogmatic evangelist, mind you, but an advocate. The reason is because I knew that I could recommend any product from any product line, and I knew that it would unequivocally work great--and at the very least far better than non-Apple counterparts--for whatever my friends' or family's needs were.

However, with Apple becoming increasingly...economical...I have, as of late, found myself having to qualify my recommendations, give recommendations with caveats, or recommend that friends/family steer away from certain base models. And this bothers me.

I've always been able to say, "Yeah, get an iPhone; you'll love it." However, with issues of RAM and storage capacity, I now sound more like, "Yeah, you should get an iPhone, but you may want pay $100 more for more storage."

Again, I get why Apple is doing what it's doing, but then end result is becoming decidedly...unApple

 

[oneshotpro]

when my settings app reloads because of 1gb ram, that's a issue.

 

[PTLove]

For me its just the fact they are directly impacting their users while they try to nickle and dime them. Its not pretty.

Have a 16GB iPhone, you can use the cloud! Though we give you only 5GB by default (the lowest of anyone else out there by a large margin) you have to pay for more.

I load a webpage, close the phone, go to the subway, then take out my phone to read the webpage - NOPE, it got cleared, need to reload the webpage. Oh, you dont have internet, so now you cant do anything. O well, we saved $1 on your phone. Its fine, the system is still smooth!

Its just ugly and anti consumer, with no real fallback to defend it. Its their right, and I have still bought there products, but its ugly, and its ugly right smack on their face.

 

[keysofanxiety]

Not to mention that the 16GB base storage has been the same since the advent of the iPhone 3GS. Flash memory costs absolutely next-to-nothing these days.

What mainly irks me is the smug self-satisfaction that Apple have in their keynotes, like 'we're making the best products in the world' and all this rubbish. The more I watch them, the more I get the impression that they love the smell of their own farts. The more money they make, the more they want to skimp on giving consumers good value-for-money with their entry-level products. Profits are higher than ever and their concern seems to be squeezing even more cash from their consumers.

Yes, their higher-end products are very capable. But don't try and ******** us with explanations about 16GB base storage. And these are not cheap products, even at the entry level.

I wonder what it will take for Apple to change their mind on this. I'm sure that if they got booed at their own keynote when announcing 16GB, I'd bet money that they'd sort out the storage.

 

[rockitdog]

The real solution: Don't buy one if it's an issue for you!!!

 

[willmtaylor]

The real solution: Don't buy one if it's an issue for you!!!

Correct.

Which is why I said I've always been an advocate of Apple, not a dogmatic evangelist. Some question why I get excited when Samsung, HTC, et al come out with new and exciting tech: it (hopefully) pushes Apple's tech to be better. I don't want iPhone tech to be resting on yesteryear's laurels; I want Apple motivated to always make iPhones better, if not intrinsically, then extrinsically.

 

[airb330]

For me its just the fact they are directly impacting their users while they try to nickle and dime them. Its not pretty.

Have a 16GB iPhone, you can use the cloud! Though we give you only 5GB by default (the lowest of anyone else out there by a large margin) you have to pay for more.

I load a webpage, close the phone, go to the subway, then take out my phone to read the webpage - NOPE, it got cleared, need to reload the webpage. Oh, you dont have internet, so now you cant do anything. O well, we saved $1 on your phone. Its fine, the system is still smooth!

Agreed. I don't see how people do not have this issue with safari and RAM memory. I am not a power user, just moderate, but even my husband and mother who are light-users see this problem. You close safari and come back and it needs to be reloaded. I bet this wastes a good amount of our cellular data too.

I'm also a little tired of seeing the "1GB is enough for everyone!' or "don't buy it" or "16GB is enough." OK, tired isn't he right word. It works for you, then civil disagreement is fine. It's just different opinions, but I wish some people would understand why we're underwhelmed. Lots of us aren't advocating anything crazy, just for Apple to match industry trends that are consumer friendly. The RAM issue, shrinking battery, and storage issues are all *cheap* fixes by Apple to improve the customer experience and thus customer loyalty. That's why some of us are mildly upset even if we still love the iPhone or Apple compared to the competition.

 

[Cool Pup]

Again, I get why Apple is doing what it's doing, but then end result is becoming decidedly...unApple

Is it now? Apple has always functioned on the idea of more expensive and "less powerful". There's never been a time since the iPod resurgence that Apple devices were priced appropriate to what you get, spec-wise. You still get the iOS and OSX experience, but the pricing and level of value proposition has always been on the lower end of what you could technically get from other options.

If the base model of the 6s is still 16 GB, it to me says that they're buying time until they can set a new standard with the 7.

Now, if the 7 still only has a 16 GB base model... then I would say that Apple has lost its way. They've always been behind others with the price-to-power ratio, but not by this long. I am almost assured that this is due to the naming convention and they'd rather blow the doors off with the 7, which is assuredly being planned as we type this here. Apple can't play catch-up this late into the cellular game, especially with 4K video and an emphasis on mobile devices being someone's "only computer".

 

[eyoungren]

My issue with Apple is that they appear to be on a trajectory that will place their products beyond my reach both financially and useability wise.

In the past, Apple stopped doing something because they wanted to move you forward. Floppy drives killed of with the iMac G3 for instance. But over time it seems the reason morphed from an ideal to a way to make money.

Apple is a business and I get that so I am not complaining about that per se. But now, the trajectory seems to be that the average person is not giving them enough profit margin so they are going after higher end users who can afford $10,000+ Apple Watches and so forth.

That may just be a perception on my part but certainly Apple doesn't ever really lower their prices - at least not significantly anyway.

I don't object to Apple making a profit but if this trend I perceive continues upward at some point I'm not going to be able to afford very much of their products.

 

[JohnApples]

If the base model of the 6s is still 16 GB, it to me says that they're buying time until they can set a new standard with the 7.

Now, if the 7 still only has a 16 GB base model... then I would say that Apple has lost its way. They've always been behind others with the price-to-power ratio, but not by this long. I am almost assured that this is due to the naming convention and they'd rather blow the doors off with the 7, which is assuredly being planned as we type this here. Apple can't play catch-up this late into the cellular game, especially with 4K video and an emphasis on mobile devices being someone's "only computer".

Agreed. Except, I think the 6s will be "too long". I know Apple is typically behind, but I still don't think that it should make it "okay". They're the last flagship to offer a 16GB base. But that's besides the point. You're probably right about them waiting for the 7.

If 6s has 16GB base, it's a no-buy for me.

 

[willmtaylor]

My issue with Apple is that they appear to be on a trajectory that will place their products beyond my reach both financially and useability wise.

In the past, Apple stopped doing something because they wanted to move you forward. Floppy drives killed of with the iMac G3 for instance. But over time it seems the reason morphed from an ideal to a way to make money.

Apple is a business and I get that so I am not complaining about that per se. But now, the trajectory seems to be that the average person is not giving them enough profit margin so they are going after higher end users who can afford $10,000+ Apple Watches and so forth.

That may just be a perception on my part but certainly Apple doesn't ever really lower their prices - at least not significantly anyway.

I don't object to Apple making a profit but if this trend I perceive continues upward at some point I'm not going to be able to afford very much of their products.

I get what you're saying, but I don't think expensive Apple products are a recent trend. Apple had has offered ludicrously expensive products since their advent. They have always tried to push some boundaries while keeping one foot very much in the past with others.

The question becomes, do my values (what is/isn't important to me in a mobile device) line up with Apple's? It's kind of like choosing house paint for a house you're trying to sell: you want what is nicest to the largest number possible.

Just for fun: Most Expensive Apple Products:
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/these-are-the-most-expensive-apple-products-ever-117199112049.html