When is Apple going to kill 16GB?

[KentuckyHouse]

I think what he might be saying is that most people in this thread are saying Apple makes the 16gb because they make more money that way. So why would they stop?

That is what is called a realist, not apologist.

Again...if the 16gb never existed or ceases to exist...the 32gb (assuming it's the base model) would have been or will be the best selling model. Does anyone truly believe that's because most people walk into the store and say "oh, 16gb is more than enough for me"?

Anyone that believes that...you're beyond help.

No...they walk into the store and say "it's the least amount of money I have to pay to get an iPhone" and then buy it because of that, not because they only need 16gb.

How is this even a debate???

 

[sunking101]

Again...if the 16gb never existed or ceases to exist...the 32gb (assuming it's the base model) would have been or will be the best selling model. Does anyone truly believe that's because most people walk into the store and say "oh, 16gb is more than enough for me"?

Anyone that believes that...you're beyond help.

No...they walk into the store and say "it's the least amount of money I have to pay to get an iPhone" and then buy it because of that, not because they only need 16gb.

How is this even a debate???

...because the majority of people seem cool with the idea of Apple making maximum profits. They either hold significant stock in the business, they're wealthy beyond compare, or they accept being ripped off. You watch, I'll get told to buy an Android now if I don't want to pay for a memory upgrade

 

[KentuckyHouse]

...because the majority of people seem cool with the idea of Apple making maximum profits. They either hold significant stock in the business, they're wealthy beyond compare, or they accept being ripped off. You watch, I'll get told to buy an Android now if I don't want to pay for a memory upgrade

Haha, so true. So true.

 

[cynics]

Again...if the 16gb never existed or ceases to exist...the 32gb (assuming it's the base model) would have been or will be the best selling model. Does anyone truly believe that's because most people walk into the store and say "oh, 16gb is more than enough for me"?

Anyone that believes that...you're beyond help.

No...they walk into the store and say "it's the least amount of money I have to pay to get an iPhone" and then buy it because of that, not because they only need 16gb.

How is this even a debate???

That is a VERY good question especially considering I have no idea what you are going on about.

I never said anything about which sells the most. Of course people buy the cheapest.

That had nothing to do with what you quoted me saying. Welcome to a full fledge debate with yourself, I hope your victorious.

 

[screensaver400]

I wouldn't be shocked if Apple moved to a 16GB/64GB/128GB lineup. The storage tiers have been how they are for so long because 16GB is too small for a lot of people, while 32GB is enough for most people. A lot of people step up to the $299/$699 model as a result.

If they made the base model 32GB, they'd have a huge drop in margin and average selling price. The solution? Offer more value at the $299/$699 price point, and keep the 16GB model around as the cheap model no one should really buy anymore.

 

[KentuckyHouse]

That is a VERY good question especially considering I have no idea what you are going on about.

I never said anything about which sells the most. Of course people buy the cheapest.

That had nothing to do with what you quoted me saying. Welcome to a full fledge debate with yourself, I hope your victorious.

I wasn't talking about you. I simply quoted you since you'd quoted me in reference to the head of the Apple Apologists Club earlier.

 

[KeepCalmPeople]

I wouldn't be shocked if Apple moved to a 16GB/64GB/128GB lineup. The storage tiers have been how they are for so long because 16GB is too small for a lot of people, while 32GB is enough for most people. A lot of people step up to the $299/$699 model as a result.

If they made the base model 32GB, they'd have a huge drop in margin and average selling price. The solution? Offer more value at the $299/$699 price point, and keep the 16GB model around as the cheap model no one should really buy anymore.

Why did Apple move from 8GB to 16GB for the base model (4 to 4S was it?)? Did the price go up at that time? Did they suffer a huge drop in margin and average selling price when they did?

 

[JoEw]

Let's not forget there is zero pressure for Apple to up the baseline to 32gb, the only way they would is if the people who don't buy an iPhone outweigh in profit loss to the 4-8 dollars or so more they have to pay with each baseline iPhone (the most popular one by far), multiply 50,000,000 by just 4 and that is 100,000,000 they could be pocketing.

And frankly I don't think enough people won't buy an iPhone because of memory upgrades.

I think a lot of people forget Apple is a company.. haha

 

[sunking101]

So we're supposed to feel sorry for Apple and continue to support their quest for maximising profits, at a time when flash memory costs (*them) way less than it used to before they set the 16GB 'entry' level structure in place?

Companies can make plentiful profits by offering a great product with a perceived level of value for money. That 'perceived level' of VFM has dropped considerably when it comes to paying $100 for a 16GB upgrade on the near useless 16GB base model, which in itself carries a very hefty price tag. Throw in the fact that Samsung & HTC offer their 'base' memory configuration of 16GB with a readily expandable SD card system, and that Google Nexus devices offer 32GB flash memory for peanuts! Face it, Apple is tight with RAM and tight with ROM. They are milking us for every dime they can and when it's so obvious, it isn't good business practice. The price of memory upgrades should be slashed in half at the very least, but I'm all for the base model coming with 32GB. If Apple aren't cool with that, then give us an SD card slot like the competition do.

 

[SpyderBite]

They will kill 16gb when people learn that they don't need to have every txt msg, every photo they've ever taken and their entire movie and music collection stored on their phone.

If I had my way, all phones would deactivate after 30 days if you haven't synchronized your device with computer or cloud service yet.

 

[sunking101]

They will kill 16gb when people learn that they don't need to have every txt msg, every photo they've ever taken and their entire movie and music collection stored on their phone.

If I had my way, all phones would deactivate after 30 days if you haven't synchronized your device with computer or cloud service yet.

I hate that too, but I store none of that crap on my phone and still need 32GB.

 

[screensaver400]

Why did Apple move from 8GB to 16GB for the base model (4 to 4S was it?)? Did the price go up at that time? Did they suffer a huge drop in margin and average selling price when they did?

The last storage shift was the 3G-3GS, which introduced 16GB-$199/32GB-$299. This was in 2009 (!).

It was a different time. If Apple had done storage shifts with the 4S or 5S, I might see your point. But it's been five years now at the current storage levels. Obviously Apple hasn't done a shift for a reason---making sure every user had 32GB of more would be very helpful for Apple's customer satisfaction, yet they've stubbornly stuck with 16GB.

Considering that the price difference between 16GB and 32GB of flash storage is just a few dollars, it's not because of component cost. The only other realistic possibility is that Apple has done the math, and knows that a lot of people who currently buy the $299 model would switch to buying the $199 model if they increased the $199 model's storage. This probably wasn't the case in 2009.

 

[itjw]

The last storage shift was the 3G-3GS, which introduced 16GB-$199/32GB-$299. This was in 2009 (!).

It was a different time. If Apple had done storage shifts with the 4S or 5S, I might see your point. But it's been five years now at the current storage levels. Obviously Apple hasn't done a shift for a reason---making sure every user had 32GB of more would be very helpful for Apple's customer satisfaction, yet they've stubbornly stuck with 16GB.

Considering that the price difference between 16GB and 32GB of flash storage is just a few dollars, it's not because of component cost. The only other realistic possibility is that Apple has done the math, and knows that a lot of people who currently buy the $299 model would switch to buying the $199 model if they increased the $199 model's storage. This probably wasn't the case in 2009.

THIS. Borderline flawless explanation. It's because the $299 model still sells WELL, and if they dropped it to 199 theyd literally be giving away $100 (more with component costs... $2 maybe?) on every 32GB owner that was "thrilled" with the change and decided that the 64GB for $299 wasn't attractive because they "didn't need it".

Apple is a BUSINESS. As soon as people stop ignoring that, the reason is pretty obvious.

 

[Señor]

My point is that for example the entry level iPad $499 should be 32GB. I don't want to pay $599 to get 32GB.

Every one your replies to this thread are only really about you complaining that you don't want to spend extra money to get the 32GB model.

Some people (A lot of them, actually) only need 16GB, and while I do find 16GB worthless in todays age where photos, apps, and everything else is getting bigger.

I do agree Apple should discontinue it and go for 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB, but even then, the model's pricing will mostly remain the same.

Besides, you're buying one of the most expensive smartphones on the market, you shouldn't be worrying about the price in the first place.

 

[PFKMan23]

THIS. Borderline flawless explanation. It's because the $299 model still sells WELL, and if they dropped it to 199 theyd literally be giving away $100 (more with component costs... $2 maybe?) on every 32GB owner that was "thrilled" with the change and decided that the 64GB for $299 wasn't attractive because they "didn't need it".

Apple is a BUSINESS. As soon as people stop ignoring that, the reason is pretty obvious.

*nods* While I love the seemingly altruistic behavior, it's not realistic, in my opinion. It also helps/hurts that I don't that other companies still have 16GB version of phones still available.

 

[sunking101]

Besides, you're buying one of the most expensive smartphones on the market, you shouldn't be worrying about the price in the first place.

Lame argumemt. The iPhone is only the most expensive smartphone out there *if* you opt for a memory upgrade, otherwise it's the exact same price as other premium smartphones.
I know a few wealthy people, and they're the tightest folk I know. They don't waste money and they don't allow themselves to be ripped off. Being able to afford something is not a consideration for these people.

 

[I7guy]

Lame argumemt. The iPhone is only the most expensive smartphone out there *if* you opt for a memory upgrade, otherwise it's the exact same price as other premium smartphones.
I know a few wealthy people, and they're the tightest folk I know. They don't waste money and they don't allow themselves to be ripped off. Being able to afford something is not a consideration for these people.

It's not a lame argument. I buy on value. Not value meaning cheapest at any cost, because that negates quality, which is important to me. But value meaning am I getting my money's worth.

I do not worry about how much a manufacturer is making off my sale. I leave that to people on this forum to worry about if apple is making too much money off my sale.

Whether your finance, subsidize or buy out right you decide on what you want. Apple has determined until now 16gb is a sweet spot and whether the upgrade to 32 gb or beyond is worth it, is an individual decision.

Only Apple knows if in it's infinite wisdom what the minimum flash amount on the iphone 6 is going to be. And that has already been determined.

The amount of money one has is typically irrelevant in this decision. Nobody likes to be ripped off, and I don't know anybody who thinks an iphone 5s was a rip-off; except here in this forum.

And to your point about buying an Android, you must have picked up an iphone, not because you actually like the phone but because it is the lesser of two evils.

 

[sunking101]

It's not a lame argument. I buy on value. Not value meaning cheapest at any cost, because that negates quality, which is important to me. But value meaning am I getting my money's worth.

I do not worry about how much a manufacturer is making off my sale. I leave that to people on this forum to worry about if apple is making too much money off my sale.

Whether your finance, subsidize or buy out right you decide on what you want. Apple has determined until now 16gb is a sweet spot and whether the upgrade to 32 gb or beyond is worth it, is an individual decision.

Only Apple knows if in it's infinite wisdom what the minimum flash amount on the iphone 6 is going to be. And that has already been determined.

The amount of money one has is typically irrelevant in this decision. Nobody likes to be ripped off, and I don't know anybody who thinks an iphone 5s was a rip-off; except here in this forum.

And to your point about buying an Android, you must have picked up an iphone, not because you actually like the phone but because it is the lesser of two evils.

You've just said that you like to get your money's worth and that you buy on value, yet you're ok with Apple charging $100 to upgrade your phone memory from 16 to 32GB....when that upgrade costs Apple only a few dollars. They're happy to sell millions of the 16GB models and believe me, they've already factored in a huge profit whilst doing so, yet they'll then rape the user who wants an 'extra' that they have already built in to X amount of units. It isn't a special order, and no Apple tech is going to unbox a 16GB iPhone and solder you in a larger block of memory. No, they're just going to rip you off for a phone which cost no more to make than the 16GB model, it just has a few dollars' more parts inside. They know that a certain percentage of users will want more memory, and they rip them off for it. Now I have a 32GB iPhone, so I guess you can call me one of the sheep, but I'm most certainly not happy about it. I don't feel trapped in the Apple ecosystem anymore and will move along if the iPhone 6 doesn't blow me away. I don't *have* to accept being ripped off because there are some really tasty Android phones around the corner...

 

[I7guy]

You've just said that you like to get your money's worth and that you buy on value, yet you're ok with Apple charging $100 to upgrade your phone memory from 16 to 32GB....when that upgrade costs Apple only a few dollars. They're happy to sell millions of the 16GB models and believe me, they've already factored in a huge profit whilst doing so, yet they'll then rape the user who wants an 'extra' that they have already built in to X amount of units. It isn't a special order, and no Apple tech is going to unbox a 16GB iPhone and solder you in a larger block of memory. No, they're just going to rip you off for a phone which cost no more to make than the 16GB model, it just has a few dollars' more parts inside. They know that a certain percentage of users will want more memory, and they rip them off for it. Now I have a 32GB iPhone, so I guess you can call me one of the sheep, but I'm most certainly not happy about it. I don't feel trapped in the Apple ecosystem anymore and will move along if the iPhone 6 doesn't blow me away. I don't *have* to accept being ripped off because there are some really tasty Android phones around the corner...

The price is the price is what I'm saying. I bought the 64 gig model. I paid for it because that is what I wanted. Sure I would have liked to have bought it for *free*, but that wasn't the price. I don't view it as a rip-off, because I wasn't *forced* to buy the 64 gig model, I *elected* to buy it. It fit my needs.

If you buy anything based on what you feel the innards are worth and what the manufacture is making from your sale, you will always feel ripped off. In the end as with most electronic purchases you are paying for a lot of sand anyway. You have to decide on the veracity of your own purchases.

 

[617aircav]

You've just said that you like to get your money's worth and that you buy on value, yet you're ok with Apple charging $100 to upgrade your phone memory from 16 to 32GB....when that upgrade costs Apple only a few dollars. They're happy to sell millions of the 16GB models and believe me, they've already factored in a huge profit whilst doing so, yet they'll then rape the user who wants an 'extra' that they have already built in to X amount of units. It isn't a special order, and no Apple tech is going to unbox a 16GB iPhone and solder you in a larger block of memory. No, they're just going to rip you off for a phone which cost no more to make than the 16GB model, it just has a few dollars' more parts inside. They know that a certain percentage of users will want more memory, and they rip them off for it. Now I have a 32GB iPhone, so I guess you can call me one of the sheep, but I'm most certainly not happy about it. I don't feel trapped in the Apple ecosystem anymore and will move along if the iPhone 6 doesn't blow me away. I don't *have* to accept being ripped off because there are some really tasty Android phones around the corner...

We all wish apple would drop the price of the iphone, but we know there isnt any incentive for them to do so. Maybe next year, or the year after that.

 

[sunking101]

We all wish apple would drop the price of the iphone, but we know there isnt any incentive for them to do so. Maybe next year, or the year after that.

The standard 16GB iPhone is priced comparatively to its rivals, so I have no qualms on that score. I merely have an issue with the 32 and 64GB pricing because I'm not buying a different phone to the 16GB guys, I have merely merely requested more memory - and memory is cheap. I'm being ripped off for more memory. I can't buy a cheap SD card, and Apple have me by the short and curlies.

 

[I7guy]

The standard 16GB iPhone is priced comparatively to its rivals, so I have no qualms on that score. I merely have an issue with the 32 and 64GB pricing because I'm not buying a different phone to the 16GB guys, I have merely merely requested more memory - and memory is cheap. I'm being ripped off for more memory. I can't buy a cheap SD card, and Apple have me by the short and curlies.

Either apple has you or they don't. You have said both points of view in this one thread.

 

[sunking101]

Either apple has you or they don't. You have said both points of view in this one thread.

If I want more memory in an iPhone, then they have me by the wispy curls.

 

[I7guy]

If I want more memory in an iPhone, then they have me by the wispy curls.

If the iphone is your livelihood and you need more memory, you will have to decide, I guess whether to go to android or pony up.

 

[barkmonster]

Again...if the 16gb never existed or ceases to exist...the 32gb (assuming it's the base model) would have been or will be the best selling model. Does anyone truly believe that's because most people walk into the store and say "oh, 16gb is more than enough for me"?

Anyone that believes that...you're beyond help.

No...they walk into the store and say "it's the least amount of money I have to pay to get an iPhone" and then buy it because of that, not because they only need 16gb.

How is this even a debate???

I agree. The original iPhone was 8Gb for the entry level model, then it went up to 16Gb (I know there was that pointless 4Gb model about 8 months after the first iPhone came out but I can only imagine how useless that would be with the bloat of iOS over the years).

I see no reason not to take it up to 32Gb now because camera quality/image size has gone up significantly, iOS bloat has increased a great deal and their competition humiliates their capacity offerings whether it be with standard storage or that and a combination of user-choice SD cards.

Flash costs MUCH less than it used to and after 7 years another minor spec bump to the features or screen size won't cut it without making the entry level (and the ludicrous £80 premium per doubling of capacity) far too expensive for what they're worth.