Looking back to the iPhone 3Gs days, the base model of the iPhone has constantly been 16GB and hasn't been changed since then. Of course they added higher capacity 64GB iPhones, but why haven't they up gauged the base model to 32GB after all these years? Is this because of greed and apple knows that people need more memory as apps take more and more space, picture libraries ever expanding, etc. I have a 16GB iPhone 5 and I'm constantly deleting old texts, transferring pics to computer, and deleting unnecessary apps.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Why is iPhone base model still 16 GB?
- Thread starter ineel
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I think the 16GB model is fairly popular, so if people keep buying it, they'll keep building it. I do wish they'd bump the base storage up to 32GB on all devices, but I need more than that anyway, so I end up buying the 64GB model.
On the other hand, the 32GB Nexus 5 is only $50 more than the 16GB model, as opposed to Apples $100 charge for the same bump in capacity. Maybe Apple is just being greedy.
I agree that 16gb shouldn't exists any more but why not just purchase the 32gb or 64gb iphone 5/5s and use the cloud as well if 16gb is too small for your needs?
I have a 64gb 5s and I fill that up nicely and I hope the iphone 6 gets a 128gb version!
16 is more than enough for most people, i got the 16 and i didn't think i would make it but i now have 4gb free.
If Apple makes 32 GB the base model then assuming that they stick with the same pricing structure, it would sell for $199 instead of $299.. less profit. By having 16 GB model they can sell 32 GB for higher price and also compete with cheaper android phones.
Apple also enjoys having 3 different price points. When 128GB chips become possible within their price range, expect them to drop the 16GB.
There is a new question like this every week.
Apple wants you to use the CLOUD, extra revenue. The industry seems to be moving toward the "rent" model. Why limit you with 16, 32 whatever, so when you fill up, you stop buying "stuff?" No-no-no-no, they sell you unlimited CLOUD space, steady income and you keep buying and buying and buying. Big win for the corporation.
Apple wants you to use the CLOUD, extra revenue. The industry seems to be moving toward the "rent" model. Why limit you with 16, 32 whatever, so when you fill up, you stop buying "stuff?" No-no-no-no, they sell you unlimited CLOUD space, steady income and you keep buying and buying and buying. Big win for the corporation.
Except the cloud model doesn't work too well when apps are over 1GB and it's difficult (or overly expensive) to have unlimited data over cellular.
One day I am sure they will increase the storage. Hopefully the next model. Even using the available cloud services it is still easy to fill any of the phone sizes.
I wish Apple could come up with something other than storage to justify the higher prices. Storage just shouldn't cost as much as it does to upgrade. That extra cash could go to a larger screen and not a few extra GB.
I wish Apple could come up with something other than storage to justify the higher prices. Storage just shouldn't cost as much as it does to upgrade. That extra cash could go to a larger screen and not a few extra GB.
Agreed, for most people 16GB is enough. Also, Apple and others are pushing stuff to the cloud.
Every top phone (except for the iPhone) either comes with more than 16GB base or allows for sd cards.
I'm fine with 16 GB. I don't see a point in keeping a lot of content on my phone when I have a tablet, laptop, and desktop computer.
Also, the reason for 8 GB models is for people like my mother, who only even have a smartphone because it came free on contract, but will never fill it with content.
Also, the reason for 8 GB models is for people like my mother, who only even have a smartphone because it came free on contract, but will never fill it with content.
NAND flash prices have gone down significantly, more than halved during 2012 according to iSupply.
For iPhone 5, iSupply did this cost calculation of the NAND flash in 2012:
16GB $10.40
32GB $20.80
64GB $41.60.
Apple charge $100 for each upgrade... so, they are ripping you off. Probably the NAND flash prices went down even further for the iPhone 5s during 2013.
The actual phone itself costs around $200 to make. How this can translate to prices in the $700-$900 range for the end consumer is mind boggling. The product is also obsolete in 2 years, and will lack certain software features in already 1 year.
The RAM itself costs around $7-10 per for 1 GB. Apple could easily have upped the RAM on the iPhone 5S to 2 GB to make it more futureproof, and no need to have Safari reload the webpages which leads to a subpar web browsing experience.
All in all, it's just greed. I personally stay away from last years iDevices, because they should have had 2 GB of RAM.
For iPhone 5, iSupply did this cost calculation of the NAND flash in 2012:
16GB $10.40
32GB $20.80
64GB $41.60.
Apple charge $100 for each upgrade... so, they are ripping you off. Probably the NAND flash prices went down even further for the iPhone 5s during 2013.
The actual phone itself costs around $200 to make. How this can translate to prices in the $700-$900 range for the end consumer is mind boggling. The product is also obsolete in 2 years, and will lack certain software features in already 1 year.
The RAM itself costs around $7-10 per for 1 GB. Apple could easily have upped the RAM on the iPhone 5S to 2 GB to make it more futureproof, and no need to have Safari reload the webpages which leads to a subpar web browsing experience.
All in all, it's just greed. I personally stay away from last years iDevices, because they should have had 2 GB of RAM.
The $200 cost is strictly for parts. That doesn't include assembly, shipping, any and all custom fees and taxes, advertising, or, most importantly, the necessary R&D to design, test, and create the phone, it's iOS, and future iOS support.
Every one?
https://www.google.com/nexus/5/
http://www.motorola.com/us/FLEXR1-1/moto-x-specifications.html Along with a few other Motorola models.
http://m.lg.com/us/mobile-phones/g2
I understand that, but looking at the huge profits Apple make every year, one can only conclude that the prices they set are well above what they need to charge in order to handle the costs you mention above.
My S4 only came with 16GB and only 9 GB was available to the user. I had an SD card in there but it didn't really solve the problem. Some apps couldn't be saved to the SD card and even those that could part of the app remains on the phone. I couldn't store any movies or TV shows purchased from the play store on it. I also couldn't store podcasts, or many games on there. It became frustrating because I always had to delete things and clear out the cache as it kept saying it had low memory. The same thing happened on my original galaxy note which also had 16 GB of internal memory and a 32 GB SD card inside. SD cards are great but they didn't really solve my memory issues. Also maybe I've had bad luck but I've had a few fail on me.
At least with my iPhone 5S I had the choice of how much storage I wanted. Yes I had to pay extra to get the 64GB but at least I had a choice. I never had the choice of getting 64GB with my S4, galaxy note, in fact most android phones don't offer 64GB of internal storage. Some android phones like the HTC one and nexus also come with 16GB at the base level and can't even be expanded with an SD card. A lot of android tablets don't offer more than 32GB internal storage and they also cannot be expanded. At least with iPads you get a range of choices. Yes it's expensive to get the next model up but I'd rather have the choice, because I'd take 64GB of internal storage over 16 GB plus an SD card.
128 gb iPads have been out for quite a while now. iPad 4 was the first...
----------
I don't know if I'd call the Nexus 5 a top level phone at 1/2 the price of the iPhone. And if you want the 32gb model it's 50 dollars vs Apples 100 dollars.
Because for most people, 16GB is plenty. I've had a 16GB iPod, 16GB iPhone, and a 16GB iPad and I never used up more than half,
HOWEVER, the same was true when I had an 8GB iPod, but over time I used that up completely.
In the next year or two, I can see Apple dropping the 16GB option from the S models and iPads and relegating 16GB to only iPods and the iPhone C models.
You say all this as if it's only Apple who does this. For example, The Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One all cost around $230 to make, yet they sell for $700 as well. This is nothing new, but if you were to understand how business and economics and manufacturing worked, the price of a manufactured good is ALWAYS higher because of loads of other factors that come into play.
HOWEVER, the same was true when I had an 8GB iPod, but over time I used that up completely.
In the next year or two, I can see Apple dropping the 16GB option from the S models and iPads and relegating 16GB to only iPods and the iPhone C models.
You say all this as if it's only Apple who does this. For example, The Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One all cost around $230 to make, yet they sell for $700 as well. This is nothing new, but if you were to understand how business and economics and manufacturing worked, the price of a manufactured good is ALWAYS higher because of loads of other factors that come into play.
I agree. Apple and any business will charge as much as they can make for a product. It would be dumb of them otherwise. I wouldn't call that greed, just doing business, those can be synonyms at times. Lol
Cost vs material you get isn't a very good comparison either since there is an Eco system behind these products so a premium can be tacked on for that.