Apple’s iCloud storage: 5 GB is the new 16

“Now that the iPhone 7 starts at 32 GB of storage, the constant juggling needed to avoid a full device has been left behind by more users than ever before,” Stephen Hackett writes for 512 Pixels.

“So let’s talk about iCloud storage,” Hackett writes. “While not as critical as on-device storage, available space in iCloud is an increasingly-important factor in the user experience of Apple devices like iPhones, iPads and even the Mac.”

“5 GB often isn’t enough to back up an iPhone and an iPad, let alone store years worth of family photos,” Hackett writes. “Due to the 5 GB limit, people go as far as turning off their device backups, leaving their data at greater risk of being lost… I hope that something is underway to increase the space Apple provides for free.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Yup.

Hopefully, Apple’s iCloud storage costs continue to come down over time as having enough room in the cloud an integral part of making everything “just work” especially with now being able to shoot RAW photos and 4K video, Optimized Storage, iCloud Drive Desktop and Documents, etc.MacDailyNews, September 28, 2016

The number one iOS-related question we get from friends and family is, “My iPhone is always telling me I need more storage. Should I buy more iCloud storage?” It’s an unnecessary — and, for many, confusing — friction point that Apple really should rethink. — MacDailyNews, September 1, 2016

It’s scary how many iPhone and iPad users we encounter who never back up their devices to their Macs or crappy Windows PCs via iTunes. As for Apple being stingy with iCloud storage? Yes, Apple is stingy…MacDailyNews, July 15, 2016

SEE ALSO:
Apple and cheap iCloud storage – September 28, 2016
Is Apple’s iCloud storage worth $239.88 per year? – September 1, 2016
Apple adds new 2TB iCloud storage tier for $19.99 per month – August 31, 2016
Why Apple should stop being so stingy with iCloud storage – July 15, 2016

28 Comments

    1. I have turned off music match, iCloud Drive, photo library, and backups.

      The only thing left is mail. And a few Keynotes

      Connecting to iTunes on my MAC for backups and syncing.

      I want to turn stuff on, but, once I do, I am out off space.

      Buying more space feels like extortion

      1. And that’s the point not even worth charging someone for very foolish on Apple’s part. I’ve spent a fortune, thousands of dollars on Apple hardware the least they could do is give 50 Gb free

    1. The cloud is the latest, and perhaps final, disruptive innovation of the Internet era. Already, social and work are morphing into the web in the cloud. Look at all the collaborative features that Apple is adding to its work suite, specifically for the cloud. And even they are late to the party; they missed the puck, apparently.

      Lately, I find myself saving work stuff directly to the cloud first. Files which I can then access from any of my three macs, iPhone, and iPad. it definitely boosts my productivity, as I can work from anywhere, anytime, and even from somebody else’s computer. Am I foolish? Can’t say that any hacker would make much from gaining access to my stuff, so no worries there. My confidential stuff, financial and legal information are kept at home – for now.

      A long time ago, men developed language, and it was good. Then, hundreds of thousand years later, in 1450, men invented and deployed the printing press, and it was really, really good; It led to an amazing industrial revolution a few hundred years later. And now, just a couple of hundred years later, in our lifetime no less, computing and the Internet are invented, and the cloud concept is the last great disruption; and this has now led to a great information revolution, which is all really, really amazing.

      Each of these three inflection points in the development of mankind led to a great spur in innovation and productivity. But what we are seeing now is is a quantum leap, as millions of connected people, are now able to access the web for information; they are now able to work, invent, innovate, team up, communicate, and buy and sell in the cloud.

      The result is that millions of regular people across the globe can now live lives that kings and queens of just a few hundred years ago could’ve only have dreamt about.

      I was listening to this Stanford professor, talking about our next leap, a dematerialization revolution. He was talking about when bio meets nano – when we can do anything; when the star trek synthesizer becomes real and ubiquitous. Yeah, that awaits the next generation indeed, and the cloud will get them there, as in a four lane highway in the sky.

      So come on men; just get on with the program and pay the man. My tiny investment portfolio will be glad you did.

  1. Considering that a Mac user could buy a hard drive or flash stick for pennies per terabyte, I cannot fathom why the typical user would want to rent a slow cloud backup from Apple or anyone else.

    The people who are dependent on iCloud are those who don’t own a Mac to back up your data to. Those who willing live in a walled garden will have only the choices that Lord Apple bestows. If it isn’t abundantly clear, Cue doesn’t earn a paycheck to keep the vassals happy. He is paid to keep them locked into the ecosystem paying as many rental fees as possible. Just like every other corporation. Apple no longer thinks different.

    1. That flash stick is useless when I have photos that I want automatically synchronised with my office Mac, my home iMac, my MBP, my iPad and my iPhone. With iCloud, this happens automatically, and if I want to show (or share) my photos, I don’t have to think which device has them — all of them do, because it is on my iCloud. And even if none of my devices are accessible at the moment, I can still log into icloud.com and access my documents, photos, contacts, emails, etc.

      iCloud is obviously not the only service out there, but is, for users of Apple ecosystem, most transparent, most secure and most robust.

      As for speed, iCloud is only as slow as you internet connection. Even for short videos, 4G, LTE or fiber optic are plenty fast.

      1. Really, shouldn’t, exclusively, rely on offsite “cloud” computer server storagenof data.
        Important or not.
        There are local solutions,like backing up to iTunes on a computer, specialised mobile, wireless, portable hard drives that are up to 2-3 TBs, now.
        Specialised mobile USB flash drives that are up to 256 GB in size, currently.

    1. Every product goog develops and offers is designed to bilk you of your personal information and examine your behavior to allow others sell you crap, with little regard to scruples. It is the only way they make money. Full stop. If you’re happy with that, go for it.

  2. I have a Microsoft OneDrive account with 15GB of storage that I got for free, forever… And I don’t own one Microsoft anything.
    Just bought a Seagate hard drive that gave me an additional 200GB for two years on OneDrive, for free!
    Never going to pay for Apple storage.

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