“Starting with the iPhone 3GS, every new iPhone has started with 16GB of storage as a base model — a capacity that has come under increasing fire as both videos and apps have grown in size,” Mark Gurman reports for 9to5Mac.
“Despite new capabilities and the presence of 4K video recording in the new iPhones, sources say that the new iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus will retain the same storage tiers as the current iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus: 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB,” Gurman reports. “On-contract pricing will also be the same as the 2014 models: $199, $299, and $399 for the iPhone 6S, versus $299, $399, and $499 for the iPhone 6S Plus.”
Gurman reports, “We’ve also confirmed that the new iPhones will use the stronger 7000 series aluminum first found in the Apple Watch Sport.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Over the last 4+ months, our Apple Watch Sport units, with 7000 series aluminum cases, have been through baseball games, soccer matches, concerts, parties, running, boating, hiking, etc. and there’s not a scratch on any of them! This stuff is really strong. Check it out:
As for the 16GB, we stand by we wrote on July 4th:
Obviously, 16GB is for a certain target market, one that can live in the iCloud. The problem with that model, however, is that inexperienced buyers and inattentive resellers foist 16GB iPhones on people who really cannot manage to live in the iCloud and therefore could end up hating their iPhone (it won’t update, it’s perpetually packed full and therefore runs poorly, can’t take any photos, can’t download day more apps, etcetera).
Apple needs to ask themselves if the benefits of having a 16GB iPhone (“low” entry price and upselling platform for higher capacity iPhones) are worth the risk of disappointing those who are likely buying their first iPhone. For Apple, the quality of the user experience should always come first.
SEE ALSO:
Analyst: Apple’s ‘iPhone 6s’ to feature stronger 7000 series aluminum, slightly thicker for Force Touch – June 17, 2015
Next-Gen iPhones could adopt Apple Watch Sport’s 7000 Series Aluminum Alloy – April 16, 2015
New iPhone 6s bend test reveals super-strong aluminum shell – August 19, 2015
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “Bill” for the heads up.]
Four years ago it was ok to have 16Gb . Now it is a joke. Apple should start caring more about the user experience, which is awful in a 16Gb iPhone, and less in making profits.
Only an idiot would buy a 16 Gig model. You buy more than you think you’ll need- Not less than you actually Will need.
I consider myself a very active iPhone user. I have a 16GB phone, with about 1 – 1.5GB of free space at any time. I read newspapers and magazines on my device, have the total of some 70 apps of various sorts, listen to the streaming music from various sources, even have a few select albums from my own library for when I’m on the subway train in the zone where there’s still no coverage.
Only an idiot would make such generalisations…
The 16GB could be a way to get people to want to upgrade, especially with people (like me) who made that mistake in the past. I do like your take about being good for people who understand how to manage cloud storage. However this does not have to be iCloud. It could be for business and large departments, a market Apple is targeting more than ever.
As I’ve posted before, if Apple feel they need to sell a low entry price model at 16GB and then skip 32GB to force you into a 64GB purchase – you should at least have a full 16GB.
This could be achieved by putting a 32GB chip in every phone and allowing 16GB for the system and 16GB for the user.
It would cost Apple virtually nothing extra but would mean that the phone would always be able to be updated for any iOS upgrade without the user having to delete stuff for a maintenance function. Premium prices deserve a premium service.
Dammit Apple. I hope this is wrong. 16 GB is simply unacceptable in 2015 for a flagship phone. For the first time ever I may keep my phone 3 years and wait on iPhone 7.
and they are still making 8GB models for Virgin Mobile.
Well, they are apparently “temporarily” out of stock (all of them).
Apple does this to give the whiners and complainers something to focus on.
Just post the key note already. At least the words would come from Apple instead of some blogger.
My has been up a few mountains (like hard climbs, up over 13,000 feet, not hikes) this summer, plus all the regular day-to-day abuse. It’s almost crazy how it looks brand new still!
While its highly possible that there will be a 16gb iphone, and it can be said that it fits a need.. Apple has far more data than us on their markets… or analysts for that matter. However until Apple announces the line up next week, I still take some of all this with a grain of salt..
I planned to buy my first iPhone. If the base phone isn’t 32gb, I won’t be buying it.