Why is iPhone unwilling to give up 16GB?

According to foreign media reports, if Apple follows through, it will release a new iPhone in early September this year , which will be the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. As the iPhone S series, we can expect the new 6S to maintain the same design as the iPhone 6, while improving the performance of some hardware: faster processor, better camera or feedback touch screen, etc.

Unfortunately, one thing that may not change is the storage capacity of the entry-level iPhone. According to the website 9to5Mac, which leaked an image of Toshiba's flash memory module, the minimum storage capacity of the new iPhone will still be 16GB.

The 16GB Problem

Over the past few years, Apple's entry-level iPhone has been upgraded to 16GB, priced at $649. Last year, Apple removed the 32GB version of the iPhone 5/5S when it released the iPhone 6. The 64GB version is $100 more expensive than the 16GB version of the iPhone. Anyone who has used a 16GB version of the iPhone or iPad will feel the inconvenience of this version. Once users take a lot of photos and videos, download a lot of apps, or are music enthusiasts, the 16GB version of the iPhone will quickly reach the storage limit.

iOS 9 , which will be released this fall, significantly reduces the space required for the upgrade, from about 4.6GB to 1.3GB. It also reduces the size of general applications through an application called app thinning. However, iOS 9 still requires more than 1GB of storage space to upgrade.

Small storage, big profits

Why is Apple unwilling to give up the 16GB version of the iPhone? Currently, most Android flagship smartphones, such as Samsung Galaxy S6/S6 Edge, HTC M9, and LG G4, have a basic storage configuration of 32GB. Some of these phones also have expandable storage.

In fact, the answer is very simple: everything is profit.

According to IHS's disassembly analysis, the cost of 16GB NAND flash memory was about $10 in September 2014, but now it may be only half of that. If we consider that the cost of iPhone 6 is about $200 and the cost of iPhone 6 Plus is $215, the savings in flash memory cost have made a significant contribution to Apple's profits.

More importantly, with the 16GB version, Apple can more confidently sell the 64GB version of the iPhone 6 for $750. The 64GB version is estimated to cost about $20 more, but the price is $100 higher than the 16GB version. From a profit margin perspective, the 64GB and 128GB iPhones are more profitable, so Apple doesn't really want users to buy the 16GB version.

Data shows that Apple's pricing strategy is effective. Apple consumers are more inclined to buy models with high storage capacity. In the last quarter of 2014, the average selling price of an iPhone was $687. In contrast, the average selling price of Android phones in the same period was less than half, at $254.

Should Apple consider its users?

Apple's storage business is a money-making machine for the company, and many users are more than willing to pay an extra $100 or $200, so there's no reason for the entry-level 16GB iPhone to exist other than for marketing reasons.

There is also a saying that local storage doesn't matter, now everything is in the cloud. This is also the idea of ​​Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president. He believes that cloud services iCloud and Apple Music will liberate users who are sensitive to storage prices to "live in an environment where they don't need to think about local storage."

However, there are some problems with this statement. If iCloud and Apple Music storage beyond 5GB were free, Schiller's statement would be fine. But this is not the case. Therefore, it is like you created the virus yourself and then developed the antidote yourself and sold it to users. It can only be said that this is not very authentic.

So, Apple, please kill the 16GB iPhone.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.