Rumor calls for 256GB option on iPhone 7 Plus, but some details sound implausible
The same Chinese website that detailed purported specifications for an upcoming iPhone 6c has now claimed that Apple's flagship iPhone 7 Plus will ship later this year with a 265GB storage option. However, the site's historical credibility is questionable.
According to a report by Gadget Arena offering an English language paraphrasing of the Chinese-language Mydrivers article, an upcoming iPhone 7 Plus is supposed to offer a 256GB storage variant "along with the normal ones," without clarifying whether this means the 16GB entry level version might increase, or whether Apple would offer four capacity options.
As memory component prices and technology improves, it's easy to speculate that larger storage options will emerge. However, Apple currently still offers 16GB versions of its flagship iPhones to reach a lower end price point, and its executives have defended this option in saying that the company's online iCloud service can help account for limited local storage by allowing customers to upload their photos and download their music on demand, and that skimping on memory components also enables Apple to liberally enhance features that more people find important, such as a much better camera.
It's not known exactly what mix of iPhone capacities Apple currently sells, but analysts have noted that over the past generation, Apple has been selling a more profitable mix of higher-capacity phones, an idea that could support a new, higher storage option at a premium price.
The rumor, however, indicated that Apple will offer the new 265GB option only to the larger iPhone 7 Plus and "not with the standard iPhone 7," an idea that seems implausible and out of line with previous generations.
Apple launched iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in 2014 with virtually identical specs outside of the Optical Image Stabilization feature limited to the larger Plus, a design choice apparently related to the limited volume and thickness that preclude incorporating the OIS lens in the standard model.
The Plus also has a larger battery than the standard model could accommodate, and its screen features a higher resolution display that accommodates user interface features lacking on the standard iPhone.
However, Apple has never presented the Plus version as a superior device, and instead markets them as two options differentiated essentially only by size. In fact, we found that the original iPhone 6 performed better in a variety of graphics tests because iPhone 6 Plus had to drive its higher resolution with an identical A8 chip.
Last fall, Apple similarly released identically A9-powered iPhone 6s and 6s Plus models, again positioning them as two essentially equal options that buyers will select by way of personal preference to iPhone size, rather than as "good and better" options.
The same report also claims iPhone 7 Plus will get a 3100 mAh battery, almost a 12 percent capacity improvement over the current iPhone 6s Plus' 2750 mAh battery. It claims this would result in 2-3 hours of additional battery use.
However, last year Apple significantly reduced battery size in the move from 6 Plus (2915 mAh) to 6s Plus (2750 mAh), leveraging the increased efficiency of the A9 chip and software improvements to maintain the same battery life, while being more performant, saving the weight and thickness that additional battery size would demand.
This not only calls into question the report's claimed battery expansion to a specific, much larger size, but also its claim to reasonably estimate how long this extra capacity would extend the functional battery life of a product that will be running a new version of iOS 10 and a new A10 processor, when nothing is known about either huge variable.
More plausible rumors for iPhone 7 suggest the potential for a waterproof casing, the removal of its 3.5mm headphone jack, additional system RAM and support for USB 3 Lightning support (both already seen on iPad Pro).
Three years ago, Mydrivers described rumored specifications of the then-unreleased iPad mini, based on similarly anonymous sources in China.
The site claimed the new iPad mini would be "as thin as an iPad 2" and feature a Sharp IGZO display featuring a pixel density of 330 PPI, and sell between $249 and $299 in order to compete with the Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire, both of which were 7 inch tablets priced at $199.
However, the iPad mini Apple actually released that fall was much thinner than iPad 2 (5.8mm vs 8.6mm), used a IPS LCD display with a standard pixel density of 163 PPI, and was priced between $329 and $659, without any apparent regard for the cheap tweener tablets that were being sold by Amazon, Google and many others.
Rather than chasing 7 inch tablets with iPad mini, Apple focused on its being 23% thinner and 53% lighter, while also sellling a new, full sized iPad Retina Display. The company subsequently continued to dominate all other tablets vendors in unit sales and earned $20-30 billion in annual profits each year over the next three years while Google and Amazon shifted their strategies around and discounted their tweener tablets at clearance prices, earning virtually nothing from tablet sales.
Google gave up on its Nexus 7 and began to offer a new, larger Nexus 9 tablet that is a virtual clone of iPad in its new screen ratio. It was also twice as expensive as the low end Nexus 7 it had been trying to sell when Apple released iPad mini, making it clear that what Amazon, Google and others had been doing was not working, and not influencing Apple's strategy or roadmap.
The wholly incorrect iPad mini price rumors floated by Mydrivers were repeated without much critical thought. In regard to its completely wrong pricing predictions, one site claimed, "this isn't the first time we've heard these exact price points mentioned, in fact they've been reported on at least twice before. So for now we're willing to go along and trust that they're rather accurate."
According to a report by Gadget Arena offering an English language paraphrasing of the Chinese-language Mydrivers article, an upcoming iPhone 7 Plus is supposed to offer a 256GB storage variant "along with the normal ones," without clarifying whether this means the 16GB entry level version might increase, or whether Apple would offer four capacity options.
As memory component prices and technology improves, it's easy to speculate that larger storage options will emerge. However, Apple currently still offers 16GB versions of its flagship iPhones to reach a lower end price point, and its executives have defended this option in saying that the company's online iCloud service can help account for limited local storage by allowing customers to upload their photos and download their music on demand, and that skimping on memory components also enables Apple to liberally enhance features that more people find important, such as a much better camera.
It's not known exactly what mix of iPhone capacities Apple currently sells, but analysts have noted that over the past generation, Apple has been selling a more profitable mix of higher-capacity phones, an idea that could support a new, higher storage option at a premium price.
Nonplussed with Mydrive
The rumor, however, indicated that Apple will offer the new 265GB option only to the larger iPhone 7 Plus and "not with the standard iPhone 7," an idea that seems implausible and out of line with previous generations.
Apple launched iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in 2014 with virtually identical specs outside of the Optical Image Stabilization feature limited to the larger Plus, a design choice apparently related to the limited volume and thickness that preclude incorporating the OIS lens in the standard model.
The Plus also has a larger battery than the standard model could accommodate, and its screen features a higher resolution display that accommodates user interface features lacking on the standard iPhone.
However, Apple has never presented the Plus version as a superior device, and instead markets them as two options differentiated essentially only by size. In fact, we found that the original iPhone 6 performed better in a variety of graphics tests because iPhone 6 Plus had to drive its higher resolution with an identical A8 chip.
Last fall, Apple similarly released identically A9-powered iPhone 6s and 6s Plus models, again positioning them as two essentially equal options that buyers will select by way of personal preference to iPhone size, rather than as "good and better" options.
Battery schmattery
The same report also claims iPhone 7 Plus will get a 3100 mAh battery, almost a 12 percent capacity improvement over the current iPhone 6s Plus' 2750 mAh battery. It claims this would result in 2-3 hours of additional battery use.
However, last year Apple significantly reduced battery size in the move from 6 Plus (2915 mAh) to 6s Plus (2750 mAh), leveraging the increased efficiency of the A9 chip and software improvements to maintain the same battery life, while being more performant, saving the weight and thickness that additional battery size would demand.
This not only calls into question the report's claimed battery expansion to a specific, much larger size, but also its claim to reasonably estimate how long this extra capacity would extend the functional battery life of a product that will be running a new version of iOS 10 and a new A10 processor, when nothing is known about either huge variable.
More plausible rumors for iPhone 7 suggest the potential for a waterproof casing, the removal of its 3.5mm headphone jack, additional system RAM and support for USB 3 Lightning support (both already seen on iPad Pro).
This all happened before
Three years ago, Mydrivers described rumored specifications of the then-unreleased iPad mini, based on similarly anonymous sources in China.
The site claimed the new iPad mini would be "as thin as an iPad 2" and feature a Sharp IGZO display featuring a pixel density of 330 PPI, and sell between $249 and $299 in order to compete with the Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire, both of which were 7 inch tablets priced at $199.
However, the iPad mini Apple actually released that fall was much thinner than iPad 2 (5.8mm vs 8.6mm), used a IPS LCD display with a standard pixel density of 163 PPI, and was priced between $329 and $659, without any apparent regard for the cheap tweener tablets that were being sold by Amazon, Google and many others.
Rather than chasing 7 inch tablets with iPad mini, Apple focused on its being 23% thinner and 53% lighter, while also sellling a new, full sized iPad Retina Display. The company subsequently continued to dominate all other tablets vendors in unit sales and earned $20-30 billion in annual profits each year over the next three years while Google and Amazon shifted their strategies around and discounted their tweener tablets at clearance prices, earning virtually nothing from tablet sales.
Google gave up on its Nexus 7 and began to offer a new, larger Nexus 9 tablet that is a virtual clone of iPad in its new screen ratio. It was also twice as expensive as the low end Nexus 7 it had been trying to sell when Apple released iPad mini, making it clear that what Amazon, Google and others had been doing was not working, and not influencing Apple's strategy or roadmap.
The wholly incorrect iPad mini price rumors floated by Mydrivers were repeated without much critical thought. In regard to its completely wrong pricing predictions, one site claimed, "this isn't the first time we've heard these exact price points mentioned, in fact they've been reported on at least twice before. So for now we're willing to go along and trust that they're rather accurate."
Comments
But 256 in the phone seems to be too much. I would like to see more RAM and 256GB on the next Pro though. It would also be nice if they would come out with the new lightning to USB 3 cables already. I wonder what the problem is there. It seems pretty simple.
Personally, I'd love that much storage. My 128GB is full of photos and video podcasts, apps, etc. I could definitely use more space and would be very excited to see a 256GB option. I'd also like to see that much storage in the iPads.
About Sony or any product news, always read with a grain of salt and categorize such news as rumor until products made available for sale.
Sony, the company which is selling next to no phone. Yes, lets emulate them.
What all sort of backs this rumor up is the revelation that the Lightning connector can now handle USB 3.0 and the camera connection kit is now compatible with the iPhone -- because even 256GB is not gonna be enough in some situations. In which case, during your family vacation to Machu Picchu just dump it off to a 64GB SD card and keep going.
Its actually brilliant marketing, enable the 6S to accumulate huge video and photo files, let the consumer find out 128k isn't enough, which will motivate many 6S owners to upgrade to the 7, for not only the extra storage, but the high speed Lightning port to transfer all that data quickly, with added incentive if the HQ audio rumor pans out.
So, the iPhone 7 gets the storage upgrade first. I can believe only the Plus will get it because; more space to accommodate it, better battery life to power it, and better camera for use with 4K video. Then, the iPad Pro gets an update with its refresh in order to edit that HQ content, and paired with the Plus a perfect Pro mobile ensemble. Eventually it trickles all the way down to every iOS device. Even the new rumored 4" iPhone, which will make a fantastic iPod Classic replacement for customers who demand off-line storage, though Apple will likely wait until the hardware on every device can be upgraded to justify their talking points, because you know, they want you to store your media on iCloud.
If 128GB isn't enough to store all of your apps, you can delete apps and re-download them from the cloud at anytime. After all, you're not likely going to play all of your games in one sitting.
Granted this may not be optimal, but it seems to be what Apple is saying. I have a 16GB iPad, and I've deleted a lot of games I don't play anymore, but they're always there in the cloud if I want to. I delete books all the time to free up room, as well as movies and music, all instant,y retrievable via the Internet. Again this is not optimal for most of use, especially if we grew up without the cloud. And it's a horrible solution if you do take the iPad traveling to areas without internet access. For instance most National Parks in the US do not have cellular service, nor wifi; so if you want music or movies on your trip into the park, you're stuck with whatever's on your device. The same is true for most international flights over the ocean. I have a 64GB SD card from which I load movies onto my iPad when making such a trip. Unfortunately that doesn't work for apps.
The reality is, without the internet the iPad won't be adding much additional apps or media. The iPhone however will still able to shoot 4K video, and take 12MP photos, which could become a real problem in a place like Yellowstone National Park without the internet to offload that content. And yes the iPad can take photos and shoot movies too, but most people wouldn't use an iPad for that purpose in a National Park, nor does Apple really want you to -- hence the lower quality cameras.
When the 5 came out, they essentially put a 4" screen into the same-sized phone, making a big deal about how they managed to do it, while allowing customers to still easily use it in one hand. But what it got them was something far more important, the ability to display 1080p HD video, which was becoming important for the ability of the phone to shoot HD video, as well as game designers who formatted for HD, two major selling points for the iPhone. So they didn't really change the size of the phone so much as they changed the aspect ratio, which was never something they said they wouldn't do. In fact I never understood where they got the aspect ratio for the 3.5" screen in the first place. The larger phones don't give them much except more market share, and larger displays for better web browsing, which is becoming an increasingly more important aspect of the phone than using it one hand. In fact the phone has become the least of its many features for most. Now that they've successfully launched two new sizes that address that reality, they are getting back to their original design principles (they can say), and address the customer they originally brainwashed, or rather offer a more conveniently sized mobile device, for those who still believe "the right device for the task".
But offering 3 sizes of a product is one thing, filling every size gap is another. In fact I don't understand companies like Sony, who use to have their act together, such that Steve Jobs idolized an modeled Apple after them. But Apple has the right idea, and after seeing their success in streamlining products, it's hard to imagine any company doing anything else. In fact I don't really understand why Apple offers so many color choices for products which most customers end up putting a case on anyway. As long as it doesn't cost them much to do it, I guess it helps with marketing.
Apple has always offered a choice in sizes -- the iPod has traditionally had 3 different size options, and has had up to 4. MacBooks have always been defined by at least 3-4 different size options, and desktops currently have 3-4 different size options depending on how you look at it. And now the iPad. So it's no surprise the phone will as well. Despite Apple's previous statements that they would not make larger phones until they could do it right, they have covered themselves with this so-called "reachability" feature for one handed use. The iPad mini seems like a real stretch in philosophy based particularly on things Steve Jobs said, but they certainly did it better than Android did. And they stuck with the 4:3 aspect ratio instead of the 16:9 that the Android crowd uses, making it far better for reading with no real compromises for movies and gaming.
So Apple seems to be taking a reasonable approach to size-offerings, coming up with a good set of compromises that appeal to a wide range of customers, rather than throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks. But what's mystifying is anyone who looks at Apple's product history over the last decade and rejects the rumor that Apple would offer smaller phone offering, or upgrading the flagship phone with more storage, despite compelling reasons for having it.