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robbin
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join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX

robbin to obeythelaw

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Re: [iPad] 128 GB iPad 4 incoming.....

Actually the price isn't that bad. Starting from the basic model, for $100 more you can add 16 Gb, making it have 32. Then for another $100, you can add 32 Gb making it have 64. Now for another $100 we can add 64 Gb bringing the total to 128. What doesn't make sense and is a total ripoff is paying $100 for 16 Gb of memory.

HiVolt
Premium Member
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON

HiVolt

Premium Member

said by robbin:

Actually the price isn't that bad. Starting from the basic model, for $100 more you can add 16 Gb, making it have 32. Then for another $100, you can add 32 Gb making it have 64. Now for another $100 we can add 64 Gb bringing the total to 128. What doesn't make sense and is a total ripoff is paying $100 for 16 Gb of memory.

Of course it's a ripoff, as the incremental increase in memory from 16, 32, 64, 128 is not an identical incremental increase of cost for Apple.

Snakeoil
Ignore Button. The coward's feature.
Premium Member
join:2000-08-05
united state

Snakeoil to robbin

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to robbin
My question is this:
Just what is the actual price difference to the drive manufacturer. How much does it cost them to make each size drive? I can't imagine the difference in cost isn't all that great.

1,000 bucks for a tablet is a tad pricey, for a mer mortal like myself.

1k will buy an ok/decent laptop, that will have more functionality then a tablet.
Zoder
join:2002-04-16
Miami, FL

Zoder

Member

It's not an exact comparison but on Newegg, Sandisk SD flash has about $130 spread between 16 and 128 GB

haroldo
join:2004-01-16
USA

1 recommendation

haroldo to Snakeoil

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to Snakeoil
said by Snakeoil:

My question is this:
Just what is the actual price difference to the drive manufacturer. How much does it cost them to make each size drive? I can't imagine the difference in cost isn't all that great....

Every consumer product sold is available in slightly different sizes, shapes packages, etc., to provide a varying level of price points.
Think Coca Cola...the soda is the exact same, but if you buy it in a 64 ounce pottle, a six pack, a 16 ounce bottle or a 12 ounce can from the vending machine, the price per ounce differs significantly.
All marketers want to offer products to the widest variety of consumers, such that each group pays as much as they want (for essentially the same commodity).
Hi test gasoline costs the dealer a few pennies more than regular, but at the pump they jack it up 30 cents a gallon, or more.
So, if Apple puts in a chip that costs them $20 more and charges $200 more for the unit...good for them! If the consumer buys it, they profit more...if not, they'll suffer, but it's their decision as to how they'll price the product.
A seat in Yankee Stadium costs more during the playoffs and World Series than it does during pre-season games...it's the same seat, but valued differently by the consumer.
Pricing is fun...Marketing 101 was my favorite course in college.

Octavean
MVM
join:2001-03-31
New York, NY

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said by Zoder:

It's not an exact comparison but on Newegg, Sandisk SD flash has about $130 spread between 16 and 128 GB

At some point it may make sense to drop a model. Apple has done it before. If I recall correctly, shortly after the ZuneHD came out the iPod Touch went from 8GB to 32GB dropping inexplicably the 16GB model. The new iPod Touch has no 8GB or 16GB model,...

There may be a point where Apple might want to drop the entry level 16GB iPad in favor of a more trim 32, 64, 128GB lineup,....

Apple doesn't seem interested in budget products though. The iPad Mini isn't priced to compete with cheap ~$200 tablets like it or lump it. Which is why when I hear rumors of a cheaper iPhone coming along with some credible looking pix I don't think in terms of a budget (AKA cheap) product.

Its a natural progression to add large capacity to the iPad given that there are PC tablets already on the market with ~128GB mSATA SSD units likely running Intel Core i5 Ivy Bridge processors in the same ~$1000 price range.


haroldo
join:2004-01-16
USA

haroldo

Member

said by Octavean:

...There may be a point where Apple might want to drop the entry level 16GB iPad in favor of a more trim 32, 64, 128GB lineup,...

IMHO, if you're not interested in running a movie theater or television station, 16GB is plenty of space. I have 16gb on both iToys and it's more than enough (>100 apps, >2500 photos and a similar amount of songs...98% of which I've never listened to).
I have a dozen, or so, friends who I mentor (in all things tech) and never has space been an issue.
I hope they don't abandon this model, since for the average user, it's plenty of space (my first computer had a 200MB hard drive).

skeechan
Ai Otsukaholic
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join:2012-01-26
AA169|170

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skeechan

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Click for full size
I have single 1080P movies (typically concert videos) that even in MP4 tip the scales at 10+GB.

16GB ain't gonna get the job done.

Paul928
join:2000-05-06
Haverhill, MA

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Sorry but I feel the price is ridicules!!! for the price of this thing, I can pretty much get a Macbook Air, which would be far more functional than an iPad!....just my two cents!
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

67845017 (banned)

Member

I don't think it's ever been about the value proposition. At least not since the Woz days.

haroldo
join:2004-01-16
USA

1 recommendation

haroldo

Member

said by 67845017:

I don't think it's ever been about the value proposition...

It most certainly is.
No rational buyer would pay more than they think the product is worth.
Take this example...if a Windows computer cost $500 and a comparably spec-ed Apple computer cost $50 million, clearly no one would buy it. However, if the price differential were only a few hundred bucks, then the additional cost to buy the Apple computer (in return they'll get the perception of greater ease, reliability, etc.) is a value that the consumer is happy to pay for.
When you see lines around the block for people waiting (sometimes in the rain or cold) or when you see products sell out in a matter of hours or a day, or two, this means that the price charged is so attractive to so many people that they'll gladly exchange their money for the item.
Yeah, it's a bit pricey to some...but no one has a gun to their heads to make the purchase.
If it wasn't a value...it wouldn't sell. People buy products when they feel that the item they are acquiring is equal to or worth more to them than the amount they are spending.

If you feel that your daily budget for lunch is $15 and you have a choice between a $12 hamburger or a $40 hamburger...which will you buy?

Apple sells premium products that commands premium prices, but if they weren't priced properly...they wouldn't sell any.
The price (sorry to say) is right ...which is why they have $140 billion in the bank and dozens of former competitors no longer exist.
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

67845017 (banned)

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Three words you said yourself . . . "No rational buyer"

haroldo
join:2004-01-16
USA

1 recommendation

haroldo

Member

said by 67845017:

Three words you said yourself . . . "No rational buyer"

...over a hundred million iPhones have been sold...they may be euphoric purchasers, but they're freely choosing to spend their hard earned money on this product (at the expense of other potential purchases...including leisure time pursuits).

I thought I'd ask, so I set up a related poll »[iPhone] Do you think the iPhone is a good "value"?

skeechan
Ai Otsukaholic
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join:2012-01-26
AA169|170

skeechan

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That is like saying no rational buyer would buy a Porsche or BMW. Not everyone sees value in a Kia Rio or Honda Civic. Just because it has 4 wheels and bumpers doesn't mean it will give you the same experience. Personally I think a shoebox car with no "soul" is a complete waste of money while others would think a BMW a complete waste of money. Same goes for tech. I think a $500 crapbox from Dell is a complete waste of money, others look at a $2000 iMac and laugh out loud. One's rational buyer is another's irrational one.
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

67845017 (banned) to haroldo

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I think we're ships passing in the night with regards to the word "value". We're both possibly right in our points, but it depends on how the word is being defined.

haroldo
join:2004-01-16
USA

1 recommendation

haroldo

Member

said by 67845017:

I think we're ships passing in the night with regards to the word "value". We're both possibly right in our points, but it depends on how the word is being defined.

Value is how the every one of the consumers defines it.
Some value time over money, some value convenience over money (so they'll "over pay")...it's the free choice of the consumer.
My point is...we can question the "value" of these high priced toys, but at the end of the day, the consumer is voting with their wallets/pocket books...and loudly saying that it is a good value.

RRedline
Rated R
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USA

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said by haroldo:

IMHO, if you're not interested in running a movie theater or television station, 16GB is plenty of space. I have 16gb on both iToys and it's more than enough (>100 apps, >2500 photos and a similar amount of songs...98% of which I've never listened to).
I have a dozen, or so, friends who I mentor (in all things tech) and never has space been an issue.
I hope they don't abandon this model, since for the average user, it's plenty of space (my first computer had a 200MB hard drive).

16 GB is not nearly enough space for many people. My music alone won't fit on a 32 GB model, let alone a 16 GB.

haroldo
join:2004-01-16
USA

haroldo

Member

said by RRedline:

....My music alone won't fit on a 32 GB model...

How many songs do you have (and, more importantly, how long would it take you to listen to all your songs)?

skeechan
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join:2012-01-26
AA169|170

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1 recommendation

skeechan

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What to listen to..what to listen to
The question is, how do you know what you feel like listening to on any particular day? I have over 14K tracks in my library and while it would take some 39 days to listen to all of it, I may listen to Perfume one morning and AC/DC that afternoon.

16GB is a joke for a any device without an SD slot even with iTunes Match.

haroldo
join:2004-01-16
USA

haroldo

Member

You and I are opposites. Last night I listened to five songs on my iPad (I bought an Andrea Boccelli CD from Amazon as a gift a few years ago and Amazon just gave me a free MP3 download of the disk, so I thought I'd listen to the music). It was the first time I used a music app since buying the iPad three years ago. I have ~3000 songs (don't ask me why).
Last year, for a month, or so, I listed to Pandora, but got bored.
In the car I always listen to AM (talk radio, news, sports, etc.)
For me, 16GB is more than enough.

Nezmo
The name's Bond. James Bond.
MVM
join:2004-11-10
Coppell, TX

Nezmo to skeechan

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said by skeechan:

The question is, how do you know what you feel like listening to on any particular day? I have over 14K tracks in my library and while it would take some 39 days to listen to all of it, I may listen to Perfume one morning and AC/DC that afternoon.

16GB is a joke for a any device without an SD slot even with iTunes Match.

I have the same sentiments.

In my case, 26,500+ songs over 186GB. Even iTunes Match doesn't work for my total library.

RRedline
Rated R
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USA

RRedline to haroldo

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to haroldo
said by haroldo:

How many songs do you have (and, more importantly, how long would it take you to listen to all your songs)?

That's only around 4,000 songs, but 96% of them are 320 kbps MP3. Lots of other people have way more than I do, and I don't think it's excessive at all. I want access to all of my music anytime I want. I am not about to try planning what music I *MIGHT* want to listen to and constantly sync my iPhone/iPad/etc.

I also don't see why it is important to know how long it would take for me to listen to all of my music? I have lots of playlists and I use Genius playlists a lot. Sometimes I just let it play randomly from my entire library. As long as everything is tagged properly, and the volume levels are normalized properly, it works very well. In fact, the main reason why I use an iPhone over Android is because of music. I really don't like Google's music player, and I hate how they do song matching now. I don't know how people can tolerate music matching services (including Apple's) when the tracks play back at different volumes. Once Google or Apple (or whoever) addresses that issue, I will consider using those services. Until then, I am sticking with my iDevices and iTunes (which gets way more hate than it deserves).

haroldo
join:2004-01-16
USA

haroldo

Member

said by RRedline:

...I also don't see why it is important to know how long it would take for me to listen to all of my music? ...

Just curious, no offense intended.

skeechan
Ai Otsukaholic
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join:2012-01-26
AA169|170

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Even if you dumb all that down to 128k it will still take up a crapload of space.

RiseAbove
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join:2004-01-30

RiseAbove to skeechan

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to skeechan
said by skeechan:

The question is, how do you know what you feel like listening to on any particular day? I have over 14K tracks in my library and while it would take some 39 days to listen to all of it, I may listen to Perfume one morning and AC/DC that afternoon.

16GB is a joke for a any device without an SD slot even with iTunes Match.

I'm sorry but I am on the other side of the coin, I am taking advantage of technology and the wireless network and high speed infrastructure around me to make sure I don't have to sit and worry about syncing up all that music. If you get smarter you can avoid having to spend $1000 on an iPad because you want to carry all your music.

I dropped Subsonic (»www.subsonic.org to get the software) on my computer, pointed it toward my music and videos and now i have my own cloud service, no paying apple for itunes match, no hours of syncing, I am on the move and can pick whatever I want whenever I want. I can even local cache music if I know I am going to be on a plane for a few hours. I have access to 2TB+ of files from my phone or a web browser 24/7/365 and I only spent a one time fee of $20 to do it. Instead of buying more and more space people need to wise up and know how to take advantage of what they already have and what is available.

On iOS I recommend using iSub it's a great program for the cost, for Android users DSub is brillant.

skeechan
Ai Otsukaholic
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join:2012-01-26
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3 edits

skeechan

Premium Member

That is all well and good when I am at home home where I have the bandwidth to stream my native 1080P content. But if I am at home, I am not going to use an iPad to watch video content. If I am at my office I am not going to use my iPad to watch video content. And even on the road that is all well and good until you hit your LTE caps and then you are screwed. I rarely find public WiFi fast enough to stream at HD bitrates, even the dumbed down bitrates of services like Netflix. The same goes for hosting it off my own machine, my Cox upload is only 5Mb, not fast enough to stream my HD.

I have iTunes match, Google Music manager and Amazon for music content but I don't want to be tied to the Interwebs for my content. Typical LTE iPad plans wouldn't cover a single one of my movies nevertheless the multiple movies I watch while outside of WiFi. I really don't feel like paying overage fees every time I want to watch a movie or watching highly compressed and thus artifact filled content.

Cloud services are not a substitute for having the content on the device, particularly HD video content.

Nezmo
The name's Bond. James Bond.
MVM
join:2004-11-10
Coppell, TX

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Nezmo

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said by skeechan:

That is all well and good when I am at home home where I have the bandwidth to stream my native 1080P content. But if I am at home, I am not going to use an iPad to watch video content. If I am at my office I am not going to use my iPad to watch video content. And even on the road that is all well and good until you hit your LTE caps and then you are screwed. I rarely find public WiFi fast enough to stream at HD bitrates, even the dumbed down bitrates of services like Netflix. The same goes for hosting it off my own machine, my Cox upload is only 5Mb, not fast enough to stream my HD.

I have iTunes match, Google Music manager and Amazon for music content but I don't want to be tied to the Interwebs for my content. Typical LTE iPad plans wouldn't cover a single one of my movies nevertheless the multiple movies I watch while outside of WiFi. I really don't feel like paying overage fees every time I want to watch a movie or watching highly compressed and thus artifact filled content.

Cloud services are not a substitute for having the content on the device, particularly HD video content.

Again, same feelings here.

I have a personal cloud (NAS-based). I have access to ALL my music and ALL my movies over this cloud on my phone and tablets or Web browser (for free) but the interface is trashy and flaky at best. And for movies it's rare to find somewhere with the bandwidth for HD and even SD when on 3G. The most likely place I'd want to stream a movie would be in a hotel where Wi-Fi is mostly a joke.

I'll never be able to transport all my movies and that's fine as I mostly watch them at home on the big screen but I would like to be able to cart my music around.

I don't think I'm unwise to want this. I am very clear on what is available technology-wise.

And frankly, I don't always have access to the Internet.

RiseAbove
Premium Member
join:2004-01-30

RiseAbove to skeechan

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to skeechan
said by skeechan:

That is all well and good when I am at home home where I have the bandwidth to stream my native 1080P content. But if I am at home, I am not going to use an iPad to watch video content. If I am at my office I am not going to use my iPad to watch video content. And even on the road that is all well and good until you hit your LTE caps and then you are screwed. I rarely find public WiFi fast enough to stream at HD bitrates, even the dumbed down bitrates of services like Netflix. The same goes for hosting it off my own machine, my Cox upload is only 5Mb, not fast enough to stream my HD.

I have iTunes match, Google Music manager and Amazon for music content but I don't want to be tied to the Interwebs for my content. Typical LTE iPad plans wouldn't cover a single one of my movies nevertheless the multiple movies I watch while outside of WiFi. I really don't feel like paying overage fees every time I want to watch a movie or watching highly compressed and thus artifact filled content.

Cloud services are not a substitute for having the content on the device, particularly HD video content.

I think you have some facts wrong. first off on subsonic you can dictate the bandwidth/codec you want to use both for video and music. Plus streaming an mp3 from my home solution eats up very little bandwidth whatsoever both on the upload of your 5mb connection and the download on the other side.

So yes cloud services are a great substitute for not having content on the device if you know what you are doing.

skeechan
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join:2012-01-26
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2 edits

skeechan

Premium Member

Perhaps I wasn't clear. I'm not interested in transcoded crap video. I don't need subsonic to ruin my content. If I wanted overcompressed video, I could run it through a blender myself and turn them 300MB piles of tiled dung.

For music, again, I already have iTunes match, Google music and Amazon, but again, they're no substitute for having the content on the device. I certainly have zero interest in a player that doesn't support my playlists (14K tracks, don't feeling like hunting for stuff), scrob or have the capability of playing protected content.

But even if I loved crappy video or wanted yet another music streaming source that will have me hunting 20 minutes to find a song, I also have no interest in being tied to the Internet for my content as I don't always have access to the Internet.

Cloud services are no substitute for having the content on the device, and certainly no substitute if you care at all about the quality of the content you are watching.