The tech giant has decided to offer 16 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB of storage on iPads and iPhones, whereas they previously offered 16, 32 and 64 GB versions.
Gruber is not happy at the inclusion of a 16 GB model, and was not shy in expressing his discontent in a review published on his blog, daringfireball.net.
Too little storage space
Gruber firmly criticized the iPad Air 2 storage space options, linking it to a post that he wrote a few weeks ago concerning the iPhone. “Apple Inc. NASDAQ:AAPL should not be selling 16 GB iPads. The starting tier for typical consumers should be 32 GB,” he wrote.
He continues to lament the fact that with the applications offered by Apple Inc. NASDAQ:AAPL, users will simply run out of storage space on a 16 GB model. Gruber proposes that the entry level be doubled to 32 GB.
Other commentators have stated that Gruber is seldom critical of Apple Inc. NASDAQ:AAPL, so this instance really stands out. Perhaps the company will take note of the frustrations of one of its most sympathetic critics and shake things up for next year.
Gruber – Long-term versus short-term strategy
Gruber sees a short-term strategy in Apple’s decision to offer a 16 GB entry level model, claiming that the aim is to encourage customers to spend the extra $100 in order to get 64 GB of storage. He says that the short-term motivation for the decision is that most of that $100 goes straight into boosting the bottom line of the company.
The problem for Gruber is that the 16 GB devices “work against the foundation of Apple’s brand, which is that they only make good products.” If the entry-level devices cannot handle the functions that they are sold for, they become bad products, damaging the reputation of the company.
Gruber signs off by firmly advising his readers to completely forget about buying a 16 GB iOS device, and instead urges them to buy at least a 64 GB model.
