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Apple hit with lawsuit over shrinking size of usable space in base model iPhones following larger iOS 8 updates

Just as one judge dismissed a class action case again Apple yesterday, today Siliconbeat reports that Apple will face a new class action case claiming iOS 8 takes up too much of the iPhone’s overall storage capacity. The case was filed in a Bay Area federal court this week and claims that iOS 8 can take up as much as 23.1 percent of an iOS device’s storage depending on the model:

“We feel that there are a substantial number of Apple consumers that have been shortchanged, and we’ll be pursuing the claims vigorously,” said William Anderson, a lawyer at Cuneo Gilbert & Laduca, a Washington, D.C.-based law firm… A spokeswoman for Apple declined to comment.

More specifically, the case reportedly claims that iOS 8 can take up as much as 23.1 percent of advertised storage space on iPods and around 18.1 percent for the iPhone 5s. While Apple does have disclaimers that note actual formatted capacity might be less than advertised in footnotes on its site and elsewhere, the case alleges most consumers are unaware. In addition, the case accuses Apple of exploiting  “the space constraints by peddling iCloud subscriptions when users run out of storage,” according to the report.

“Using these sharp business tactics, defendant gives less storage capacity than advertised, only to offer to sell that capacity in a desperate moment, e.g., when a consumer is trying to record or take photos at a child or grandchild’s recital, basketball game or wedding,”

The report from Siliconbeat points out that Apple, Samsung and other tech companies have faced similar cases over properly informing consumers that devices that come with preinstalled software taking up a portion of advertised storage space. At least one of which Apple successfully defended itself against back in 2011. 

Interestingly, the Windows tablets often come with as little as 50% of the advertised space after the base OS/Apps are loaded.

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Comments

  1. alphabetize1 - 10 years ago

    I would like for Apple to increase the base model to 32 GB, otherwise, could they put another storage chip in the iPhone that is solely dedicated to storing the operating system and users would actually have 16 GB?

    • I like your idea about secondary storage for the OS but they problem with that is that the OS size is always changing. Apple would have to oversize the OS partition to be safe making the device cost more to manufacture and run the newest OS for longer into the future. In the long run that cuts on margins and hurts Apple if the price remains the same or hurts the consumer if the price is raised to compensate. It’s a lose lose situation and likely won’t happen. :/

    • adham (@doubleaa25) - 10 years ago

      I feel like they released the 16 GB as a base and not 32 to force people to shell out 100 bucks more to get the 64 GB.

      • taoprophet420 - 10 years ago

        Indeed

      • PMZanetti - 10 years ago

        When the iPhone price tiers are $199, $299, and $399 etc… at least half of all buyers are always going to buy the $199 model, regardless of what storage capacity it has.

        Even if the difference in margin for Apple is a mere $4 on a 16 GB model vs. 32 GB…thats still millions of devices times $4. A LARGE company could be extremely successful if their revenue was nothing but that margin, that amateur whiny bloggers often refer to as negligible.

        As long as 16 GB is usable, the base model will (and should) remain 16 GB.

        For several reasons, 16 GB is now MORE usable as a base model with iOS 8 than it ever was before.
        1) iCloud Photo Library
        and
        2) Auto-delete Messages
        …together make managing a 16 GB device much more practical. Several GB of photos and video can be reduced down to mere megabytes when Optimize iPhone Storage is turned on, and the Messages app which previously would grow to untold GB can now be regularly and automatically cleaned up.

    • It’d be better if they fixed the bug with “other” space not wiping data that’s no longer useful. I know the diff between app storage and wasted storage. I can gain as much as 2 gigs back simply doing restore and reinstalling same apps, documents, everything. From what I can see there are bugs like still storing album art for songs that you’ve removed from device. not purging download files (such as Os updates) until a sync is done. much larger caches than needed in some cases. “other” always grows over time, always because garbage files collect over time that cannot be purged without jailbreaking. there are apps out there that claim to clean garbage but they only have access to what user does and that’s RARELY what’s occupying “other” storage.

      As for this lawsuit, definitely a real joke because of all the things that waste space, it’s not false advertisement, just bloatware OS that can’t garbage collect for crap, none the less this isn’t false advertising or misleading.

      • smigit - 10 years ago

        A number of times my “other” has been upwards of about 80GB after my entire music collection got labelled as other files instead of music. Since iTunes also shows this as ‘other’ and the iOS devices music app doesn’t show the files, I get stuck in the situation of needing to make a backup, delete all files and then do a restore. Deselecting or reselecting music in iTunes doesn’t achieve anything. I’m not sure if it’s tied to enabling/disabling Music Match on the device and iOS doesn’t do a proper clean up of the audio files.

    • Nycko Heimberg - 10 years ago

      Yes, but the example Xperia Z1 is ridiculous….!!!!
      Songs, movies, photos can put themselves on the SD card ;-)

  2. standardpull - 10 years ago

    Haha, good luck with that one. If I were a betting man, I’d bet zero on this one.

  3. This is beyond stupid.

    “Using these sharp business tactics, defendant gives less storage capacity than advertised, only to offer to sell that capacity in a desperate moment, e.g., when a consumer is trying to record or take photos at a child or grandchild’s recital, basketball game or wedding,”

    Who buys a 8GB iPhone 5c if they are going to be taking any amount of photos? I do whatever I can to talk people out of an 8GB model iPhone unless they are using it for NOTHING more than a phone and occasional internet device.

    It is the consumers responsibility to understand their data needs and buy the appropriate phone for their use. You don’t buy a Corolla to tow a trailer full of bedrock just like you need to spend the extra couple hundred dollars to get a device that can support what you are asking it to do. No one is putting a gun to their head and forcing to buy the smallest phone available. If you can’t afford a larger model, either save up a little longer or consider other devices you may already own for your needs, i.e. camera, etc. It is not a manufacturers job to defend people from their own ignorance.

    Also, the free space available after the operating system is installed is non consequential because the system has a total of 8 or 16 or 32 GB just like the specs. Ask any Apple employee and they will gladly share the amount of space left over after the OS is installed. It is no secret.

  4. Look at Samsung devices, from 16GB you get 8GB ;)

  5. Askar (@Askar) - 10 years ago

    I got my latest 6+ bumped to 64 GB just to tackle this issue. I’ve postponed iOS upgrades many times just because of not having enough disk space for the upgrade and finally had to bump up the spec and go for 64 GB just to keep these updates going without worrying about space issues.

    On a similar note, I’m sure you must have realized how painful it is to figure out how much space is left on your device. You have to tap so many options under Settings to get to it which makes it less interesting to check quite often. On the other hand, my iOS app, Disk Space, makes it a lot easier for you to keep an eye on the space left on your device. You can just swipe from the top to see a nicer Notification Center widget that gives you more details, or for better can enable the badge display on the app icon that constantly shows you either how much space is left or how much is taken already. Try it and you may find it handy and avoid those moments when iOS complains about not having enough space for that nicer video.

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/disk-space/id922397022

    • Air Burt - 10 years ago

      You could do the iOS 8 update with as little as 700MB of free space, which is what I did. Maybe learn to use your device instead of being lazy.

      Your app solves a problem that doesn’t exist.

      • Askar (@Askar) - 10 years ago

        It’s not just me; I’ve seen it many friends who didn’t do the update because they didn’t have enough space left for the update to work. With 16 GB I was running that low on the space left that I couldn’t update it OTA. I take the being lazy part, couldn’t find what else to give up to gain some space. I’d have temporarily given up on a few and did the update.

        Unless you run into it you may not see this as a problem. I’ve been there a few times and having to dig through a few Settings options wasn’t for me. Friends on the Android side had a widget right on their Home screen to keep an eye on. It may not be for you but to what I’ve seen it solve a real problem for those who’ve been there.

      • srojtas - 10 years ago

        Can’t you update through iTunes, or are you too lazy for that, too?

      • Air Burt - 10 years ago

        Anecdotal evidence is anecdotal, but mine counteracts yours. Statistics also prove you are in the minority. Plug your phone into iTunes and get over it.

  6. mpias3785 - 10 years ago

    Since the beginning, computers have always come with a certain amount of storage, part of it ALWAYS being used by the OS. Apple should drop the 16GB option for iOS devices because it’s no longer realistically useful for most people, but people buying them with the expectation that the 16GB will be available entirely to them are just ignorant of how computers work. You can’t blame a computer manufacturer for the ignorance of the buyers.

    If you plan to spend a significant amount of money on something then it behooves you to learn as much about that something as possible. It’s always been this way, why else is “caveat emptor” in Latin? The language may be dead but consumer dopiness sure isn’t. It’s no wonder that “common sense should be considered a superpower” is showing up on t-shirts, bumper stickers and tag lines so often.

    • Joe Grabowy - 10 years ago

      A formatted HDD has less space than advertised , it’s a very minor amount but a 200 gig HDD still has “less” space than actually 200 gigs. HDD manufactures explain so on their packaging , in fact Apple does too .So I agree people need to educate themselves before making their purchases.

      I disagree about the 16 gig option being dropped. With Iclould and Itunes match I still use my 16 gig 4s and I always have at least 2.5 gigs of space.

    • Air Burt - 10 years ago

      16GB is plenty useful, which is why the majority of buyers are fine buying the cheapest model (also price).

      • mpias3785 - 10 years ago

        If you don’t have many apps or media files 8 GB would be fine. I have a lot of apps and about 32 GB of just audio files. 16 GB is unusable as is 32. My greatest regret when I bought a 5s was that there was no 128 GB version. Most of the people I know aren’t all that tech savvy, buy the cheapest version and then regret it. One friend bought a 16 GB before a vacation and filled with videos on the first day. She was also one of those people who was convinced the iPhone was a standalone device and failed to bring her laptop.

        Fortunately she was able to swap the phone for a 64 GB version at the local (about 300 miles away) Apple store. A 16 GB iPhone is usually the first iPhone an average consumer will buy, rarely the second.

      • Air Burt - 10 years ago

        Shows you don’t know much. 16GB is usable for the average user. The average user doesn’t store 32GB of music on their phone. As I said in my other comment, I have 100+ apps, a decent amount of photos/videos (full quality), and over 2GB of free space. I went from a 32GB 4S to a 16GB 5 and now a 16GB 5S. The notion that a 16GB iPhone is unusable is simply the sign of an uninformed, biased user’s opinion based on their non-regular usage. Please stop peddling that crap. With iCloud Photo Library and iTunes Match (and even services like Spotify and Amazon Prime’s Unlimited Photo Library), big media files are moving to the cloud and making massive internal storage unnecessary for most users.

      • Askar (@Askar) - 10 years ago

        For those who are heavy into Podcasts (I use Overcast BTW) know how meager that 16 GB is. With auto-updating episodes I was constantly running into space issues.

      • Air Burt - 10 years ago

        Again, you’re not anywhere near in the majority. Your personal usage isn’t typical usage.

      • I disagree, 16GB is too small and was a ploy by Apple to force people to spend the add’l $100 for a 64GB iPhone. My iPhone 5 was 16GB and I was constantly playing the app shell game because it was always almost out of space.

      • Air Burt - 10 years ago

        You are in the minority.

  7. Adam (@AdamOttkePhoto) - 10 years ago

    This is so upsetting…and another example of how the whole world will attack the “big guys” because they feel they can. Everyone just wants some of Apple’s money, and yet they have no right to it. It’s sickening. EVERY piece of hardware out there that uses a hard drive gives less data than advertised…operating systems take up some space. Everyone knows this. And if you don’t like it, you can return the device within 14 days. This is just depressing… When will people stop trying to extract money from corporations that are so great for our economy? These people need to find something else to do. And our legal system needs to stop encouraging frivolous lawsuits.

    • Aunty Troll (@AuntyTroll) - 10 years ago

      What is so upsetting about it?? Apple, Samsung and absolutely every other business is out to take your money. You, as a customer, owe these massive corporations absolutely NOTHING, least of all your sympathy. They don’t give their tech away you know – you do actually give them YOUR hard earned money for it.

      To show you how being “upset” and “depressed” about a corporation is misguided, take your purchase into your local store after the return period and try and get your money back. Do you think the store clerk will feel “upset” and “depressed” when they tell you that it’s too late?

      Even though I love my Apple gear I’m VERY quick to criticise them if I feel the need to express my opinion, but even I think this lawsuit is a joke. However, I wouldn’t get upset or depressed about it because trust me, to Apple (and Samsung etc) all WE are are licences to print money :)

  8. Gregory Wright - 10 years ago

    Wow, this is stupid class action.

  9. Barnes Dave - 10 years ago

    I have tons of space.
    With zero songs and no more than 10 photos.
    About 15 apps.

    • mpias3785 - 10 years ago

      You aren’t a typical user and probably a new user, am I right? Keep an eye on “other” usage in iTunes. If you do a lot of streaming of music and videos it’ll or get texts with pictures and videos it’ll grow.

      • Air Burt - 10 years ago

        I do all that you say, have 100+ apps, and I still have 2+GB of free space on my 16GB 5S.

      • A.p. Moulton - 10 years ago

        no, metric shit tons of people use youtube and Spotify and don’t clutter their phone with ancient text threads.

  10. Brian A Peat - 10 years ago

    This doesn’t make any sense. They’re mixing Apples and Oranges (no pun intended). There’s the storage on the phone, and then there’s iCloud backups. This part here:
    “only to offer to sell that capacity in a desperate moment”
    Sounds like they’re not saying Apple is suddenly advertising a new phone to the user, so it sounds like iCloud storage. But that has nothing to do with “I’m snapping a photo RIGHT NOW and ran out of space”. Selling you more space won’t help at all.

    I suspect if they don’t clarify this, it’ll get thrown out pretty quickly.

    • rahhbriley - 10 years ago

      Was really surprised no one had mentioned this yet. That’s the first thing I thought of when I read that line.

  11. Edison Wrzosek - 10 years ago

    We just came out of one of the most ridiculous class-actions against Apple in a long time (referring to the iPod and iTunes music CA), and now we have this?!

    How much do you want to bet some of the shyster scumbag lawyers from the iPod CA are now involved with this?

    This is just another prime example of low-life scum going after those with resources (Apple) to try and get a quick and dirty payday.

    If they REALLY want to make themselves be taken seriously with this suit, they should go after REAL hogs of OS storage, like Scamsung devices. Oh, and does anyone remember that little spat users had with Microsoft for how much free storage was available on their Surface RT 32GB:

    http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-surface-storage-2012-11

    • sircheese69 - 10 years ago

      Scamsung… way to continue to discredit your arguments by acting like the little child you are.

      • Edison Wrzosek - 10 years ago

        The name Scamsung is a legitimate and accurate name to describe their business ethics, and how they operate as a whole.

        Your personal attack against me means less than the dirt I walked over yesterday.

      • sircheese69 - 10 years ago

        That you think this is a personal attack says it all. Grow up kid. Apple doesn’t care about you. Calling them Scamsung is childish, nothing more. Apple doesn’t need clowns like you defending them.

      • Air Burt - 10 years ago

        Said the clown who’s defending a crappy company like Samsung. I think I hear your mom calling you to dinner, kid.

      • sircheese69 - 10 years ago

        Point me to where I am defending them. I will wait. Oh wait, you can’t because…I am not. But hey, I guess in a Macolytes mind, anything is possible.

      • Air Burt - 10 years ago

        So you’re blind, too? How are you even on here? I think your mom wants you off the computer. You don’t have any credibility here anyway.

      • sircheese69 - 10 years ago

        Again, POINT me out where I am defending them. Calling someone childish for calling them Scamsung, is not defending the company. But I wouldn’t expect anything less from someone who spends there life defending Apple. As for my credibility, do you honestly and truly think I give 2 shits what some boneheaded Apple defender thinks about my credibility? LOL! When your bias isn’t actually for Apple and only Apple, then your credibility may ACTUALLY carry some weight. Until then…….

      • Air Burt - 10 years ago

        Edison’s right. You are lower than dirt. My mistake thinking you had a brain. Done stooping to your level. Enjoy commenting where no one takes you seriously.

      • sircheese69 - 10 years ago

        Edison is just as much as a tool as you are and anyone with any sense can see that and will just write him and you off as nothing more. Of COURSE you would agree with him. Losers like you 2 tend to stick together.

        As for me having a brain, how ironic coming from someone who spends their days defending Apple, the mindless Apple zombie parrot.

        And AGAIN, I don’t give 2 hockey pucks that you don’t take my seriously, I expect nothing less from you.

        To my level, LOL! You are well below it already.

      • Air Burt - 10 years ago

        And yet you know nothing about me. I know more about technology (not just Apple) than you could ever hope to know. But then, you’ve never had anything constructive to say. Again, using your brain will help you next time you try to make a coherent argument instead of just attacking others.

      • sircheese69 - 10 years ago

        You ASSUME you know more, typical Macolyte mentality. With a statement like that, it’s obvious you are just trolling now.

        You keep talking about brains, as if somehow, you think yours is better or somehow, superior. Far from it but you keep thinking that.

        It’s obvious to anyone with a BRAIN, that you are nothing more than a troll.

      • Air Burt - 10 years ago

        ….said the troll. If you don’t like Apple, I suggest you stay away from a site called 9TO5MAC. No one here cares what you think since none of it is based in reality. You’re just as bad as herb. I know FAR more than you do, but you’ll never understand that because you don’t use your brain like us normal people do. Run along back to your cave. Your moss is getting lonely.

      • sircheese69 - 10 years ago

        “No one here cares what you think since none of it is based in reality.” As you spend your days defending Apple. Ironic.

        “I know FAR more than you do, but you’ll never understand that because you don’t use your brain like us normal people do.” Again, says the person who spends their days defending Apple talking about using brains, oh the irony. Keep assuming you know more. It’s amusing.

        As for the rest of your useless drivel, it sounds like BLAH BLAH….

        Anyone can see the troll you are. It’s just so…painfully obvious. How much does Apple pay you? Must be pretty good to troll around all day.

      • Air Burt - 10 years ago

        Further proof you know nothing about me. Try again, troll.

      • sircheese69 - 10 years ago

        “Further proof you know nothing about me. Try again, troll.” Couldn’t be anymore ironic if you tried.

        As you sit here and run your mouth about “I know more than you” but you claim I know nothing about you. I need wading boots because the shit is getting deep in here.

        No doubt, at all to anyone with a clue, that you are nothing but a troll.

        Have fun with your twisted, and completely illogical world that you live in. And you think people take you seriously with this shit you shovel.

        You couldn’t be anymore pathetic if you tried.

        I have nothing further to say.

      • Air Burt - 10 years ago

        Still no logic in your comments. Go ahead and leave. No one here cares for your trolling comments. I do enjoy seeing how butthurt you get when you get called out for it. Have fun with your moss!

      • sircheese69 - 10 years ago

        “From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
        For a Wikipedia essay on the topic, see meta:What is a troll?
        “Trolling” redirects here. For other uses, see Troll (disambiguation).
        Page semi-protected

        In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people,[1] by posting inflammatory,[2] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[3] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.[4]

        This sense of the word troll and its associated verb trolling are associated with Internet discourse, but have been used more widely. Media attention in recent years has equated trolling with online harassment. For example, mass media has used troll to describe “a person who defaces Internet tribute sites with the aim of causing grief to families.”[5][6]”

        Edison and Air to the fuckin T.

        Especially when you lower yourself to talk about someones kids other than to provoke them.

        It’s a sad shame that the people who run this site can’t recognize this and ban this stupidity. Most other sites would have already done this.

        This is a call out to the editors and people who run this site, please do something. That personal attacks are continue to be allowed by these 2 on a daily basis is silly and only serves to drive people away who they don’t agree with.

      • mpias3785 - 10 years ago

        @ sircheese69

        9to5 will never ban trolls because they cause activity on the site which keeps sites alive.

        I think you’re casting the “troll” net a little to widely. There are a plethora of Apple users who have strong opinions, think Apple can do no wrong and will defend it with arguments that deteriorate to troll-like abuse.

        There are at least two types of Apple user, the iSheep variety who is generally a newish user who is under the impression that everything Apple makes or does is good and holy and anyone who might disparage the smallest thing Apple might do is a troll or paid shill of Samsung/Microsoft/Google etc. The other type of Apple user is an Apple user because they prefer Apple products over the competition, but have no delusions regarding Apple’s supposed perfection.

        I’ve been an Apple user for 30 years and the honeymoon period is long over. I no longer see the world through rainbow colored glasses and can see Apple with all its warts.

        I still buy Apple products because I feel they have the superior products, but then again I see them making a lot of serious mistakes that have me worried about the new course they’ve taken since Jobs’ death.

        I don’t feel the need to defend Apple at every turn or by using the schoolyard tactic of name calling. The fact that Google and Samsung are guilty of IP theft is common knowledge.

        Take a breath, go over to Apple’s discussion boards and see if you can help some people having problems. You’ll feel better and live longer.

      • Air Burt - 10 years ago

        Except they’d first ban your sorry ass. As an Apple expert, I actually contribute valid opinions to other users on this site. You just spew hate. Again, why are you reading this site if you despise Apple so much? If I hated something as much as you seem to, I would avoid it. At this point, I’m not surprised you can’t figure out to do that.

        @mpias3785, there is a third type of Apple user. This user uses Apple products because they think they are superior, but work with other products as well. This isn’t a massive category by any means, but it is where I fit. As a technology consultant, I have to indulge myself in the knowledge of all OSes and hardware. I personally use nearly all Apple products and that is where I specialize, but I came from the Windows and Android worlds. I will make recommendations there if asked. I will go over to 9to5google as often as I’m here, but I don’t feel the need to comment there as often. We are a passionate bunch, but we are anything but trolls. sircheese69 fits that definition a lot better.

      • sircheese69 - 10 years ago

        @mpias3785

        ” the iSheep variety who is generally a newish user who is under the impression that everything Apple makes or does is good and holy and anyone who might disparage the smallest thing Apple might do is a troll or paid shill of Samsung/Microsoft/Google etc.”

        Unfortunately, there are people who have been using Apple for 20+ years like this, they are right here. Adults that act like children and insult anyone who doesn’t agree with their opinions and comments is, quite frankly, sad.

        And sadly, they are the loudest, most obnoxious type of Apple user. I won’t name any names as we know who they are and hopefully, with any luck, the admins will take care of it because quite honestly, it’s obnoxious.

        I got my SO an iPhone 5s a while back, and while I am not an Apple fan by any means, I have found certain features pretty cool and have made me question getting an 6+ which I never thought possible.

        “The fact that Google and Samsung are guilty of IP theft is common knowledge.”

        As is Apple.

        “Take a breath, go over to Apple’s discussion boards and see if you can help some people having problems. You’ll feel better and live longer.”

        I feel fine, it seems others here may blow a gasket though.

      • Everyone deservers to be called for their behaviour. Samsung is not Samsung but scamsung. You grow up and open your eyes!

      • sircheese69 - 10 years ago

        Ok child….

  12. taoprophet420 - 10 years ago

    I still say increase the free iCloud storage to 20 GB. With iCloud photo coming to Mac soon and thenhifpgher resolution cameras on iOS devices the need is there for more free storage. Especially for those who purchase the 16 GB models.

    16 GB makes for a poor experience for first time buyers. It’s something Apple should be concerned about. User experience is something Apple has prided their self or at least an idea they have sold forever. 16 GB on iPhone 6 and iPad air 2 is a joke.

    As far as the lawsuit they are many worse offenders then Apple on the os feeling up a large portion of the harddrive. I know some phones and pc’s have less then have the disk usable do to the size of the os.

    I don’t see anything wrong with how Apple displays the storage amount. iOS volume size does need to be trimmed down though.

  13. PMZanetti - 10 years ago

    How much storage does your phone really have? 16 GB. People will complain about literally ANYTHING. Unfortunately in the modern world, complain = sue and lots of time and money is wasted on scum of the earth lawyers.

    WAAAAA Your stupid OS and preinstalled Apps that make the thing work in the first place are taking up too many of my gigabytes, I’m gonna SUE YOU!

    How shit people need lives.

  14. Lee Isensee (@OMLee) - 10 years ago

    And the fact that they provide 5GB of free iCloud storage is completely ignored. Based upon the image provided in the article you actually get 17.2GB of total storage in the worst case scenario. See Apple support article: http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201238

  15. Joaquim Inverno - 10 years ago

    This is stupid, maybe I should sue Apple over the iPhone’s battery life, it’s not at 100% after I use it, sometimes it even shuts down! I bought a product, I should be able to use it whenever I want! #factsoflife #Iwantagoodsettlementdeal

  16. infinitus - 10 years ago

    More than an idiotic lawsuit, this article is so primitive it’s funny. Why not bring up the fact that users are given 5GB of free iCloud storage, therefore more than negating the 23.1% storage space of a 16 GB model.

    Do some more homework and make your articles more informative to readers.

  17. dmsmith85 - 10 years ago

    I’m with the legal guys on this one. Apple have a roadmap for their iOS releases years in advance. They know when they’ll stop supporting a device with which iOS release. They know the rough sizes that those updates will take. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to partition 5-10gb off & then the user gets the advertised space.
    The space on the device is never fully open to the user. For example, if you buy a 300gb HDD you may use it as a second HDD this you could use the full 300gb if your OS is on another storage device. That scenario is not possible with Apple. You will NEVER under any circumstance get the full 16gb, etc to play with. Apple shouldn’t advertise that size of space knowing that it’s impossible for users to get all that room. It’s misleading. There will genuinely be a large group of non-tech savvy consumers who don’t understand about iOS storage space and will feel that they’ve been short changed.
    At the very least Apple could say something like: (16gb*, *on average consumers can expect 11gb of user defined storage)

    • Air Burt - 10 years ago

      “actual formatted capacity less” is in the fine print. If consumers don’t understand that an OS actually takes up space on their phone, they could actually ask about it or do some research. The fault squarely lies with them. Even so, this isn’t even something that just Apple does. EVERY smartphone maker does this.

      This case will get thrown out very quickly.

      • dmsmith85 - 10 years ago

        If everyone does it, it doesn’t mean it’s right.
        I sometimes wonder about you guys who post on this site.
        It’s in the interests of the consumer (ie: Us!) to get why we pay for.
        Obvs this is an Apple fan site but if Apple did have to add an extra few gbs to each model to hold the iOS the we’d all benefit from having more storage space to play about with on future models. It’s a move that’s also unlikely to effect Apple’s stock price.
        I don’t see why everyone on here is so eager to see the case go down in flames. It’s a legitimate issue & we stand to benefit if Apple are found to be in the wrong.
        A bit of critical thinking towards Apple would be a pleasant change to see here.

      • Air Burt - 10 years ago

        Nope, not a legitimate issue. This will be gone just as quickly as it came up. If they wanted a shred of legitimacy, they would’ve sued ALL smartphone makers.

        You’re one to talk about critical thinking; I don’t see you doing any.

      • sircheese69 - 10 years ago

        dmsmith85, I wouldn’t feed it. It’s not worth it. Anything you say against Apple will get you railed against.

      • Air Burt - 10 years ago

        Says the guy who’s now following me around. You couldn’t be more like the definition of a troll and you’re too much of ignoramus to know it. Whine on, dipshit.

  18. Dan (@danmdan) - 10 years ago

    You guys sue over far too many trivial reasons – get a life – buy something else if you really don’t like the iPhone. Try a Windows 8 phone, or EVEN an Android one, now there’s a thought !

    • Dan (@danmdan) - 10 years ago

      I have difficulty with any buying and using any Apple Phone – because the battery is not easily owner removable/changeable, and there is no micro-SD slot.

  19. A lot of the space these idiots are talking about are included apps such as iWork and Garageband and iMovie, all of which can be deleted. Apple just gives it to you.

  20. Marklewood at Serenity Lodge - 10 years ago

    This has been a common complaint for all computers since the advent of GUI. As long as we demand that the software on our devices (computers, iPhones, iPads, etc) do most of the work for us, there will always be a memory hog, memory leak, and waisted memory. It’s not an excuse for sloppy programing — which is most of the problem. But, it is the way companies get away with selling us increasingly larger and larger RAM and Disk sizes. If the standards for programing were held tight and audited we might see better outcomes for the price we pay as consumers. But, lets face it. We — the average consumer — have far too much spendable cash and are way too lazy to learn how to do the things necessary to keep our devices clean and running smart. So, as long as they can get away with sloppy programing, they will.

  21. b9bot - 10 years ago

    Apple still uses the least amount of space for its IOS versus any other mobile operating system. Apple gives you choices on what size you would like to get. Apple gives choices on iCloud storage. Apple does NOT force anyone to buy anything. It is all customer choice and I feel this lawsuit is non-sense.

  22. Justin Jose Caraang - 10 years ago

    so because consumers dont do their own homework before making a purchase, Apple is to blame? I research EVERYTHING before i buy something. SMH. Consumers need to be more self informed!

  23. Ben Wexlar - 10 years ago

    It seems everyone collectively forgot how to back up their data. If you’re toting around thousands of ancient photos and are still complaining about space, then you’re doing it wrong.

  24. Josip Ricov (@Josip_R) - 10 years ago

    iCloud is also lame with free 5Gb of space, com on Apple. You should add additional free 5 GB per every new iOS device added to user Apple ID.
    BTW some users cant buy more storage space, cuz we all don’t have Apple store.
    LOL I am from Croatia you would think we would get an Apple Store after we become a member of EU. Size dont matter cuz Slovenia has Apple Store. :P

  25. Chuck Cordle - 10 years ago

    iCloud subscriptions cost roughly $1.00 per month for 20gb, and with hand off things you start on one device pick up where you left off on another………so what the operating system is huge, that is because it works. If you understand technology you will understand that it takes up space to develop the things people want. It isn’t apple, it is every tech maker faces these challenges.

  26. jejejoey - 10 years ago

    Im happy someone has finally brought this case up, its been long in the making. You get ’16 GB’ but tend to forget to say that the OS takes some space, and more space when there are updates. Apple basically said ‘screw you’ to the average iPhone buyer when they had the lowest model stay 16GB. Lets be for real now, memory chips aren’t expensive as they once were when the iPhone came out, and not to mention as a company they will be buying in bulk which even brings the price to negligible levels, that it wouldn’t even make a blip on their profits. This lawsuit was bound to happen, this is just a case of misinforming the available memory to the public and greed by Apple.

    • Air Burt - 10 years ago

      This lawsuit will be gone quickly. Regardless of chip prices, Apple hasn’t deceived anyone. These are just uninformed consumers who don’t understand that OSes take up space. Apple isn’t responsible for your computer literacy. They’ve deceived absolutely no one with this. The print on their site and the box states that the actual formatted capacity will be less.

  27. rettun1 - 10 years ago

    I think this will be the thing that pushes apple over the edge, and they will FINALLY have base models at 32gb (at least on all new models next year, wouldn’t be shocked if the iphone 6 for $99 has 16 gb still

  28. Michael Savich - 10 years ago

    The other thing worth noting is that the size of iOS varies from release to release. Having to change the labeling every time a new version is released would probably lead to very infrequent updates.

  29. Mark Dowling - 10 years ago

    Release the newer IOS before the iPhone. Then you’ll know what size iphone to buy. Why does apple release the software before the phone release you have to question that.

  30. asmi8803 - 10 years ago

    I think Apple will argue they give you 5GB free with iCloud which takes it above 16GB

  31. Mike Gorman - 10 years ago

    #thiswillfail

  32. yellowoptic - 10 years ago

    I think I know why they are going with 16 GB as the base model.

    Let’s face it, most people won’t be content with a 16 GB device after they stuffed it with photos, videos, and apps. This year they came out with the iPhone 6 by doubling the $299 model’s storage.

    In other words, the 64 GB model is $100 cheaper.

    Since this perceived value now exists, and most people, as I said, don’t have enough space, will be tempted to get a larger capacity for “less”, while actually spending more money on buying an iPhone.

    I don’t think Apple will ditch the 16 GB iPhone if this strategy worked like a charm, as all of the people I know who carry an iPhone 6 has a 64 GB model, where they normally would spend less and get the 16 GB instead.

    Smart move.

Author

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jordan Kahn

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series.


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