In the world of leaks and rumours we have information from an IHS Technology analyst who posted on Chinese social media that company supply chain research indicates that the iPhone 7 will feature 32 GB storage as the $199 base model, which would mean Apple would finally drop the much-loathed 16 GB SKU from its lineup with its new flagship smartphone expected in the fall.
IHS is relatively trustworthy when it comes to Apple rumors, predicting last year that a 4 inch iPhone would debut in 2016 based on supply chain sources-- that, ladies and gentlemen was the iPhone SE.
So maybe we'll only take this with a pinch of salt, the analyst claims that the iPhone 7 will feature 2 GB of RAM, the same specification as iPhone 6s.
The most important thing though is the claim that we could finally be saying goodbye to 16 GB flagship iPhones later this year.
Now while one can't just take the analyst's word for it, in a logical way it does make sense; the existence of 16 GB phones in Apple’s top-of-the-line product range has lasted far too long to not have an upgrade.
The 16 GB initially hit the iPhone lineup in 2008 on the original iPhone and it has stuck around as the base model specification since.
However, the times have changed and 16gb just doesn't cut it anymore for consumers, with just a few apps, photos and videos and you have a full device. Especially as the latest iPhones feature 4K video recording, 16 GB is a pitifully small amount which is suitable for very few consumers.
It’s interesting that IHS suggests Apple will bump the base model to 32 GB, as the iPhone 6s is not actually offered in that size at all. The current available configurations are 16 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB. One theory for keeping 16 GB around so long is that allows Apple to upsell a lot of customers onto the 64 GB model for an additional $100 of bottom-line revenue.
So there are no details as to how exactly the base 32gb is going to work, but there you have it.
So if we do get a base iPhone with 32gb, it'll be the end of the 16gb era, an era that has already become outdated.
(We feel like we should put in an evil laugh at this point...maybe later)
