Let’s look into Apple’s Bizarre Lack of Understanding How Users Backup Their iPhones using iCloud.

This is a two-part post. The first part explores the issues surrounding Apple’s rotten core practices, while the second part delves into their long-standing pricing strategies for phone storage, which many argue are exorbitant.

Like all things at Apple as of late (or pretty much since Steve died, RIP) things at Apple seem to be their way or the highway. Profits first focus.

I like to think Apple created the pricing structure for iCloud by looking at first who uses iCloud, what devices are they using it on, and how much are they using. Unfortunately I don’t think that is the case, and in fact it isn’t.

Apple has this notion that all of their users have iPhones, an iPad, a Mac computer and Apple watch, when according to internet numbers in 2023, the iPad’s revenue only accounted for just 6.5% of Apples total products. So with this nothing debunked that everyone has all of these products, the pricing structure for iCloud seems a little cloudy.

Next let’s look at iPhone Storage Options

Now to further not understand where Apple is getting their numbers from, let’s take a look at their bread and butter, the iPhone. Which is offered in 4 storage sizes:

iPhone Storage Options

• 128GB Base
• 256GB An additional 128GB costs $100
• 512GB An additional 384GB costs $300
• 1TB So then double the additional cost of the 512 and you get $600, nope it’s $500. See simple math

This makes sense. They have increased the storage size by doubling the previous storage amount. Logical in size but then there is the pricing. Right?

Now let’s get to the fun part. Why I even writing this post… and it comes down to the fact that when you put together the size of the iPhones offered, and then the iCloud back storage amounts you now have a skewed progression in phone size vs. iCloud size. 75% of the iPhones sizes don’t adequately have enough space to backup properly in iCloud, unless you opt for the 2TB size. Which is then very confusing why I would need double the total size storage of the largest iPhone available.

We went from spending $36 per year in online storage to $132 per year. That’s a 267% increase. And there is the thing that many people forget, that’s forever and will only increase. So over the next 20 years you are spending 2,640 in iPhone backups. And lets be totally honest. This is only an insurance policy. If you phone gets stolen or broken, having a nightly backup makes it a no brainer to getting your life back in order. I mean god, what would you do without your iPhone and all the crap you have on it.

I basically want to ask Apple to hey, it would be nice to offer iCloud backup plans based on current iPhone sizes. And if you want to go crazy and use iCloud for whatever it is people use it for when they are spending $780 a year on the 12 TB option great, let those 2 people have their 12 TB option. But for people like me who have grown into the 1TB iPhone, there really is no logical good plan.

Side Note:

As mentioned in the into, lets also talk about apples pricing for storage on their iPhones. I found the most expensive micro SC card in the world on amazon offering 1TB of storage, for little over $100. You could find option for half that price but lets go with the best of the best. Now look at Apple’s storage pricing, and to obtain 1TB (actually your only obtaining an additional 896 GB, as you started with a base 128 already) in storage you need to pony up $500. Where in what planet are they coming up with that GB amount for that pricing? It’s totally observed.

I think the worst part about this is, Apple knows you can’t get expandable storage, so lets gouge our consumers charging them double the industry standard. The memory on your phone is a samsung chip, that samsung puts in their phones and charges only ~$50 per 256 GB in blocks. Apple charges 4 times that and it’s the same thing.