Apple's Phil Schiller tackles 16GB iPhone, Single-USB MacBooks and the thinness vs battery life tradeoffs; Apple's stance on base storage is unsatisfactory?

By Staff Writer

Jun 10 2015, 20:12 PM EDT

If given the chance to interview Phil Schiller, Apple's Marketing SVP, would you also suggest the need for higher than 16GB storage capacity on low-end Apple devices like Daring Fireball's John Gruber did?

In an interview at The Talk Show, Schiller stood his ground and defended the company's choices especially in terms of 16GB iPhones, Single-USB MacBooks, and battery tradeoffs the way a company representative would.

Barely enough 16GB storage capacity

Gruber made the suggestion in light of today's generation of "multi-gigabyte app downloads" and "high-resolution video-recording." With the current size apps, is a 16GB iPhone really not enough?

According to Schiller, that shouldn't be an issue because there is iCloud to make up for that need. He's also convinced that this is a win-win technique as it allows the company to improve other features using the money saved on storage.

That answer could be satisfactory, if only Apple device owners didn't know better. The Verge, which got a copy of the interview, articulated well what Apple device users real sentiments are on this matter. It said:

"Cloud services just aren't a full replacement for local files in many situations, and don't "lighten the load" at all for app downloads. Many users even found it difficult to upgrade to iOS 8 last year for this reason. And by restricting storage on the lower end, Apple can boost its margins by pushing more people to spring an extra $100 for the 64GB model."

Thinness vs. battery life tradeoffs

Gruber also asked how Apple's quest for ultra-thin device can affect battery life, and whether maintaining the thickness of its devices could lead to bigger batteries and more power-efficient internals.

Schiller responded that Apple devices comes with the right balance, from the improvements they bring in down to the tradeoffs.

For Apple, a thicker phone and bigger battery will be heavier and needs longer charging time, not to mention costlier. In case of iPhones, these are factors they opt to tradeoff; and Schiller thinks that the company has made great decision doing that.

Single USB-port MacBooks

About the new MacBook, Schiller echoes Apple's stance on bringing the future of gadgets to people now. "I want an apple that's bold and taking risks and being aggressive." Hence, the ultra-thin and single USB-C port. The MacBook 2015 is a device that is not for everyone, but Apple took the risks for the sake of pioneering forward-thinking products.

Despite the criticisms that Apple has had received in the past for its "bold decisions," it remains solid in its stance. And like what any company representative would do, Schiller stood his ground and defended Apple's choices.

Questions, however, are left hanging especially on whether a 16GB storage capacity will do for a daily driver, new iPhones will have improved battery life with thinner designs, and the heavy initial limitations that come with new technology in Apple products are worth the fuss.