Yet more rumors are surfacing that Apple will release a lower priced 8GB iPad 2 alongside the iPad 3 this month... but this one also claims there won't be a 64GB iPad 3. Digitimes, which has not been extremely accurate lately, says this is to "defend" against Windows 8 tablets coming later this year.

As Apple has scheduled an event on March 7, sources from its upstream supply chain pointed out that the company is expected to launch two iPad 3 models - a 16GB version and 32GB version. In addition to iPad 3, Apple is also expected to unveil an 8GB iPad 2, allowing the tablet PC series to cover different segments and to defend against Windows 8-based tablet PCs, the sources noted.

Lack of a 64GB iPad 3 model sounds very, very strange, given both the original iPad and iPad 2 offer 64GB models. So does the idea of competing with Windows 8 tablets, which have a completely different cost structure to Apple's. Namely, Microsoft makes money licensing Windows. ODMs (Original Device Manufacturers) like Samsung, HP, Dell, etc. make money on the hardware. In the past they've shown a willingness to operate on razor thin margins, driving prices to the bottom, hoping to make it up on volume. That didn't work out for netbooks and it's tough to see it working out for tablets. In either case, that's not a game Apple plays.

Last year, Apple chose not to keep the original iPad around at a reduced capacity and lower price point, however they have done this with older generation iPhones and iPod touches in the past, most recently with the low-end 8GB iPhone 4 when the iPhone 4S was released.

If Apple ends up doing the same with the iPad 2 this year, it could be simply to lower the cost of entry to attract more customers to the iPad platform.

Digitimes previously speculated that Apple would try to hit a $299 price point with a budget iPad, but given Apple's traditional focus on profit margins, that will depend a lot on how low they can drive production costs. Further, since the iPad isn't a subsidized product, Apple can't shift the discounts to carriers the way they do with the iPhone.

Given the lack of subsidies, Apple's profit margins, and the rumored 8GB storage capacity, it's hard to see how appealing even a slightly discounted iPad 2 would be. iCloud and iTunes Match would slightly reduce local storage demands, but not significantly.

Would you find an 8GB iPad 2 appealing at $399?

Source: Digitimes

So you know you're getting an iPhone 4S, and you've chosen which carrier to get it on, now you need to decide which storage capacity you wish -- 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB?

No problem. Let's break it down, shall we?

It would be nice if we could just walk into the Apple store, find a demo iPhone 4S, and say "Siri, based on my exact needs, which size iPhone 4S should I get?" but sadly even Siri isn't that artificially intelligent... yet. There are a few things we can look at, however, to help decide.

Price for storage

The current US prices for iPhone 4, with full carrier subsidies are:

• 16GB: $199 or $12.44 a GB
• 32GB: $299 or $9.34 a GB
• 64GB: $399 or $6.23 a GB

It looks like you can pay 2x the price for 4x the storage, a pretty sweet deal, but it doesn't really work out like that. After $199, Apple is basically getting you to pay a $100 premium for an addition 16GB of storage (check out how much a 16GB SD card or thumb drive costs by way of comparison). The $200 premium for an additional 48GB of storage is more interesting if only because the double density NAND Flash Apple is using to reach that size is probably a bit more expensive for them. But $200 more expensive? (Hey, that's where Apple's fat margins come from.)

So if you're looking at this purely from a "how can I pay Apple as little as possible" perspective, the baseline 16GB model is usually the way to go. Of course, there are a lot of other factors to consider.

iCloud

iCloud promises to give us all unlimited online storage for iTunes purchased content -- iBooks, music, movies, TV shows, and apps, and 5GB of additional storage for backups, data, etc. You can also purchase more iCloud storage for the following yearly fees:

• 10GB: $20/year
• 20GB: $40/year
• 50GB: $100/year

This might make it tempting to save some $$$ up front on onboard storage and make up for it with the free 5GB iCloud, with the option to buy more storage as a safety blanket.

It's not a crazy idea but it's important to remember that online storage isn't always as available, fast, and convenient as onboard storage. For example, you can't just play a movie from iCloud, you have to download it at the same time you watch it, which means you have to have enough space available on your iPhone 4S to handle the download. If you want to watch a lot of movies, you may have to watch, delete, watch, delete, over and over again.

iCloud isn't as open as things like Dropbox, so you can only really store what Apple lets you. If your movies and videos don't come from iTunes, that's an important consideration. Also, in our tests iCloud's free 5GB could get filled up pretty quickly by photos and especially videos.

Bottom line, iCloud means you can get away with managing more content on your device, but you still want to have enough local storage for what you need, when you need it.

8mp photos and 1080p video

iPhone 4S can take 8 megapixel photos and shoot 1080p video and those can be some big files. Justin Horn of When Will Apple did the math on the videos and worked out:

iPhone 4S 1080p video takes up about 2.5 times as much space as the iPhone 4. So using a more moderate estimate of keeping 60 minutes of video on your camera roll you are looking at 10.4 GB of storage vs 4.6 GB for the iPhone 4, so that can add up quick.

I take a ton of photos and videos on my iPhone 4 16GB and run out of space all the time. It's a pain in the butt to have to go through and figure out what to delete if I'm not near my computer and can't sync stuff of, so if you're really into the camera, that's something you need to consider.

Content

The other thing that can fill up our iPhone quickly is content.

• Games can be big, and with iPhone 4S' Apple A5 processor, we might see even bigger ones with more textures and richer environments. Infinity Blade is 600MB, for example. How big will Infinity Blade 2 be?

• iTunes movies can be 1-3GB in size for SD depending on the length. If you prefer watching HD, they can be 3-5GB.

• iTunes TV shows can be a quarter to half the size of movies, but more than make up for it by the number of episodes typically available.

• If you get your movies and TV shows from somewhere other than iTunes, you're still looking at about 400MB an hour for SD and over 1GB (sometimes way over) an hour for HD.

• Music files are generally quite small but can add up as well, especially if you have lots and lots of albums you want to keep with you everywhere.

Who should get 16GB

If you don't use a lot of apps, if you don't want to have a lot of movies and TV shows, or a huge amount of music, if you don't intend to shoot and keep very much 8mp photos or 1080p video on your iPhone, you'll probably be okay with 16GB.

Some people like to keep their iPhones light and do all their gaming and media on their iPad, and some people manage their photos and videos very well, transferring them to their computers regularly and reliably.

If you keep your iPhone lean, you can probably save yourself some cash and get by on 16GB.

Who should get 32GB

If the iPhone is your primary device, if you play games on it and watch movies and TV shows on it, if you have a decent sized music collection you want to keep with you, and if you shoot an average amount of photos and videos, 32GB is probably your sweet spot.

Some people like to have one device that, while it doesn't do everything all the time, it's capable enough to do most things most of the time. As long as there's some extra space to give extra time to managing apps and content, like Goldilocks it feels just right.

If you do a fair but not overwhelming amount of stuff on your iPhone, your probably better off going for 32GB.

Who should get 64GB

If you're a power user who wants to keep as much as possible for as long as possible, if you have a large amount of apps and games, TV and movies, and a huge music collection you simply have to have with you all the time, or you shoot photos and video almost non stop and don't want to have to bother transferring it all the time... we'll, you've probably been waiting for a 64GB option for a while now!

Some people really do want their iPhone to do everything, all of the time, and never (or rarely) have to worry about running out of space. They probably want 128GB -- or even 256GB if they could get it! -- but they'll use the most they can, whenever they can.

If you really feel like you need it, you probably didn't need me to tell you so, and you've already decided you're getting 64GB. Enjoy!

What if you choose the wrong size?

Remember, in most places you have time to try out your new iPhone 4S and return it if you don't like it. Make sure, as soon as possible, you put your iPhone 4S to realistic use. Load up all the apps and games you want with you, load up your movies and TV shows, go out and take some photos and shoot some video. Give it a complete and thorough workout and see.

If it feels like you got too much storage, say 64GB and you haven't even gone past 2GB, or if you got too little, say you're already at 15GB of 16GB, then take your iPhone 4S back and exchange it for one that better suits your needs.

If you come to this realization too late, after the exchange period is over, remember you can buy additional iCloud storage, or look at other options like Dropbox which will let you keep your stuff available online and potentially free up some much needed space on your iPhone.

Any questions?

If you're still not sure, hit up our iPhone 4S Forums to get the help you need to make up your mind.

It looks like the 16GB 3G variant of the iPad is now being offered on T-Mobile for UK customers. Depending on what plan you choose, you can snag a bit of a discount on the actual iPad.

New customers can get 1GB of data + 1GB of quiet time data (data used between midnight and 10am) for £27.00/month which will bring the actual iPad cost to £199.00. Existing customers can get the same data plan for £25.00/month and receive the same £199.00 deal on the actual device.

If you'd prefer to go no contract, there are 3 pay as you go plans you can choose from -

• 500MB/day for £2.00/day
• 1GB/week for £7.00/week
• 2GB/month for £15.00/month

If you choose one of the pay as you go plans, the iPad will cost you £529.99. You can also add insurance to your iPad for £12.99/month.

Anyone out there on T-Mobile UK thinking about snagging one of these plans?

via T-Mobile UK

UPDATE: Keith from Rogers in the comments:

I’m in the communications department at Rogers and can confirm that we are aware of this issue with the 6GB promotion. It was a technological malfunction that resulted in an error on less than 10 customer accounts. We take these things very seriously and we’re working to fix it. We will, of course, continue to honour the 6GB promotion for those customers who signed up for it.

Thanks Keith, now how about news on bringing back those $30/6GB accounts as standard so Canada reaches some form of parity with US pricing?

ORIGINAL: Prior to the iPhone 3G launch in Canada last year, there was a massive internet and public protest surrounding Rogers exorbitant data plans (not too long ago cresting $100 for 200MB!). To try and turn things around, Rogers offered a limited time $30/6GB plan (which should never have been limited in time) on 3 year(!) contract, and many were quick to sign up for it when they got their new iPhone 3Gs. Fast forward 9 months later, however, and seems some shenanigans are going on again around Rogers way. According to MacNN, people are losing those $30/6GB accounts, way before the 3 years are up:

The problem is allegedly widespread amongst Rogers iPhone customers, and believed to be connected to alterations of a person's account, such as a change in address or phone number. Because the promotional code for the $30/6GB plan no longer exists, discounts may simply be evaporating as accounts are recreated. People who signed up for the $30 price were originally promised that it would persist throughout their three-year contract.

Customer service staff seem to vary greatly in their willingness and ability to solve this problem. NOT. GOOD. ROGERS. Being a GSM monopoly doesn't let you abuse it, remember?

Meanwhile, according to Engadget Mobile, Rogers' wholly owned, discount branded Fido subsidiary seems to be gearing up to ditch the iPhone 3G's 16GB SKU entirely, leaving only the 8GB version on the product list. Fists with the low-end brand, we guess...

So, anyone hosed by Rogers on data, or going to be missing out that 16GB iPhone 3G on Fido? Let us know!

[Thanks Chris for the tip]

AT&T is currently selling refurbished iPhones in their online store! The 8GB version is going for $249 and the 16GB version is priced at $349. With no iPhones currently in the pipeline over at Apple, this is probably the best bet to get an iPhone online. AT&T has sold iPhones at this price a few time before so I wouldn't look too much into it (read: this is in no way a rumor of Apple & AT&T cleaning out old stock before the imminent release of the 3G iPhone, though by putting this in parenthesis I'm well aware of the possibility).

Either way, $250 for the 8GB is a great deal any way that you spin it. Even if the new iPhone is forthcoming, you might be able to unlock it and pawn it off on the gray market. Or, you can keep (gasp) the soon-to-be old iPhone before everyone realizes AT&T's 3G network is not all the way there yet and that metal is greater than plastic.

As always, these puppies are available while supplies last. So what are you doing here still? Click the Read Link and buy!

UPDATE: Looks like they disappeared/sold out! Sorry if you missed the boat!

Read

The headline says it all except the pricing and availability. Pricing: $399.00 US for the 8GB (same as it ever was) and $499.00 US for the 16GB model.

Wait? What? Wasn't there, like, this big conference not too long ago where you could make announcements about new iPhones? Oh yea, there was, I was there. Guess doubling the amount of available storage on an iPhone isn't worth Steve's precious keynote time, (but jiggly mode is?). Anyway, it's good news nonetheless.

...Since I'm currently rocking one of the classic 4GB models, that 16GB model is mighty tempting. The only question left: will they drop the price on me two weeks after I finally buy it?

(Oh, and the Touch now comes in 8, 16, and 32 gig varieties!)