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.

Vodafone Germany appears to have jumped the gun by listing various  new iPhone models as compatible with certain accessories, including iPhone 4 8GB models in Black and White as well as iPhone 4S Black and White models in 16GB, 32GB and even 64GB flavors.

Before we get too excited by the possibility of a 64GB iPhone 4S, it may be that Vodafone Germany is just making educated guesses based on the latest rumors. Having said that, listing possible devices on an accessory page does seem a bit pointless... unless you have some inside information. Not much longer to wait now, who wants that 64GB iPhone 4S?

Source: Vodafone Germany via MacRumors

9to5Mac's Mr. X claims that not only has the iPhone 4S begun appearing in Apple's internal inventory system, but that it's appearing in 3 capacities. For the last couple of years, Apple has only offered 16GB and 32GB iPhones, with the previous year's model going the budget 8GB size. Could iPhone 4S once again raise the storage stakes to a full 64GB?

Given that we’ve also heard from manufacturing sources that Apple has at least been prototyping 64GB versions of the new iPhone, we would say it’s fairly likely that Apple’s new iPhone will come in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities; just like the iPad.

While iCloud theoretically changes the dynamics of local storage, audiophiles, videophiles, and other who still want to carry around a large volume of media and other files would no doubt still want and use 64GB on-device. It would likely require double density NAND Flash chips to achieve, since iPhone has traditionally had half the storage slots as an iPod touch. If Apple does start using those chips, could a 128GB iPod touch be on the horizon as well, allowing Apple to retire their aging iPod classic player?

We'll find out Tuesday.

Source: 9to5Mac

Here we go again, another day another iPhone 5 rumor. This time, 9to5 Mac has received an alleged screen capture from KT’s (Korea Telecom) internal stock inventory system. The screen shot clearly shows SKU’s (stock-keeping units) for AIP5 which we assume stands for Apple iPhone 5 followed by a number.

The number appears to represent the GB capacity of the iPhone 5 however we are widely expecting that a 64GB version would be released this time; but there is no mention of it. What is even more confusing is the third model in the screen capture; it appears that this is an iPhone 5 without any storage capacity? 9to5 Mac believes that this is a carrier unlocked model.

Before we lose all hope of an iPhone 5 64GB model, these SKU’s are just place holders and it may be a case that Apple is keeping the specifications under wraps until it is officially announced. I know a lot of people who are pinning their hopes on an iPhone 5 with 64GB of storage. Personally I have a 16GB version and it still has a few GB remaining.

[9to5 Mac]

MIC Gadget, the folks who brought you the Steve Jobs action figure, have gotten their hands on what might have been a 64GB iPhone 4 prototype leaked from the factories of Foxconn. Whether or not Apple was testing a 64GB iPhone 4 for potential release and whether or not they'll provide a 64GB option for iPhone 5 this summer is unknown.

Would you want it?

[MIC Gadget via 9to5Mac]

It was bound to happen, but with Toshiba announcing that it's managed to cram 64GB of NAND flash memory onto a single chip, we can now officially start the rumors of a 64GB iPhone and 128GB iPod touch... perhaps as soon as next year's 4th generation models if prices get low enough fast enough.

The iPod touch doesn't have to worry about all the phone-related radios, and so has double the slots for memory, and will likely always get twice as much storage as the iPhone. Question is, at 128GB might Apple finally retire the veteran (and last) hard drive-based iPod classic?

9to5mac also posits those same chips would work mighty fine in a mythical iTablet in lieu of an SSD drive.

Apple typically releases new iPhones in June/July, new iPod touches in September, and hasn't announced any iTablets... yet.

"Inside Steve's Brain" author Leander Kahney of Wired magazine is reporting a programmer source inside a major software house has revealed that the next generation iPhone 3G will thinner -- we're talking Paris Hilton thinner -- by a whopping 22%.

Not only that, it will sport better battery life than the already impressive 8 hours talk time of the first gen model, and twice the NAND flash capacity, topping out at 32GB. (Paving the way for 64GB iPod Touch's?)

Still not enough, echoing Kevin Rose (historically not the most reliable of iPhone prognosticators), Kahney thinks the phone may be heavily carrier subsidized -- down to the $200 level in some cases -- in an effort to put the hurt on Blackberry.

Okay, fess up, who left the rumor mill jacked up to max?!

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