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Apple Admits iCloud Problem Has Killed iOS 9 'App Slicing'

Posted by samzenpus on from the bug-not-a-feature dept.

Mark Wilson writes: One of the key features of iOS 9 — and one of the reasons 16GB iPhones were not killed — is app slicing. This innocuous-sounding feature reduces the amount of space apps take up on iPhones and iPads... or at least it does when it is working. At the moment Apple has a problem with iCloud which is preventing app slicing from working correctly. The feature works by only downloading the components of an app that are needed to perform specific tasks on a particular device, but at the moment regular, universal apps are delivered by default.

7 of 143 comments (clear)

  1. It's delayed, not dead by dugancent · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Nothing has been killed. Enough with the hyperbole.

    --
    SJWs are the new boogeyman. -Me
    1. Re:It's delayed, not dead by khchung · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Nothing has been killed. Enough with the hyperbole.

      I guess you would have noticed by now. After a new iPhone release in Sept every year, there would be a slew of these hyperbole troll pieces in the media to try to lure more readers by riding the iPhone bandwagon, and /. is no different.

      And we have been lured in just as expected.

      --
      Oliver.
    2. Re:It's delayed, not dead by macs4all · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I agree that App Slicing is interesting, but I don't really agree with their premise on the 16GB phones. A 16GB phone is still crippled these days. Do customers want an iPhone that has so little storage for music and photos, and isn't upgradable?

      Sure, Apple will say "but you can store all your photos and music in iCloud". But that's hardly an option as wireless carriers continue to try to drive down data usage with data caps, throttling, and exorbitant overage charges.

      I like the Apple platform and I will stick with it, but it's a bad business decision to herd people into 16GB phones they are going to be less than happy with.

      Nobody is "herding" anyone into a 16 GB phone, as there are memory options up to 128 GB. But for a LOT of (non-Slashdot) readers, 16 GB really IS ok, and this lets Apple keep a low-end model that will appeal to a lot more people than you would imagine.

      I am sure that Apple "ran the numbers", and figured that, even without App Slicing (which only affects a much-smaller group of "Those who want a cheaper phone; but still want some Apps"), that a 16 GB model was attractive.

      Conversely, they also saw that, for the "power users", 32 GB wasn't enough, and so they dropped that option, probably because it wasn't selling so good...

  2. Re:The problem is the ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Greedy assholes want you to buy cloud space. They won't expand the memory.

  3. Re:Sheesh by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2, Insightful

    But let me be frank - this is so goddamned fscking ridiculously friggin stupid that only a true idiot would think it was remotely an intelligent idea. Memory is cheap, so what kind of retard would want to store their applications in the fail-inevitble cloud bubble?

    Think about it. You bought an app. You think you own an app. But you just get the parts that Apple thinks you need right now, not the whole app.

    It's a brilliant late-capitalist business strategy, really. Keep a wall between your customers and the stuff your customers think they bought. And now you control the gate.

    I guess this is why, when I updated my wife's iPad to OS9.1, it insisted so hard that she have an iCloud account. And I do mean "insisted", as in "certain features of your device will not work without an iCloud account" and, "Are you SURE you want to continue without connecting to iCloud?" and "DANGER WILL ROBINSON, YOU ARE ABOUT TO MAKE THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF YOUR FUCKING LIFE IF YOU DON"T GET YOUR iCloud ACCOUNT!"

    Fuck off, Apple. This iPad has 64gig of memory, and it doesn't need your app baloney slicer.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  4. Re:Can anyone explain in actual meaningful terms? by gnupun · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It'll decrease your profit by less than 2%.

    Are you sure about that? It'll increase their cost by a percent or two, but the profits will drop a lot as the 32 GB and higher models are priced over $200 than the 16 GB models.

    If a 32GB model existed, 64GB and 128GB sales would be a lot lower, decreasing overall profits by 20-30%. Therefore, this price gouging will continue for the foreseeable future where downloading a couple of 3D games will consume all your flash space in the 16GB model. So you're forced to buy 32GB and higher.

  5. Re:Can anyone explain in actual meaningful terms? by sribe · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If a 32GB model existed, 64GB and 128GB sales would be a lot lower, decreasing overall profits by 20-30%.

    That's some pretty fuzzy thinking. I bet that the existence of a 32GB model would not affect 128GB sales by even 1 single phone.