Читать книгу iPhone For Seniors For Dummies - Spivey Dwight - Страница 7

Storage is a measure of how much information – for example, movies, photos, and software applications (apps) – you can store on a computing device. Storage can also affect your iPhone’s performance when handling such tasks as streaming favorite TV shows from the World Wide Web or downloading music.

Streaming refers to playing video or music content from the web (or from other devices) rather than playing a file stored on your iPhone. You can enjoy a lot of material online without ever downloading its full content to your phone – and given that the most storage endowed iPhone model has a relatively small amount of storage, that isn't a bad idea. See Chapters 17 and 19 for more about getting your music and movies online.

Your storage options with an iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are 32, 128, or 256 gigabytes (GB). You must choose the right amount of storage because you can’t open the unit and add as you usually can with a desktop computer. However, Apple has thoughtfully provided iCloud, a service you can use to back up content to the Internet (you can read more about that in Chapter 4).

How much storage is enough for your iPhone? Here’s a guideline:

❯❯ If you like lots of media, such as movies or TV shows, you might need 256GB.

❯❯ For most people who manage a reasonable number of photos, download some music, and watch heavy-duty media such as movies online, 128GB is probably sufficient.

❯❯ If you simply want to check email, browse the web, and write short notes to yourself, 32GB likely is plenty.

Do you have a clue how big a gigabyte (GB) is? Consider this: Just about any computer you buy today comes with a minimum of 500GB of storage. Computers have to tackle larger tasks than iPhones, so that number makes sense. The iPhone, which uses a technology called flash storage for data storage, is meant (to a great extent) to help you experience online media and email; it doesn’t have to store much it pulls lots of content from online. In the world of storage, 32GB for any kind of storage is puny if you keep lots of content and graphics on the device.

What’s the price for larger storage? For the iPhone 7, a 32GB unit costs $649; 128GB jumps the price to $749; and 256GB adds another $100, setting you back a pricey $849. iPhone 7 Plus tops out at $969 for a 256GB model. Note that prices may vary by carrier and by where you buy your phone.