At Home with Tech

Unlock the power of all your technology and learn how to master your photography, computers and smartphone.

Tag: iPhone

September 16, 2018

Why Do You Need an iPhone with 512GB of Storage?

The world has somehow gotten along until now without an iPhone with 512GB of storage. Do you really need this much in your iPhone Xs? Here’s one opinion…

I’m sure I am one of countless Apple fans trying to figure out which iPhone to buy now that the annual upgrades have been announced. And after some serious consideration, I think I’m going to pull the trigger on the massive iPhone Xs Max.

Why?

Well, I’ve simply become accustomed to the larger screen of my old iPhone 6 Plus. I’ve got to say that I love my old ‘phablet.’ So, sticker shock aside, I know I’d be totally comfortable handling an Xs Max throughout my day. The big question is whether I really need to max out on the whopping 512GB of storage, which balloons the price tag to $1,449.

The 256GB option already doubles the current capacity of my 6 Plus.
Is it necessary to double it again?

To use all that up, you’d have to maintain a boatload of Hollywood movies on your iPhone or shoot an insane number of home videos.

And it’s ironic that while all media today is supposed to be easily stored and instantly available on the cloud… larger local storage is still marketed as a premium feature.
(But we all know that network upload speeds can’t compete with the huge media file sizes that we’re creating.)

Media Management Still Required
I try to download my iPhone videos to my iMac for long-term storage and then delete many of them from my iPhone. So I haven’t really been facing an iPhone storage crunch lately. But I also haven’t been shooting videos like I’m holding a bottomless bottle of beer.

If there’s one thing to remember when considering a new technology purchase, it’s how you might use it into the future…
(Past experience is not necessarily an indicator of future needs.)

Okay… So, why 512GB?

The Downside of Shooting in 4K
I was talking with a work colleague about this question, and he reminded me that you can chew through a lot of memory if you’re shooting video in 4K.

Oh… right. 4K:

  • The format I pledged over a year ago that I would use to shoot all of my family videos with my Panasonic Lumix LX10
  • The format that was quickly becoming the new video standard
  • The format that would future proof all of my home media
    (Just like 720HD and 1080HD was supposed to do not that long ago.)
  • The format that creates gigantic files

Yes… I’m shooting in 4K… mostly.

I know 4K video capability isn’t new in iPhones, but for those who are jumping into a 4K workflow on an iPhone, it’s worth remembering the heavy lifting that’s ahead for you…
(And remember, you can’t just pop in a fresh memory card when your iPhone fills up!)

Prepare for Huge File Sizes
Here’s approximately what a minute of 4K video on an iPhone consumes:

  • At 24 fps- 135MB
  • At 30 fps- 170MB
  • At 60 fps- 400MB

If you’re like me and ‘committed’ to 4K video, on average you’ll probably be using up about 500 MB of memory every time you shoot a video clip at 60 fps (assuming a little more than a minute a pop).

So let’s do some simple math:

  • You’d get 900 clips from 450GB of memory in a 512GB iPhone
  • And 400 clips from 200GB of memory in a 256GB iPhone

That’s a ton of clips either way!
(Remember, you’ve got to leave some memory for a few movies, your photos and all your apps!)

So again… who really needs 512GB of storage?

How It Gets Worse
Well, if you’re shooting longer segments on your iPhone such as capturing a 30-minute music recital, the math paints a different story:

That’s 12GB for 30 minutes.
Twenty 30-minute ‘events’ will absorb 240GB and your 256GB iPhone would suddenly be maxed out.

It’s Never Enough
Here’s the harsh reality: No matter how much onboard memory you’ve got on an iPhone, you’ll eventually fill it up… It’s just a matter of time if you’re not exporting and then deleting some of your content from your iPhone.

Sure, having 512GB to play with will delay the problem, but eventually, you’ll want to capture that once-in-a-lifetime moment, and your phone will choke.

The Wisdom of 256GB
Yes, there’s a minimum amount of storage that you absolutely need to handle your day to day. 64GB should certainly cover that… But it might get tight really quickly, even if you’re somewhat conscientious about offloading your video clips.

So, Is 256GB the sweet spot if you’re expecting to shoot a healthy number of photos and video clips?

Probably.

My Surprising Turning Point
It’s costs $200 more to supersize to 512GB.
That’s a lot of money for something you may not need.
But it’s not that much more considering you’re already going to plunk down $1,249.

Hmmm….

Well, you’re sure getting the best price-per-GB with 512GB.

And as much as I don’t feel I need 512GB of storage, I know I’ve been known to say you can never have too much memory.

The Decision Crystalizes
So who really needs 512GB of storage?
Probably about 54 people worldwide.

Who feels better having 512GB to play with?

Me.

I can’t really defend my choice.
But I think that’s what I’m going to do.

And I know I’m not alone.

Excessive?
I could blame the whole 4K video revolution.
I could blame my inconsistent home media management practices.
I could blame ‘FONES.’ (Fear of Not Enough Storage)

I’m going all in on 512GB on my iPhone Xs Max, and one day I may still run out of memory on the darn thing.

But after you think about it for a while, (or write a blog post about it)
…you figure that 200 bucks more may be worth a little peace of mind for the next couple of years as the family videographer.

It’s one opinion…
…for your consideration if you’re in the market for a new iPhone.

Good luck with your decision!

3 Comments
July 1, 2018

The Borg Advantage of a Shared Cloud Calendar

You don’t need futuristic “Star Trek” solutions to properly sync to your partner’s schedule. Your smartphone already provides that connectivity…

I’m sorry if this confession surprises you, but I am about to describe how my wife and I used to coordinate our schedules… Once upon a time, we’d take out our iPhones during dinner and open up our individual calendars for the upcoming days. We’d discuss our son’s schedule and imminent family events to ensure we were both on the same page. Each of us then added in the requisite events into our own calendars.

Tap, tap, tap.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, delete, delete, tap, tap.

(This can really ruin dessert.)

While this antiquated process facilitated a nice conversation about what was going on in our busy lives, it was totally unnecessary from a calendar-syncing perspective.

Create a Synced Calendar to Better Connect Your Family
To upgrade from all of this unnecessary manual coordination, all you need to do is simply create a new ‘shared calendar’ in the Calendar app through iCloud and then invite your partner to join it via email.
(It’s really not that difficult…and not at all as painful as joining the Borg collective on “Star Trek.”)

When you create a new event, just make sure you assign it to this new calendar category.

Once your spouse accepts your invitation to the shared family calendar, any new event you create will also immediately appear in her own Calendar app. (She does need to ‘accept it.’) And she can do the same for your calendar!
(Remember, you can view multiple calendars together on one screen.)

It’s a perfect two-way flow of information to schedule your active lives.
Totally synced… so the two of you can be in sync!

And you don’t have to change or give up anything about your existing personal calendar. It’s all additive.
(The shared events show up as a different color.)

Brilliant!

Cloud Calendars Rock
My wife and I have been using our shared iCloud family calendar for the past few years, and it’s been a game changer for us. It even keeps us organized between our check-in scheduling conversations, because our Calendar apps let us know when a new event has been added.

So, it effectively provides real-time updates to our ever-changing family schedules.

I know there are any number of shared-calendar apps out there, but I’m always partial to using native applications for my technology solutions.

Resistance is Futile
Our son is eight years old, but I know he’s already just a few years away from using smartphone tech. (Exactly how many years is a topic for another conversation.) I expect that shared cloud calendars are already firmly established as a key digital tool for families with older kids.

But if you’re not yet savvy to this Borg-like connectivity, I urge you not to resist joining the ‘collective-think’ advantage of using a shared iCloud calendar.

Leave a comment
June 3, 2018

How Does Waze Work without a Cellular Connection?

We all know that navigation apps on your smartphone need to be online to function in your car. Or do they? Even with no bars, Waze can still get you where you’re going. Here’s how…

Yes, I must report that I’m still using my portable Garmin GPS in my Toyota RAV4. It’s admittedly difficult to defend my ongoing allegiance to this expensive older tech. My Garmin simply can’t compete with the more flexible user experience of navigation apps on smartphones.

But the good news is I’ve recently taken a big step forward… These days, I’ve been using Waze on my iPhone. All of the real-time traffic and hazard updates provide a nifty virtual view a few miles up the road. That’s hard to beat.

My Garmin Vs. My Waze
I shouldn’t admit this, but I often have both my Garmin and Waze operating simultaneously to see if they agree on the fastest way to go. And more often than not… they don’t. But that’s another story…

One advantage that I thought my Garmin Drive 50LMT still had over smartphone apps was its almost bullet-proof ability to maintain its GPS connection vs my iPhone’s uncertain cellular data tether while driving through dead zones. Navigation apps can’t survive that kind of hiccup, right?

But on a recent vacation road trip, I experienced what seemed to be impossible…
Waze was working without a cellular connection!

Offline iPhone GPS
My family and I were driving through some backroads in New Hampshire, and I looked at my iPhone, which was mounted to my dash via my Bunker Ring. I realized that while Waze had indeed lost all cellular connectivity, it still appeared to be functioning normally. As we drove, it continued to correctly display our location and the distance to our next turn. But it had no signal!

How was that possible?!

The Little-Known GPS Chip
After doing a little research after we got home, I realized that my iPhone was able to pull off this trick by using its built-in GPS radio. Yes, my iPhone has its own GPS functionality as do other smartphones! Its GPS chip operates independently of cellular data, and that’s why Waze was still able to see in the digital dark.

Sure, my Waze app was hobbled without its connection through AT&T. It couldn’t provide crowd-sourced traffic and hazard updates or recalculate my route. But Waze wasn’t entirely down for the count either.

I imagine at some point, Waze would have needed to connect back to its servers to download more map data, but for the fifteen minutes or so that I was driving offline, Waze was able to keep up with the twisty road ahead!

Impressive… most impressive.

Your Smartphone is at Home with GPS
There are actually lots of folks out there taking advantage of their smartphone’s GPS chip in places where cell coverage is nonexistent. They’re using apps designed to download maps ahead of time, before the trip begins.
(Waze can’t do this.)

But for me, I’m just exceptionally pleased knowing that Waze can survive for a while in a data-free zone using my iPhone’s GPS radio.

And if that can’t reverse my irrational allegiance to my Garmin Drive, I’m not sure what else will!

Leave a comment