 "Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: Cupertino wants 128GB to be your standard variant")
We’re still a couple of weeks from the India launch of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. There are a couple of changes brought about by Apple. Before we proceed to analyse the pricing of the devices, here are a couple of points for reference. Firstly, there is a delta between US and India pricing. During his first visit to India, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he believes that iPhone prices could someday be the same as the US. Someday. That was May 2016. Four months later, we’re still at the same problem all over again. There is a premium charged over devices in India, compared to the US, besides a month’s delay. Customers in the US already have access to the latest smartphone, while in India, queues outside Apple stores are expected in the first week. 32GB is cheaper than 16GB Now coming down to the pricing of the devices
. In line with its approach to have two devices each year, Apple launched the 7 and the 7 Plus on 7 September in San Francisco, California. In addition, the key change this year, was the removal of the 16GB and 64GB variants. Yes, this time around when you buy an iPhone, your standard 16GB isn’t an option anymore. That’s sad, you may think. Well, the removal of the 16GB variant is a great move, I believe. 16GB is the new 8GB. Times are changing. 
We’re consuming more apps, and more rich content. It’s high time we move beyond 16GB. And why not? The 32GB version of the iPhone 7 now costs less than the 16GB iPhone 6s. By pricing the base model of the newest flagship below the base version of the previous edition, Apple has absolved itself of making the customer opt for a higher priced device. So now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s look into some more details. There’s no 64GB! Last year, the device portfolio included 16GB, 64GB and 128GB options. This year, it’s 32GB, 128GB and 256GB. Pricing is at increments of Rs 10000! Looking only at launch prices and variants of the devices, this is what we get:
| VariantDevice | iPhone 6s | iPhone 6s Plus | iPhone 7 | iPhone 7 Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16GB | Rs 62,000 | Rs 72,000 | NA | NA |
| 32GB | NA | NA | Rs 60,000 | Rs 72,000 |
| 64GB | Rs 72,000 | Rs 82,000 | NA | NA |
| 128GB | Rs 82,000 | Rs 92,000 | Rs 70,000 | Rs 82,000 |
| 256GB | NA | NA | Rs 80,000 | Rs 92,000 |
The void left by the loss of the 64GB, has been filled with the 128GB version. That’s where things get interesting. In effect, the iPhone 7 128GB is cheaper than the iPhone 6s Plus 16GB if launch prices are taken as reference. Besides, the 256GB launch price is Rs 2000 less than the 128GB iPhone 6s. I couldn’t help but notice the subtle references to black, even if it meant to indicate white. 
Special privilege for 128GB and 256GB Black is the new Rose Gold. Thankfully. Black is elegant, black is beautiful. In so many ways. You can never go wrong with Black. And Apple has decided to offer its own version of black in the form of a Black or Jet Black iPhone. One’s matte, the other’s glossy. Black. There’s 2 minutes and 26 seconds of Jony Ive at work to convince you why the Black iPhone is special this year. I can already see future iPhone customers talking to their Android friends in his voice while explaining the merits of having a high-gloss black finish iPhone.
Apple devoted time during the launch event to highlight the Black iPhone, in effect, the 128GB and 256GB versions. And considering that 128GB and 256GB have received the best treatment from Apple, I believe, this will be a thrust area. In fact, Apple’s supply chain must already by undergoing optimisation for 128GB memory! Note: Following the launch of the iPhone 7, Apple has revised the existing iPhone 6s and 6s Plus lineup by dropping the 16GB and 64GB models and introducing a 32GB base model. The 128GB model also gets a price cut. The revised prices are as follows:
Technology Editor – Firstpost