Actually, this is what you need to accessorize your Nexus 4:
1. Large capacity external battery pack
2. Professional grade DSLR camera
3. Wireless 2 TB hard drive
4. Dedicated LTE hotspot
5. Headphone jack amplifier
Optional: Chewbacca's bandolier, Indiana Jones' satchel, or Batman's utility belt to hold everything.
Absolutely not. But neither should you be immune to criticism for the fact that you are complaining/whining about a device you made the decision to buy knowing full well what you were getting. That is also a fair critic.
Then go for one of them. No, it wasn't "nerd politics." It was a conscious decision to push the cloud (and the fact that internal storage and SD storage aren't always seamlessly integrated). Google wants to do that. They made a 16GB version because it seems the standard for mid-high range phones. The question isn't why they chose to make the 16 GB version; it is why they chose to make the 8 GB Nexus 4, after only making a 16 GB Galaxy Nexus (unlocked). It was meant to reward people who adopt the cloud with a $50 discount. I took advantage of it.
SD is also not available "all the time." SD cards can be damaged, become corrupted, and lose all your data. I am far more comfortable with the cloud because I'm pretty sure it won't lose my data as easily as an SD card might. SD cards are also much more easily stolen (and thus the data from them also easily stolen) than your cloud storage. Plus, when I want to access my files on the cloud on a different device, I don't need to physically remove the SD card and stick it into the other device. I just need an internet connected device, and it's all there. Neither is "available all the time." I prefer the redundancy and device-independent availability of cloud storage; you prefer the ready access of the SD card especially when a data connection is unavailable. But let's not pretend that SD card is somehow "better" than cloud storage.
Even if this is true, that does not fit the criteria for a design flaw. It may be a philosophical flaw, business plan flaw, etc. (not that I'm saying it's any of these), but definitely not a design flaw.
In one breath, you say that you made the choice to buy the phone even after being aware of these "flaws", and then in the next breath, you complain that you are being forced to use the device as you purchased it. The two are contradictory. You are no more forced to use the Nexus 4's features (or lack thereof) than you were to buy it in the first place. You aren't forced to uninstall anything, but by making the choice to buy this phone, you took the limitation on yourself.
Everyone, except Google. Remember that Google didn't simply define the hardware and software parameters of this phone - it sells it in the Play Store for a considerably smaller price tag than its LG non-Nexus cousin. That means Google is price subsidizing our purchase (whether they are actually losing money is actually irrelevant - that they are selling it for less than market value of comparable devices is relevant). Because Google is subsidizing our purchase, it is entitled to push its services and its agenda. Google wants to push cloud storage because that's where they get data and money, not your phone. As has been mentioned multiple times, you have choices in the market without Google subsidizing your purchase. It's just not a Nexus.
Because your "Nexus" is not analogous to a 'car' in this example; it is analogous to a specific car, because it is a specific phone. You asking for different models of the Nexus isn't the same as you asking for a choice in the market for cars, but basically that the Ford Taurus (for example) should come with different interior spaces to accommodate different buyers. Just as the Ford Taurus is not your only choice when it comes to cars, the Nexus isn't the only choice when it comes to phones.
If by 'carriers', you mean AT&T and Verizon, yes. But both Sprint and T-mobile now have truly unlimited data plans. But yes of course cloud storage depends on access to and availability of an Internet connection. Which is one reason why the Nexus isn't for everyone, or even necessarily "for the masses."
You are pretending that those of us who support the cloud strategy are somehow arguing that you don't need any on board storage. Of course, that's a strawman. Google seems to have decided that most people would strike the balance at 16GB of on-board storage with some room left, but also made the 8GB model available for aggressive cloud users, such as myself. But even I don't think that I don't need any on-board storage. I just don't need much.
Except that this is not true. The cloud isn't an all or nothing proposition. Most of Google's cloud apps (Gallery, Play Music, Gmail, etc) intelligently caches files on your device, just not everything. So you may actually have access to that cached stuff even when you don't have network or wifi availability. Is it everything? No. But am I looking at every picture I have taken at the same time or listening to all my music at the same time? No. Furthermore, with Music, you can pin whatever you want to your phone, just probably not your entire library.
And there you have the reason why "complaining" won't make Google change course. Since they are not making money from your purchase, they won't lose anything if you don't buy the next one. Google will accommodate customers, but within its own tech philosophy.
I suspect you know the answer to this. The Nexus 7 wasn't launched with mobile data capability. In addition, tablets tend to be more often a media consumption (and storage) device than phones. People are more likely to watch a full length movie or two on the Nexus 7 than on the Nexus 4 - and they may well want to download it in its entirety before they watch. You may have a Nexus 7 you want to carry on your commute to work (if you use public transit, especially) and watch movies and listen to music on the go. Given it has no mobile data connectivity and your public transit agency probably doesn't have wifi on all its vehicles, it makes more sense to make the Nexus 7 with greater storage.
Cache. Most cloud applications intelligently cache files on your on-board storage. It just doesn't cache everything. I already made this point though, and you chose to ignore it. The apps themselves (cloud or not) also take some storage. That you're even talking about 4 GB - which can be easily taken up by system files plus a few apps with caches - strikes me as a disingenuous argument for the sake of an argument.
On-board storage complements cloud storage only insofar as the cache size is concerned. But on-board storage that is too large can defeat the purpose of cloud storage by encouraging users not to upload to the cloud at all. It isn't about whether on-board storage is complimentary, it is *how much* is complimentary and at what point it starts becoming counter. Google decided 16 GB was the cutoff with the Nexus 4.
None of which conflicts with Google's drive, philosophy and core business of the cloud. As I said, Google will accommodate consumers, but provided it is within its tech philosophy. The OP explicitly said that 16 GB is not enough because the OP doesn't *want* to put stuff on the cloud. That is explicitly against Google's philosophy and business model, and Google will not be accommodating the craving to NOT put stuff on the cloud.
No, I can't. Personally, I don't really care for the tablet form factor. You're trying to move the debate from why the Nexus 7 offers greater storage to why it didn't launch with mobile data, and that is a distraction I am not going to entertain.
In the US, the only such models available are carrier locked (AT&T and T-Mobile). That's what the carriers wanted. Neither carrier offers unlimited data for tablets, and data plans for tablets are considerably more expensive than data plans for phones. For example, 5 GB of a tablet plan (monthly pass) on T-mobile costs $50 a month. I can get a phone plan with 5GB of data for $30 which also includes unlimited texting and 100 minutes of calling. You are simply not comparing apples to apples.
This is your use case. But I'm willing to bet that because carrier data plans are more expensive for tablets than for smartphones (especially in case of the Nexus line), more people will want to put their ... "stuff" on the tablet while on wifi rather than using up mobile data.
Or, the manufacturers heard the demands from their customers for stock experience, and they made deals with Google to sell them. There is no reason to think that this initiative is more Google's than Samsung's or HTC's. Secondly, Google isn't subsidizing your purchase of the GE GS4 or HTC One, so it's not pushing its agenda as hard. Which is why you will be paying $600+ for those phones. Choice is good. Make one.
Except the Nexus is not a specific manufacturer, it is a *specific phone.* It's not analogous to the Honda, but more to the Honda Civic LX.
Wouldn't it be a good thing for people to know the pitfalls of limited storage before buying the phone?
Then that model needs to change. IMO, if enough people complain, Google's philosophy will change.
I don't think any of them except Jerry's are. Because they do not address the problem. They are basically "Thats the way it is STFU"...no, that is not informative.Don't you think my responses are just informative to these people as well?
The problem is that you're assuming that most Android buyers are dumb idiots who go out buying things before they know what the "limitations" of a given device are. That's not true. In fact, smartphone users are far more savvy, having to juggle data consumption (evidenced by how good they are at turning on wifi whenever possible), storage and everything that comes with owning a smartphone. Nobody who's buying a Nexus 4 is unaware of how much storage it comes with.
Cloud storage *can* replace a great deal of 'local' storage for the right user. What buyers need to know is that they will likely need to rely on cloud storage if they get a Nexus 4 and have a whole lot of media. Whether it 'replaces' local storage is up to the buyer to decide. "Local" storage isn't all that reliable or convenient for a host of reasons I discussed earlier.
Hahaha, sure.
Google also had official support for Adobe Flash in previous Nexus devices and versions of Android. That doesn't mean it's reasonable to assume the possibility of it coming back in Key Lime Pie with the next Nexus phone. PCs used to support floppy disks with a dedicated slot. That doesn't mean that it's reasonable to expect that floppy drives will make a comeback.
Depends on the specific apps, as well as the number of apps.
Except that Google isn't the only company that provides cloud services, and not all of Google's cloud service apps come bundled with the OS. If all you needed were the bundled apps, yes, 4GB would probably be enough.
Because the Nexus 4 is SIM unlocked, I can get a prepaid local data and phone plan anywhere in the world without having to pay roaming charges to my US carrier. When that's the case, the argument for the necessity of downloading maps and language packs locally become weaker. But even if that weren't the case, I would think 16 GB would be enough.
So... you are not blaming Google for the decisions carriers make, but also saying that Google should consider carrier data pricing in deciding how much storage to provide? I'm confused. My take on this is that carrier decisions aren't Google's fault, but we live in the real world where one affects the other.
The subsidy IS a form of the market sorting things out. One player in the market (Google) is using its resources to push the market (or a segment of the market) in a way that it prefers. But yes, the GE phones are now out, and I would think would fit most people's needs. Although, is either the S4 or One GE available with internal storage capacity of greater than 16 GB?
And so can you on a Nexus phone. Use an OTG USB device. It's an attachment, not part of the main product design, as as your roof rack.
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