16gb iphone only has 13.09 gb capacity on itunes?

The 2.41 gbs "missing" on your phone is for the operating system, siri, and other formating files, it has 16gbs of storage, but you can only store content on so much, and still be able to use it as a phone, media player, otherwise you have an expensive usb thumb drive.

Read here > How Mac OS X and iOS report storage capacity

regardless that, Apple sold me iPhone 4S with 16GB capacity, while I can only use 13.5GB. That is, 2.5GB I am paying for, but I actually cannot use.

False advertisment dear Apple: iPhone's capacity is misleading people to believe that they have 16GB memory on they device, while they actually don't. (I don't care how much is used by the system as long as iTunes reports me that I ONLY have 13.5GB out of the 16GB I have paid for.)

Message was edited by: 2992

If you've ever bought a computer in your life, the exact same thing has happened... usable space is less than advertised. The OS always takes up space. Been this way for 30+ years. Same with Android, Windows and Nokia phones as well as all computer based devices.

yes, it's old the story about the advertised capacity versus the real usable capacity for the user. However, I'm still calling it false advertisment, and not only for Apple, but for the other brands as well.

All devices are advertised and sold as "xxGb capacity" and that's what they have, the advertised capacity. Some of that is used by the OS. Call it what you like, it's not going to change anytime soon. Is it really worth getting worked up over?

So did you join the ASC for a real purpose or just to play the fool? Since you are educated about how HDD capacities are listed you are just here at this point to stir up trouble and not to add anything constructive. You are now marked by the hosts as a potential troll.

I have (re)joind ASC for a real purpose. I'm sorry for losing my previous account (thanks apple for the iCloud/MobileMe accounts fun) so one can see I did helped ansering some of the questions, but... today I have got upset about this storage advertising from vendors, and searching on the web I came to this topic, so I was willing to let other people know they are not alone with this issue.

I shouldn't be marked as a troll when I am complaining about real things, and sorry for offending anyone here. I am complaining about this to all storage vendors, but considering I have most of my products from Apple.. well, it just happen to be Apple's forum when I am complaining this time.

I know things are not going to be "fixed" anytime soon, but if nobody complains about this issue, then this issue will never be fixed. Complaining opens a small chance to change sometimes...

Cheers!

This is actually just normal. 16GB is what the board reads it. But the OS reads differently. Its sumething like 1MB = 1024 Bytes.

There is nothing to fix. Inside your phone is 16GB memory. All you are suffering from is that there are two definitions of "gigabyte". Neither are you making an allowance for the space occupied by the OS. Apple did not go for a 13.5GB chip...

I know things are not going to be "fixed" anytime soon

You are correct about that. It won't be fixed because there is nothing to fix. Users have a responsibility to understand the devices and technology that they use.

Besides, what you want is impossible. Every OS takes up storage room, but every current, past and future OS is and will be different size, aside from version choices, updates, different built-in apps, etc. Are you really proposing that vendors list every possible permutation, including those that do not yet exist, in order to give you an accurate number for usable storage?

Vendors advertise installed capacity and that's the capacity you get.

yes, that's a correct statement and I have to agree with it even if I don't like it. And the trend is getting even worse.

(Example: the MBA is now with the latest OSX using a part of the storage space (available before for user) for some hidden partition for the OS. That is not available for user to use it anymore. The solution is simple: put for example 10GB inside a phone, partition/assign 2GB for the OS, and advertise the phone as iPhone with 8GB - which is actually available for end user. This would be a fair ad for the consumer.)

And no, this is having nothing to do with the gigabyte definition.

2992 wrote:

I know things are not going to be "fixed" anytime soon, but if nobody complains about this issue, then this issue will never be fixed. Complaining opens a small chance to change sometimes...

Cheers!

You want to fixit? Try teaching people what "binary" means. The fundamental issue is that marketing advertises drive capacity using base 10 math, while computers and file systems are and always have been, based on base 2 binary math. People can say that Gigabyte = 10^9 bytes all they want, but the computer can only use that storage as 2^30 bytes.

Isuppose another way to look at is simply that RAW capacity will always be larger than useable FORMATTED capacity.

Michael, this is having nothing to do with the 10 or 2 base of calculation.

It's all about the OS ocupying space which is never available for the end user, as it should be (as per an average user understanding. Example: my gf which is a non-teck educated user, was asking me why her brand new laptop is not having 250 GB free space available so she can store the music, pics and the movies she wants. My answer was: because several GB are ocupied by the OS and the rest of the software. Her answer, and I am not joking: well, then just delete that stuff as I don't need it. I only want to have my music, pics and movies on my laptop!. Go figure...).

The solution is simple: put for example 10GB inside a phone, partition/assign 2GB for the OS, and advertise the phone as iPhone with 8GB

It's not so simple.

Two scenarios, for example:

1. If the OS takes less than the designated 2 GB, do you really want to pay for it (yes, you'll be paying for it) and not be allowed to use it? Just leave it there "reserved"?

2. What happens if a future version of the OS needs more than the designated 2 GB? We start talking about unfairness all over again?

I'm done here.