Apple and Google branded as ‘outrageous’ over tablet storage costs

Have you ever wondered why tablet and phone makers tend to make devices with more storage a lot more expensive? Well even if you haven't, self proclaimed ‘consumer champion', Which? has and is beginning to question the up to 1000 per cent mark up on extra storage for tablet PC's.

According to the Which? investigation, Apple, Google, Samsung and Amazon can buy 16GB flash storage for as little as £5.95- so why are consumers paying up to £80 to double their storage? Apple charges an extra £80 for double storage, Google charges £70 extra to upgrade the Nexus 10's storage while Amazon only charges £40 extra for its Kindle Fire tablets .

Another point of discussion was the amount of space the consumer actually gets: the Samsung Galaxy Tab is a good example. Out of the advertised 16GB storage, you only get 10GB to play with.

While speaking to the inquirer, Which? editor, Richard Headland said: “With tablets in demand this Christmas, buyers will be shocked to discover what a raw deal they're getting on built-in memory. If you want the best value storage, then buy a tablet with a SD or microSD slot and add a memory card for a fraction of the cost.”

The problem is, Micro SD card tablets aren't all that popular and if someone really wants an iPad- they aren't going to settle for a cheaper Android.

Kitguru Says: I've been saying for a while that 8GB smartphones shouldn't exist, even 16GB is starting to hit its limits. The sooner 32GB becomes the standard, the better. What's the lowest amount of storage you guys would settle for?

Sources: The Inquirer, Telegraph

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