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Smaller iPhone?

post #1 of 14
1/10/10 at 4:11am
Thread Starter 
I went into an AT&T store in Portland, OR yesterday to look at and maybe buy a 3GS. I was talking to the sales rep, and he was going on about the features of the phone and stuff, and I made a comment about how it wouldn't fit in my pocket of my jeans. He then said "if you come back later this month, we'll have a smaller one, same capacity." I didn't really think much of it at the time, but now I'm wondering if this has anything to do with the Jan. 26th announcement?
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post #2 of 14
1/10/10 at 5:02am
I'd love to have a mini-iPhone the size of the Chinese clones. In fact, I have a Chinese mini iPhone clone (and it's a piece of junk). But if it were made by Apple it would be the first Apple phone I would rush out to buy. I find the iPhone too big.

But this rumor is bogus. Apple will not release a mini iPhone, unfortunately. And there's no way a clerk in Porltand would know jack about Apple's plans.
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post #3 of 14
1/10/10 at 5:35am
Many of the benefits of the iPhone would be lost if the screen was physically smaller.
(I struggle to read it as it is).

That said - the iPhone screen is only the size of a business card. I guess Apple could build a smaller phone without reducing the overall size of the screen.

C.
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post #4 of 14
1/10/10 at 8:28am
As above, smaller phone, same sized screen. I don't like the width of the phone and I'd rather not have a physical home button.

I'd love for the bottom black bezel to simply be a basic touch panel that is half the size and you'd do the slide to unlock. Right now, you have to hit the home button and then slide before you get into the phone. With a touch panel, it's just slide and you're straight to the icon view and it doesn't break like a physical button.

I'd like them to stop making the edges of their products so razor sharp too. A smooth curved edge helps when holding the device.
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post #5 of 14
1/10/10 at 11:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by infraview View Post

I went into an AT&T store in Portland, OR yesterday to look at and maybe buy a 3GS. I was talking to the sales rep, and he was going on about the features of the phone and stuff, and I made a comment about how it wouldn't fit in my pocket of my jeans. He then said "if you come back later this month, we'll have a smaller one, same capacity." I didn't really think much of it at the time, but now I'm wondering if this has anything to do with the Jan. 26th announcement?

I think there might be something in that. As screen res densifies they'll be able to make the iPhone the same device with in slight smaller dimensions. I'm thinking about a 3 1/4" display. It would replace the iPhone 3G S.

Or perhaps the display would be the same size and the physical size of the device would be smaller, i.e. slightly thinner, practically no side bezels and a reduced top and bottom bezel.

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post #6 of 14
1/10/10 at 11:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marvin View Post

As above, smaller phone, same sized screen. I don't like the width of the phone and I'd rather not have a physical home button.

What? Good God man, the iPhone is defined by that button. There's a very good reason, in fact many reasons this button is and will remain a physical button for quite some time.

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post #7 of 14
1/10/10 at 12:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by infraview View Post

I went into an AT&T store in Portland, OR yesterday to look at and maybe buy a 3GS. I was talking to the sales rep, and he was going on about the features of the phone and stuff, and I made a comment about how it wouldn't fit in my pocket of my jeans. He then said "if you come back later this month, we'll have a smaller one, same capacity." I didn't really think much of it at the time, but now I'm wondering if this has anything to do with the Jan. 26th announcement?


BS! All of it!

When did Apple start telling some guy at an AT&T store, in Portland, about the iPhone roadmap?

And what's wrong with the pockets of your jeans? Did you sew them up?
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post #8 of 14
1/10/10 at 12:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by piot View Post

BS! All of it!

When did Apple start telling some guy at an AT&T store, in Portland, about the iPhone roadmap?

And what's wrong with the pockets of your jeans? Did you sew them up?

Yep. The idea that the guy at the counter at the AT&T store knows anything at all about Apple's product road map is laughable. Most of the people at Apple don't have any idea what's coming.

And I've always maintained that the original iPhone is exactly the size Apple needed to make it to work. If the concept could be make smaller, they would have made it smaller in the first place. The UI is the phone, the screen is the size the UI needs.

A smaller phone is not an iPhone, because the UI doesn't work. It's not a matter of fewer icons on the home screen or making things a little smaller all around, etc. The UI doesn't work, the UI is the phone, the phone doesn't work. Hence, no smaller iPhone (except for thinner and lighter).
They spoke of the sayings and doings of their commander, the grand duke, and told stories of his kindness and irascibility.
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They spoke of the sayings and doings of their commander, the grand duke, and told stories of his kindness and irascibility.
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post #9 of 14
1/10/10 at 3:49pm
1/10

Need to do better.
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post #10 of 14
1/10/10 at 4:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ireland View Post

What? Good God man, the iPhone is defined by that button. There's a very good reason, in fact many reasons this button is and will remain a physical button for quite some time.

Google for "iphone broken home button" to see why it needs to go. A touch slider to use for home is much better. Instead of the dodgy double-tap for controlling music while inside an app, you just slide the finger left instead.

The advantages of a touch panel that you slide your finger over:

- doesn't break through overuse
- slide to unlock goes right into the icon view
- no chance of pressing home accidentally while playing a game
- gestures are more certain and more customizable

The Palm Pre's touch bar at the bottom has its uses though not for main navigation.

My home button is starting to go and it's just outside the warranty (how convenient) and they charge at least £50 to fix it. The less moving parts the better IMO.
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post #11 of 14
1/11/10 at 1:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marvin View Post

Google for "iphone broken home button" to see why it needs to go. A touch slider to use for home is much better. Instead of the dodgy double-tap for controlling music while inside an app, you just slide the finger left instead.

The advantages of a touch panel that you slide your finger over:

- doesn't break through overuse
- slide to unlock goes right into the icon view
- no chance of pressing home accidentally while playing a game
- gestures are more certain and more customizable

The Palm Pre's touch bar at the bottom has its uses though not for main navigation.

My home button is starting to go and it's just outside the warranty (how convenient) and they charge at least £50 to fix it. The less moving parts the better IMO.

Until now embedded code couldn't be left on its own devices inside processors without two things: physically generated external interrupt and watchdog timer.
Apple may eventually revolutionize this as well, but I don't think they will any soon. They may change form factor and remove that button onto the bezel, for example, but they will hardly trust software with generating external interrupt.

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People are lovers, basically. -- Engadget livebloggers at the iPad mini event.

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We mean Apple no harm.

People are lovers, basically. -- Engadget livebloggers at the iPad mini event.

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post #12 of 14
1/11/10 at 2:05am
Thinner iPhone belongs undoubtedly to the realm of realistic expectations.

However, if a tablet materializes soon, new iPhone will hardly show up in just one month. No resources to accomplish two major hardware projects, no need to divert customer's attention from tablet.

BTW, iPhone's form factor has been thought up not that bad at all. We seldom hear about dropped iPhones.

We mean Apple no harm.

People are lovers, basically. -- Engadget livebloggers at the iPad mini event.

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We mean Apple no harm.

People are lovers, basically. -- Engadget livebloggers at the iPad mini event.

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post #13 of 14
1/11/10 at 3:37am
Maybe not an iPhone mini, but how will Apple make the next iPod nano interesting without giving multi touch control and doing without the click wheel?

iPod nano 5th Gen 8GB Orange, iPad 3rd Gen WiFi 32GB White
MacBook Pro 15" Core i7 2.66GHz 8GB RAM 120GB Intel 320M
Mac mini Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz 8GB RAM, iPhone 5 32GB Black

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iPod nano 5th Gen 8GB Orange, iPad 3rd Gen WiFi 32GB White
MacBook Pro 15" Core i7 2.66GHz 8GB RAM 120GB Intel 320M
Mac mini Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz 8GB RAM, iPhone 5 32GB Black

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post #14 of 14
1/11/10 at 6:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aizmov View Post

Maybe not an iPhone mini, but how will Apple make the next iPod nano interesting without giving multi touch control and doing without the click wheel?

The death of the click wheel would truly be a tragedy. The iPod Nano is the absolute best music playback device on the market. Without the click wheel it would be a piece of junk.
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